The Medicinal Efficacies of Cordyceps Militaris (L.) Link

Cordyceps militaris is the representative species of Ascomycete genus Cordyceps and can be found throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere as a pathogen of lepidopteran insect pupae. Mycelia or fruit bodies of C.militaris, traditionally used as an herbal cure and a tonic food in East Asia, are studied in the West recently because of its various pharmacological capabilities. Various types of extracts prepared from mycelia or bodies of C. militaris are found to exhibit a variety of anticancer efficacies in colon cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer etc. Besides, C. militaris extracts are found to exhibit active alleviation toward type I hypersensitivity, so called allergy, in activated mast cells and irritated mice. They are also shown to ameliorate the inflammatory responses in evoked cells and mice. The mycelia or bodies of C. militaris may confer a complementary/integrative resource to cure or prevent allergy or tumors