Key takeaways
- Cultivated Cordyceps militaris doesn’t need insects.
- It is grown from pure culture on a sterilised nutrient medium.
- Light, temperature and humidity trigger fruiting.
- Sterile technique is essential to prevent contamination.
How do you grow a fungus that, in nature, grows on insects? This article explains how cultivated Cordyceps militaris is produced.
From insect to cultivation
In the wild, C. militaris infects insect pupae. Growers discovered that it can also produce fruiting bodies on a prepared nutrient medium, which made commercial cultivation possible.
The growing process
- Culture: a pure culture of C. militaris is maintained in the laboratory.
- Inoculation: a prepared, sterilised growing medium is inoculated with the culture.
- Colonisation: the fungus grows through the medium as mycelium.
- Fruiting: with the right light, temperature and humidity, it produces its orange fruiting bodies.
- Harvest and drying: fruiting bodies are harvested and dried.
Light plays a notable role: it influences the development and colour of the fruiting bodies. See The Mushroom Life Cycle Explained.
Clean conditions
Because the growing medium is nutritious, sterile technique is essential to prevent contamination by moulds and bacteria.
Fruiting body or mycelium?
Cultivation produces both. Fruiting body products use the harvested orange fruiting bodies; mycelium products may include the growing medium. See Fruiting Body vs Mycelium.
Our Cordyceps
Our Cordyceps tincture uses UK-grown, cultivated C. militaris fruiting bodies.