AUTHOR=Lee Chun-Ting , Huang Keng-Shiang , Shaw Jei-Fu , Chen Jung-Ren , Kuo Wen-Shuo , Shen Gangxu , Grumezescu Alexandru Mihai , Holban Alina Maria , Wang Yi-Ting , Wang Jun-Sheng , Hsiang Yi-Ping , Lin Yu-Mei , Hsu Hsiao-Han , Yang Chih-Hui 

TITLE=Trends in the Immunomodulatory Effects of Cordyceps militaris: Total Extracts, Polysaccharides and Cordycepin

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.575704

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2020.575704

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Cordyceps militaris</italic> (<italic>C. militaris</italic>) is a fungus with a long history of widespread use in folk medicine, and its biological and medicinal functions are well studied. A crucial pharmacological effect of <italic>C. militaris</italic> is immunomodulation. In this review, we catalog the immunomodulatory effects of different extracts of <italic>C. militaris</italic>, namely total extracts, polysaccharides and cordycepin<italic>.</italic> Total extracts obtained using water or 50% ethyl alcohol and polysaccharides from <italic>C. militaris</italic> were discovered to tend to promote type 1 immunity, whereas total extracts obtained using 70–80% ethyl alcohol and cordycepin from <italic>C. militaris</italic> were more likely to promote type 2 immunity. This article is the first to classify the immunomodulatory effects of different extracts of <italic>C. militaris</italic>. In addition, we discovered a relationship between different segments or extracts and differing types of immunity. This review can provide the readers a comprehensive understanding on the immunomodulatory effects of the precious folk medicine and guidance on its use for both health people and those with an immunodeficiency.</p>