The Mechanisms of Pharmacological Activities of Ophiocordyceps sinensis Fungi.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Energy & fatigueRespiratory

SpeciesCordyceps, Caterpillar Fungus

JournalPhytotherapy research: PTR

Year2016

Key points

The entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, formerly known as Cordyceps sinensis, has long been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of many illnesses
In recent years its usage has increased dramatically because of the improvement of people's living standard and the emphasis on health
Such demands have resulted in over-harvesting of this fungus in the wild
Fortunately, scientists have demonstrated that artificially cultured and fermented mycelial products of O. sinensis have similar pharmacological activities to wild O. sinensis
The availability of laboratory cultures will likely to further expand its usage for the treatment of various illnesses
In this review, we summarize recent results on the pharmacological activities of the components of O. sinensis and their putative mechanisms of actions

Metadata-grounded summary

Citation abstract

The entomopathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, formerly known as Cordyceps sinensis, has long been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of many illnesses. In recent years its usage has increased dramatically because of the improvement of people's living standard and the emphasis on health. Such demands have resulted in over-harvesting of this fungus in the wild. Fortunately, scientists have demonstrated that artificially cultured and fermented mycelial products of O. sinensis have similar pharmacological activities to wild O. sinensis. The availability of laboratory cultures will likely to further expand its usage for the treatment of various illnesses. In this review, we summarize recent results on the pharmacological activities of the components of O. sinensis and their putative mechanisms of actions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Citation

Xu J, Huang Y, Chen XX, Zheng SC, Chen P, Mo MH (2016). The Mechanisms of Pharmacological Activities of Ophiocordyceps sinensis Fungi. Phytotherapy research: PTR https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5673 PMID: 27373780

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