Cordyceps sinensis, Dong Chong Xia Cao, ถั่งเช่า, or summer-grass winter-worm, originating in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China and Tibet at a high altitude of about 10,000 feet above sea level, is a fungus that grows on specific species of moths’ larvae. It has been widely used as traditional Chinese herbal medicine for more than 2,000 years. The Chinese emperors believed that it would guarantee longevity.

Cordyceps was put on the global map in 1993 when the Chinese women’s track team, which won multiple Olympic gold medals, claimed the use of Cordyceps as an energy stimulant. In the recent years, there are several test studies that showed the benefits of Cordyceps in improving exercise performance, resistance to fatigue, restoring physical strength and the immune system, enhancing sexual energy, and regaining kidney and lung functions.*