Cordyceps More Than Edible Mushroom-A Rich Source of Diverse Bioactive Metabolites with Huge Medicinal Benefits

Abstract

Many mushroom genera are famous for their promising therapeutic capabilities. One of the mushrooms genera attracting attention is Cordyceps which has long been used in Asian countries for maintaining long and healthy life. Numerous studies on different metabolic activities of Cordyceps have been performed both in vitro and in vivo. Numerous studies on different metabolic activities of Cordyceps have been performed both in vitro and in vivo. However, it is debatable whether Cordyceps is a food supplement for health maintenance or a therapeutic "drug" carrying medicinal properties. The Cordyceps industry has developed greatly and offers thousands of products, commonly available in a global marketplace. This review describes the importance and the current status of the world Cordyceps cultivation, a range of products and industry practices along with suggestions for facilitating further research.