The difference between real and fake Cordyceps

How to distinguish the authenticity of Cordyceps sinensis? Cordyceps sinensis has attracted much attention as an important medicinal herb unique to my country. Its efficacy, functions and nutritional value can be said to be extremely rich. However, the quality of Cordyceps sinensis on the current market is uneven, and it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity.

Next, Bu Kun will teach you how to distinguish the authentic Cordyceps sinensis from the fake ones.

How to distinguish genuine Cordyceps sinensis from fake ones?

First of all, the genuine Naqu Bukun Cordyceps has the following characteristics:

1. Look at the appearance

The insect head and grass head of the real Cordyceps sinensis grow together naturally, which looks very natural, without any sticky marks of fake Cordyceps sinensis. The insect body is arranged in groups of three rings, and the rings gradually become bolder from the top to the bottom.

The insect legs are fixed in eight pairs. At present, the legs of some Cordyceps sinensis on the market are mostly of different sizes, so you should be cautious when purchasing.

If conditions permit, you can peel off the Cordyceps sinensis to see if the color of the cross section is white, whether there are obvious textures, and whether there is a small white core similar to the letter V in the center of the cross section.

These are all unique characteristics of the true Cordyceps sinensis appearance.

2. Smell

When we open the packaged Cordyceps sinensis, it will exude a fragrant and rich mushroom aroma similar to that of oyster mushrooms.

If you pick up a single Cordyceps sinensis, you can smell a faint fishy fragrance.

The smell of fake Cordyceps sinensis is different. Some of them have no special smell no matter how close we smell them. Some also have the smell of fake spices or fishy smell.

3. Test the touch

Cordyceps sinensis is a precious Chinese herbal medicine. When you hold a handful in your hand, you can feel the texture of wheat straw, and it is almost light to the point of being weightless.

There will be no dye if you put the insect body and fruiting body in the palm of your hand and rub them back and forth.

When you learn to hold Cordyceps sinensis, your hands will be covered with some sand and wood chips, but there will be no powder of unclear composition. Fake Cordyceps sinensis often reveals flaws in this regard.

4. Taste

The passages of Cordyceps sinensis are as crisp as green peas, and the more you chew them, the more fragrant they become. Its aroma is similar to the sweetness of oyster mushrooms. When you put the fake Cordyceps in your mouth and chew it, it feels like chewing licorice and it grinds your teeth.

After being moistened with saliva, not only does it lose the aroma of oyster mushrooms, but it also feels like a mouth full of soil.

How to distinguish genuine Cordyceps sinensis from fake ones?

1. Identify the Cordyceps for water extraction

The so-called water-drained Cordyceps means dripping some water on the Cordyceps before selling it, and the moisture content of the water-drained Cordyceps will increase by 20%;

To put it simply, 100 grams of 500 grams of Cordyceps are water, which is used to increase the weight of Cordyceps and gain benefits. Because the moisture content requirement of Cordyceps is generally around 10%;

Therefore, the identification method is to flick the Cordyceps lightly. If the moisture content exceeds 10%, a light flick will cause the Cordyceps to break.

2. Identify the broken grass of viscose

Two broken cordyceps are glued together to imitate complete cordyceps, which is called glued broken cordyceps.

Bad shops usually mix this kind of glued broken grass with Cordyceps and sell it on the market, which makes it difficult to identify.