Researchers grew cordyceps mushrooms on six different kinds of insects.
They found that mushrooms grown amid high levels of oleic fatty acid contained the most cordycepin, a potential therapeutic agent with antiviral and anticancer properties.
Some studies have shown that cordyceps can increase antioxidant levels in older mice and may have anti-aging effects. Another study noted that cordyceps might extend the lives of fruit flies.
Studies of human cells and mice have found that the mushroom may also inhibitcancer tumor growth and have applications in conditions including lung cancer, skin cancer, and colon cancer.
Preliminary studies also suggest that the mushroom may benefit heart health and help manage blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes.
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While promising, most research into cordyceps has been conducted in cell or animal models and further study is needed to confirm whether the results may translate to humans.
“Cordyceps is a unique type of mushroom,” Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cancer Biology and Molecular Medicine at California-based cancer research center, City of Hope, not involved in the study, told MNT:
The therapeutic potential of these mushrooms has not been definitively demonstrated through an FDA-approved clinical trial. Increased production of cordyceps may offer the possibility to evaluate them in a clinical trial, which would require a good amount of this type of mushroom.
Dr. Chen noted that while cordycepin may be useful in humans, human trials must be conducted for conclusions to be made.
