Analysis of Quality and Techniques for Hybridization of Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.)Sacc. (Ascomycetes)

In the course of our research with cultivated medicinal fungus Cordyceps sinensis, we have noted a greater diversity of compounds from different strains of this single species than in almost any other organism we have analyzed. Because of this great difference in chemical composition, a wide range of quality is found in cultivated C. sinensis. This article details the unique methods used to develop hybridized strains of C. sinensis using rattlesnake venom to trigger somatic fusion of dissimilar mycelial strains.This results in the reproducible production of cultivated C. sinensis containing quantities of recognized bioactive compounds equal to or greater than the quantities found in wild collected strains.These techniques and methods offer great promise in allowing cultivators of C. sinensis and other Cordyceps species to take their artificially cultivated products to a higher and more consistent level of quality and provide protocols for analysis of C. sinensis quality using HPLC and GC techniques.