Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a precious medicinal material with significant pharmacological and economic value. However, the visual similarity between its wild and cultivated forms poses a challenge for authentication. This study investigates the influence of specimen orientation on the accuracy of hyperspectral identification. Hyperspectral data were systematically acquired from four standard specimen orientations (left lateral, right lateral, dorsal, and ventral) for each sample. Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), and Fully Connected Neural Network (FCNN) models were trained and evaluated using both single-orientation and multi-orientation fused data. Results indicate that the LR model achieved superior and stable performance, with an average identification accuracy exceeding 98%. Crucially, for all tested models, no statistically significant difference in identification accuracy was observed across the different specimen orientations. This finding demonstrates that specimen orientation does not significantly influence identification accuracy. The conclusion was further corroborated in experiments using randomly orientation-fused datasets, in which model performance remained consistent and reliable. It is therefore concluded that precise specimen orientation control is unnecessary for the hyperspectral identification of Ophiocordyceps sinensis. This insight substantially simplifies the hardware design of dedicated identification devices by eliminating the need for complex orientation-fixing mechanisms and facilitating the standardization of operational protocols. The study provides a practical theoretical foundation for developing cost-effective, user-friendly, and widely applicable identification instruments for Ophiocordyceps sinensis and offers a reference for similar non-destructive testing applications involving anisotropic medicinal materials.

Aim: This study aimed to analyze the non-volatile chemical components in wild Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis) from four distinct production areas in Xizang, and its fermented mycelia, with the goal of chemically evaluating the feasibility of substituting the wild samples with their mycelial preparation, and providing references for their application in daily life. Methods: An untargeted metabolomics approach using ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed for comprehensive analysis. Results: A total of 89 non-volatile components were identified, mainly covering short peptides, nucleotides/derivatives, glycerophospholipids, glycosides, and amino acids. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed significant regional variation in the content of key metabolites, particularly the short peptide profile. Di- and tri-peptides were confirmed as the dominant bioactive constituents and chemometric markers distinguishing geographical origins. Compared to the wild samples, the fermented mycelia exhibited a statistically significant reduction in both the diversity and relative abundance of these signature short peptides. Conclusions: Wild O. sinensis and its fermented mycelia both contain bioactive compounds, with the latter sometimes surpassing the wild samples in specific components. However, the fermented version doesn’t match the natural samples’ synergistic effects. The wild sample’s efficacy is heavily influenced by its environment and growth conditions. This study provides a basis for using wild O. sinensis or its mycelial products in daily diets or disease prevention.

Hyperspectral technology has become an important method for identifying wild and cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis, but existing studies mainly focus on intact samples. In the actual circulation process, Ophiocordyceps sinensis often breaks, and samples missing the stroma part but retaining the larva part still possess practical identification value. However, accommodating the identification of both intact samples and stroma-missing samples requires clarifying the difference in spectroscopic identification information contribution between the larva part and the stroma part, thereby optimizing the data acquisition strategy for specialized Ophiocordyceps sinensis detection instruments. Based on the segmentation of hyperspectral images of intact Ophiocordyceps sinensis, this study constructed simulated single and mixed part datasets for machine learning model training to analyze the spectral feature differences of different parts. Furthermore, real stroma-missing samples were used to verify the identification capability of the models in the practical scene. Finally, the optimal detecting part was determined by comprehensively considering the highest identification accuracy and the maximum application scope. Both the larva part and the stroma part exhibit effective spectroscopic identification information contribution for identifying wild and cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis. However, the spectroscopic identification information contribution of the larva part is greater than that of the stroma part. Multiple comparative experimental results show that the model trained with intact samples can be directly used for the identification of stroma-missing Ophiocordyceps sinensis with the highest accuracy of 98.52%. This conclusion provides a basis for the practical application of hyperspectral technology in Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Wall.) Royle is an important medicinal plant used in traditional Tibetan medicine for enhancing vitality, improving immunity, alleviating fatigue, and promoting adaptation to high‐altitude environments. However, the pharmacological activities and underlying mechanisms of its polysaccharides remain largely unexplored. Polygonatum cirrhifolium polysaccharides (PCP) were extracted, purified, and structurally characterized. Their immunomodulatory activity was evaluated in cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice, while anti‐fatigue and hypoxia tolerance effects were assessed using weight‐loaded swimming and normobaric hypoxia models, respectively. The involvement of the MAPK/NF‐κB signaling pathway was further investigated by Western blotting. The purified PCP exhibited a triple‐helix structure. Administration of PCP restored thymus and spleen indices, enhanced phagocytic activity, improved both humoral and cellular immune responses. PCP also activated the MAPK/NF‐κB signaling pathway through increased phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, p38, and NF‐κB p65, together with upregulated MyD88 expression. In addition, PCP significantly extended exhaustive swimming time, preserved glycogen reserves, reduced blood urea nitrogen levels, and enhanced hypoxia tolerance by elevating superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. This study provides the first comprehensive evidence that PCP possesses significant immunomodulatory, anti‐fatigue, and hypoxia‐tolerance effects. The findings suggest that the MAPK/NF‐κB signaling pathway may be involved in its immunomodulatory actions and that PCP could be a promising candidate for enhancing physical performance and promoting health in hypoxic environments.

This study developed a novel SCZrB/WPU fiberboard that integrates antibacterial, flame-retardant, and mosquito-repellent functionalities without compromising eco-compatibility.