The Scientific Rediscovery of an Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicine: Cordyceps sinensis. Part I Posted on 12 November, 2015 by Thai Hand Medicinal Herbs and therapy massage

Jia-Shi Zhu Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.Zhi Dao Tower, 12th floor, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Georges M. Halpern Emeritus, University of California, Davis, California.
Kenneth Jones Armana Research, Inc., Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada.
Address reprint requests to: Jia-Shi Zhu, c/o 625 Cochran Street, Simi Valley, CA 93065

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Vol. 4: Issue. 3: Pages. 289-303
(Issue publication date: October 1998)

DOI: 10.1089/acm.1998.4.3-289

ABSTRACT
This review presents Cordyceps sinensis(Berk.) Sacc., a fungus highly valued in China as a tonic food and herbal medicine. The extant records show the continued use of C. sinensis is now centuries old. The major chemical, pharmacological, and toxicological studies on C. sinensis and the various derived, cultured, fermented mycelial products currently in use are reviewed from the English and Chinese literature. Preclinical in vitro and in vivostudies and clinical blinded or open-label trials in to date over 2000 patients are reviewed. These studies show the main activities of the fungus in oxygen-free radical scavenging, antisenescence, endocrine, hypolipidemic, antiatherosclerotic, and sexual function-restorative activities. The safety of the fungus, its effects on the nervous system, glucose metabolism, the respiratory, hepatic, cardiovascular, and immune systems, immunologic disease, inflammatory conditions, cancer, and diseases of the kidney will be reviewed in the second part of this article to be published in the winter issue of this journal.