The cultures were raised from the stipe and stroma portion of healthy, sun-dried and fresh specimens. The specimens were first washed with distilled water and then the tissue from the stipe and stroma portion were cut with the help of a sterilized blade. The bits of tissue (2-3 mm) were taken up with a sterilized forceps and dipped in 0.1% mercuric chloride solution for 5-10 seconds. Now the tissue was placed on filter paper to remove the excess moisture. The small bits of Cordyceps tissues were then transferred aseptically into the petriplates containing potato-dextrose agar (PDA) medium with the help of a sterilized forceps. These were then incubated at 25 0C for at least 8-10 days and observed regularly for appearance of culture. The actively growing mycelial colonies were sub cultured to obtain pure cultures