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Ethnopharmacology and current conservational status of Cordyceps sinensis

  • Payas Arora ORCID logo , Nikita Bahuguna ORCID logo , Jigisha Anand ORCID logo , Prabhakar Semwal ORCID logo and Nishant Rai ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: September 30, 2024
Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C
From the journal Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C Volume 80 Issue 7-8

Abstract

Cordyceps sinensis, known as the caterpillar fungus, constitutes an invaluable and irreplaceable part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is now gaining widespread global recognition and dedicated attention owing to both highly promising characteristics as well as grave dangers that are suggestive of an impending doom. C. sinensis possibly holds the key to the treatment of many human ailments with minimal side effects due to a wide array of biologically active chemical constituents. The powerful potential harbored by this fungus has led to a meteoric rise in its prices in the domestic and international markets which has caused the involvement of an increasing number of harvesters, traders, and buyers and unchecked overexploitation of this bioresource thus threatening its long-term survival in its natural habitat of the Himalayan region. This review focuses on the ethnopharmacology of C. sinensis, and various aspects related to its conservation, such as natural distribution, sale and revenue, decline in population density, and conservational practices prevalent in the current scenario of fungal depletion. The paper concludes with a comprehensive evaluation of the discrete therapeutic capabilities possessed by C. sinensis, the mechanistic insights into the remarkable treatment of chronic ailments using the fungus or its derivatives, and a suggested strategic roadmap that may be adopted for fruitful conservation of this natural miracle.

Keywords: Cordyceps sinensis ; ethnopharmacology; disorders; conservation; himalayas
Corresponding author: Nishant Rai, Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, 248002, Uttarakhand, India, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The authors thank to Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun for their help and support during this study.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Author contributions: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft: PA; Data curation, Project administration: NB; Methodology, Supervision: JA; Review & editing: PS; Conceptualization, Supervision, Validation, visualisation, Writing – review & editing: NR.

  3. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  4. Conflict of interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-06-02
Accepted: 2024-09-10
Published Online: 2024-09-30
Published in Print: 2025-07-28

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Articles
  3. Ethnopharmacology and current conservational status of Cordyceps sinensis
  4. Review perspective on advanced nutrachemicals and anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation
  5. Research Articles
  6. Cytotoxic compounds from Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai
  7. Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. leaf flavonoid-rich extract on Nrf-2 and HO-1 pathways in liver damage of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
  8. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines by homalolide A and homalomenol A isolated from rhizomes of Homalomena pendula
  9. Synthesis, in vitro anti-urease, in-silico molecular docking study and ADMET predictions of piperidine and piperazine Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts (MBHAs)
  10. Molecular modeling and synthesis of novel benzimidazole-derived thiazolidinone bearing chalcone derivatives: a promising approach to develop potential anti-diabetic agents
  11. Determination of essential oil and phenolic compounds of Berberis vulgaris grown in Şavşat, Artvin; revealing its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities
  12. Essential oil of Daucus carota (L.) ssp. carota (Apiaceae) flower: chemical composition, antimicrobial potential, and insecticidal activity on Sitophilus oryzae (L.)
https://doi.org/10.1515/znc-2024-0130
Keywords for this article
Cordyceps sinensis; ethnopharmacology; disorders; conservation; himalayas

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Articles
  3. Ethnopharmacology and current conservational status of Cordyceps sinensis
  4. Review perspective on advanced nutrachemicals and anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation
  5. Research Articles
  6. Cytotoxic compounds from Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai
  7. Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. leaf flavonoid-rich extract on Nrf-2 and HO-1 pathways in liver damage of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
  8. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines by homalolide A and homalomenol A isolated from rhizomes of Homalomena pendula
  9. Synthesis, in vitro anti-urease, in-silico molecular docking study and ADMET predictions of piperidine and piperazine Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts (MBHAs)
  10. Molecular modeling and synthesis of novel benzimidazole-derived thiazolidinone bearing chalcone derivatives: a promising approach to develop potential anti-diabetic agents
  11. Determination of essential oil and phenolic compounds of Berberis vulgaris grown in Şavşat, Artvin; revealing its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities
  12. Essential oil of Daucus carota (L.) ssp. carota (Apiaceae) flower: chemical composition, antimicrobial potential, and insecticidal activity on Sitophilus oryzae (L.)
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