Night Sweats – what the hell is AWETO
Posted on Dec 23, 2009 under Night sweats | No Comment
What is it?
Aweto, additionally known as "worm grass" or "summer-worm, winter-grass," is a staple in Chinese Traditional Medicine. It isn’t really a plant or a worm. It’s the result of a parasitic relationship between the fungus cordyceps and also the larva of the ghost moth (thitarodes). The fungus germinates in the larva, kills and mummifies the moth, and then the cordyceps grows from the head of the insect.
Looks like:
You guessed it — a dried worm, about three to five centimetres long and yellowish brown in color, complete with the segmented body. There is sometimes a very little stem protruding of one end.
Tastes like:
Real aweto smells like earthy, fishy mushrooms and has a crunchy texture and a rather sweet taste.
Employed in:
The worm was thought by TCM doctors to enhance folks’s immunity to any or all illnesses. It’s said to be especially beneficial for the lungs and kidneys and is used to treat, among other things, impotence, night sweats , coughing and asthma. It’s typically ground into power and made into a tea or added to soups.