write a summary 250- 300 words on cordyyceps is the composite of a genus of fungus that grows on the larva of insects. To date, more than 350 Cordyceps-related species have been found worldwide based on fungus and/or insect host. However, since 1964, only Cordyceps sinensis has been recorded officially as an herbal drug in Chinese pharmacopoeia. C. sinensis, known as Dongchongxiacao (winter-worm summer-grass) in Chinese, is one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines and medicinal mushrooms. The fungus attacks the larva of some species of insects (Fam. Hepialidae), and converts each larva to a sclerotium, from which the fruiting body grows (Figure 5.1). FIGURE 5.1. (See color insert. FIGURE 5.1 (See color insert.) (a) Cordyceps sinensis, illustrated in the book Ben Cao Bei Yao by Wang Ang, which was published in 1694; (b) C. sinensis found in the soil (arrowhead indicates C. sinensis); and (c) collected as raw materials. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, C. sinensis is sweet in taste and