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Lisa Cam

It is the stuff of nightmares.
Spores from a killer fungus infiltrate your body and mind, controlling you while slowly killing you with only one goal – to procreate. The body of the cordyceps erupts from your head and, when it finishes growing, deadly spores explode from its tip, leaving any creature of the same species in the vicinity to meet the same fate.
This is what cordyceps, a parasitic fungus, does to many insects. It is this natural phenomenon that is the inspiration behind the HBO series The Last of Us and the video game of which it is an adaptation, in which a zombie apocalypse is caused by a fungus pandemic.
Could these murderous, zombifying fungi take over the human race? There are more than 600 species of cordyceps, each dedicated to a particular type of insect – but none capable of infecting and killing humans.

Bryn Dentinger is a biology professor at the University of Utah in the United States, and curator of mycology – the study of fungi, which are living organisms such as moulds, yeast, and mushrooms – at the Natural History Museum of Utah.
He told the American non-profit media company NPR that cordyceps cannot survive in animals with a body temperature higher than 34.5 degrees Celsius (94.1 degrees Fahrenheit). Humans generally have a temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius.



Cordyceps: The Magic Mushroom in Chinese Medicine...Or Is It?
Have you ever tried cordyceps? They’ve been part of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and can sell for hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars per pound. In recent years, Western companies like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop have caught onto this caterpillar fungus’ healing powers.
Posted by Goldthread on Monday, 18 February 2019


The traits that allow the fungi to attack insects evolved specifically for a single species, he added, so they cannot infect humans, which share only around a third of the DNA with the insects cordyceps do attack.
Here are five things you may not know about cordyceps.
1. The fungus was reserved for Chinese imperial use
Used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, cordyceps were such a sought-after and valued commodity that they were strictly reserved for use by the emperor and his family.
2. In TCM, cordyceps helps restore energy balance and male vitality
According to Hong Kong-based TCM practitioner Samuel To Ching-san, cordyceps are excellent for replenishing “yin” energy in the body – characterised as cold and dark, and counteractive to hot, light “yang” energy in a way that provides balance.

In particular, To says cordyceps may strengthen lung and kidney function. The kidneys are associated with male vitality, which is why the fungus is said to help with male sexual problems, too. It is nicknamed “Himalayan Viagra”.
To says that when it comes to health benefits, cordyceps are better used as a supplement combined with other things, rather than on their own.
How cordyceps of ‘The Last of Us’ notoriety are farmed in China for health
3. Factory farming brings cordyceps’ price down
In 2019, cordyceps were reported to cost HK$370 (US$47) per gram – about HK$40 a gram more than gold at the time.
The Post recently reported that cordyceps are now being farmed in factories in China, reducing the price to 1,934 yuan (US$284) for 10 grams of fresh cordyceps, or 1,699 yuan for a pack of 30 dried pieces.

4. Wild cordyceps attracts a premium price
There is a distinction between wild and farmed cordyceps; wild cordyceps are in high demand and fetch a high price.
The supply of wild cordyceps is limited. Ophiocordyceps sinensis, the species most commonly used in TCM, flourishes at high altitudes – from 3,000 to 5,000 metres (9,600 to 16,000 feet) above sea level – in parts of China such as Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu.

Foraging for the fungus is generally left to local residents who are acclimated to the thin air, and the collection process is slow.
5. Cordyceps is best served steamed or boiled
The fungus has a savoury and earthy flavour, and a nutty taste not unlike that of chestnut mushrooms.

Ho Wai-sing, executive chef of The Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant, in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui East neighbourhood, says the ingredient is best served steamed or boiled.
“Cordyceps with mallard duck in soup is a classic Cantonese dish. The soup is nourishing, sweet in flavour, and because there isn’t a lot of fat on the duck, the proteins bring out the flavour of the fungi.”
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Wellness

5 facts about cordyceps, the bug-eating parasitic fungus that inspired HBO’s zombie apocalypse series The Last of Us

The species of cordyceps most commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Shutterstock

Cordyceps on a scale in a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner’s clinic. The parasitic, bug-eating fungi inspired HBO’s hit zombie series “The Last of Us” and the video game from which it is adapted. Photo: Shutterstock

Cordyceps infect and kill insects, but no species is capable of harming humans. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong-based TCM practitioner Samuel To Ching-san. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Fresh cordyceps are grown in glass bottles in factory farms in China. Photo: Shutterstock

Cordyceps are collected by hand, often at high altitude, in a time-consuming process that contributes to their premium price tag. Photo: Shutterstock

Ho Wai-sing, executive chef of The Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant, in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui East neighbourhood. Photo: The Royal Garden Hong Kong

Are zombie cordyceps real in ‘The Last of Us’? Humans turn the table on bug-eating parasitic fungus in China

The cordyceps cultivated by HEC in the Yidu facilities in Hubei province, China. Photo: Handout

A laboratory at HEC Health’s cordyceps research center in Dongguan, Guangzhou province. Photo: Handout 

A dried sample of the ophiocordyceps sinensis, more commonly called the caterpillar fungus, on sale at Top Century Medicines Pharmacy at the Imperial Hotel in Hong Kong on July 18, 2016. Photo: David WONG

Nepalese foraged for Yarchagumba on meadows 4,000 metres above sea level in the Himalayan mountains on June 9, 2012 in the Dolpa district of Nepal. Photo: AFP.

Ronny Tsang, Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise Department showed some real and fake samples of ophiocordyceps sinensis after a seizure on 15 December 1995.

Traders examined a haul of the ophiocordyceps sinensis in a Lhasa market on February 25, 2014. Photo: Xinhua

HEC’s cordyceps cultivation base in Hubei province, China produces around 50 tons of cordyceps a year. Photo: Handout

Nutritional yeast: all about the ‘umami bomb’ natural flavour enhancer vegans and vegetarians know as ‘nooch’ that gives meals a savoury kick

Nutritional yeast, or “nooch”, sprinkled on avocado toast adds a nutty, cheesy flavour. Photo: Shutterstock

Nutritional yeast has a nutty, savoury taste similar to Parmesan cheese, and is packed with B vitamins and antioxidants, making it a favourite among vegans and vegetarians, who often call it an “umami bomb”. Photo: Shutterstock

Althea Tan Hutchinson, co-founder of The Happy Plantarian, in Hong Kong, is a big fan of nutritional yeast. Photo: Althea Tan Hutchinson

Hong Kong-based nutritionist Fernanda Vasconez praises nutritional yeast for its antioxidants. Photo: Fernanda Vasconez

Vegan macaroni and cheese gets an umami flavour boost from a sauce made with nutritional yeast. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

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Also known as caterpillar fungus, cordyceps consumes insects’ bodies from the inside, and inspired the hit HBO zombie series and video game it’s adapted from
Used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia, it is now being farmed in factories. Here are some things about the sought-after fungus you may not know


Cordyceps, the bug-eating fungus that inspired HBO’s hit zombie series The Last of Us and the video game it’s based on, has been sought after in China for centuries. Here are 5 things about it you may not know.


Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

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