[ca245]

Caterpillar fungus has been around Chinese traditional medicine circles for thousands of years, as a general health tonic and an aphrodisiac. It made news in the West in the 1990's when Chinese women were setting world records in distance track events. When suspicions about PEDs were raised, the coach attributed their success to caterpillar fungus. In the Bay Area, you can buy it at Chinese dry goods stores. Biologically it is the fruiting body -- i.e. "mushroom" -- of a fungus that parasitized and eventually killed a caterpillar.

[ca245]

Caterpillar fungus has been around Chinese traditional medicine circles for thousands of years, as a general health tonic and an aphrodisiac. It made news in the West in the 1990's when Chinese women were setting world records in distance track events. When suspicions about PEDs were raised, the coach attributed their success to caterpillar fungus. In the Bay Area, you can buy it at Chinese dry goods stores. Biologically it is the fruiting body -- i.e. "mushroom" -- of a fungus that parasitized and eventually killed a caterpillar.