The Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Actions ofCordyceps sinensis

Abstract

Cordyceps sinensis, also called DongChongXiaCao (winter worm, summer grass) in Chinese, is becoming increasingly popular and important in the public and scientific communities. This study summarizes the chemical constituents and their corresponding pharmacological actions ofCordyceps sinensis. Many bioactive components ofCordyceps sinensishave been extracted including nucleoside, polysaccharide, sterol, protein, amino acid, and polypeptide. In addition, these constituents’ corresponding pharmacological actions were also shown in the study such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumour, antiapoptosis, and immunomodulatory actions. Therefore can use different effects ofC. sinensisagainst different diseases and provide reference for the study ofCordyceps sinensisin the future.