A very interesting BBC news article (see beginning below) was released Dec. 28, 2009 on research in the UK on how Cordycepin, one of the active ingredients in Cordyceps militaris [and Ophiocordyceps sinensis] is working in fighting cancer cells. By now the full paper has been published, it is open access, although the technicality of its content makes it a bit less accessible. Here the beginning of the article:
Scientists discover how wild mushroom cancer drug works
Scientists have discovered how a promising cancer drug, first discovered in a wild mushroom, works. The University of Nottingham team believe their work could help make the drug more effective, and useful for treating a wider range of cancers. Cordycepin, commonly used in Chinese medicine, was originally extracted from a rare kind of parasitic mushroom that grows on caterpillars.
 | The researcher had extracted their cordycepin from Cordyceps militaris I was told by the researcher Cornelia de Moor, from the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences. Here a picture I took in Nantong during the 5th International Medicinal Mushroom Conference in September 2009. In the front C. militaris grown on rice, in the back grown on larvae. |