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Given that the price of cordyceps, a cure-all ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, can rival that of gold, it’s important to find a reliable, trust-worthy retailer. Wai Yuen Tong fits the bill
In the Himalayan meadows, at least 3,500 metres above sea level, grows Cordyceps sinensis—health-giving fungus long used in both traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine for its ability to strengthen the body, improve immunity and enhance overall well-being. But there are many types of cordyceps of varying quality on offer and there is no industry standard to determine the quality of a product that, by weight, often sells for a higher price than gold. So how do you find a retailer that stands out from the crowd, for the quality and provenance of its cordyceps?
Hong Kong’s pharmaceutical giant Wai Yuen Tong, established more than 120 years ago, has always been committed to producing traditional Chinese and Western medicine products of the highest standards. Its dedication to producing quality health products is reflected in the group’s new HK$600 million processing and production facility in the New Territories. Opened in 2017, the plant strictly adheres to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards set by the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong, and the PIC/S standards of Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration. It is at the New Territories facility that Wai Yuen Tong’s cordyceps are processed.
Wai Yuen Tong procures its cordyceps, also known as “soft gold,” from Nagqu, an area in Tibet where cordyceps of the highest quality are found. When the fungi arrive at the state-ofthe-art processing facility in Yuen Long, they are sorted by hand to remove any inferior product before going through a processing machine that ensures that the cordyceps contain optimal levels of adenosine—one of the key substances in cordyceps. Wai Yuen Tong then sends its cordyceps out for costly analysis by the Castco Testing Centre, a leading independent laboratory in Hong Kong, for final endorsement. All these measures ensure that it is a safe and superior product that reaches the market. “Each cordycep is hand-picked carefully before undergoing lab tests to ensure that the cordyceps, and the traces of heavy metals, aluminium and sulfates that are found in it, are in compliance with the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China and in-house specification,” says William Ye, a quality control manager at Wai Yuen Tong, who has a M.S. in pharmaceutical analysis. “We even employ an external laboratory on a regular basis to sharpen our standards for our customer’s assurance.” As well as the superior quality-assurance standards that Wai Yuen Tong has established, the pharmaceutical company sources only the finest raw product, choosing wild cordyceps that come from a low-pollution area 4,500 metres up in the snow terrain of the Tibetan Himalayas, ensuring efficacy of the highest levels. The uniform nature, bright colour and obvious ring patterns and wrinkles on the cordyceps serve to further confirm the high quality of Wai Yuen Tong’s product. As well as raw cordyceps, Wai Yuen Tong’s 100 per cent Tibetan Wild cordyceps are available in capsule form, which is particularly convenient for those who travel frequently, whether for business or leisure, and for whom the preparation of raw cordyceps on the move may not be possible. Wai Yuen Tong goes to great lengths to ensure convenience as well as the utmost confidence in its cordyceps as part of your wellness regime.