Many people know that Cordyceps sinensis is a relatively expensive medicinal material. It, together with pilose antler and ginseng, is known as the three tonics in China. If you often eat some Cordyceps, you can stop bleeding and phlegm, tonify the lung and kidney, clear away heat and strengthen the spleen. Now there are more Cordyceps on the market, which often brings doubts to buyers. So how do we identify the authenticity of Cordyceps sinensis?
Look at the shape. The insect head and grass head of real Cordyceps grow together naturally. They look very natural. There is no adhesion trace of fake Cordyceps at all. The worm body has three rings arranged in groups, and the rings are gradually thickened from head to bottom. Eight pairs of insect feet are fixed. The number of insect feet of some Cordyceps on the market is different. Be cautious when buying. If possible, you can break off the Cordyceps to see if the color of the section is white, there is wood with obvious lines, and there is wood in the center of the section with a small black core similar to the English letter v. These are the unique characteristics of the shape of true Cordyceps sinensis.
Smell the packed Cordyceps. When we open it, it will overflow a strong smell, like the smell of mushrooms. Pick up a single Cordyceps, you can also smell a faint fishy smell. The smell of fake Cordyceps is different. Some have no special smell no matter how close we smell. There are also some odors of inferior flavor or fishy smell.
Cordyceps sinensis is a valuable Chinese herbal medicine. Holding a handful in your hand will have the texture of hay, which is almost light to no weight. There will be no staining when the insect body and the pedestal are rubbed back and forth on the palm of the hand. Put down the Cordyceps sinensis. There will be no powder with unknown ingredients except some sediment and sawdust on your hands, and fake Cordyceps sinensis often reveals flaws in these aspects.
The taste of Cordyceps sinensis is as crisp as green beans. The more you chew, the more fragrant it is. The aroma is similar to the sweetness of mushrooms. When the fake Cordyceps sinensis is chewed in the mouth, it will have the feeling of hard crushing and grinding of licorice. After being moistened with saliva, it does not smell like letinous edodes, but also feels full of earth.
In short, I hope you can carefully remember the above purchase skills and methods, so that you can buy a satisfactory Cordyceps sinensis. In addition, I hope you can shop around a lot, so that you can have more opportunities to buy a suitable Cordyceps sinensis.