{"entity":{"id":"cordyceps-fungus","kind":"technology","name":"Cordyceps","aka":[],"tldr":"Cordyceps is a caterpillar fungus used in Chinese medicine for stamina and immunity. It has not been tested as a cancer treatment in people. It may add to the effect of blood thinners and diabetes medicines, and Memorial Sloan Kettering advises against it in myeloid blood cancers.","summary":"Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is a traditional Chinese tonic for fatigue, cough and sexual function and is sold as an immune booster. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary reports antitumour, radioprotective and antiplatelet effects in laboratory studies, faster white-cell recovery after paclitaxel in mice, and some kidney-function studies in transplant and diabetes patients that later analyses judged insufficient. No clinical trial has tested it against cancer. Because cordyceps made red-cell progenitors proliferate in animals, MSK states it should not be used by people with myelogenous cancers. It inhibits platelets in the laboratory and a case of excessive bleeding after a tooth extraction has been linked to daily use; additive blood-sugar lowering is also possible. It stimulated testosterone production in mice, with no human data.","status":"concept","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Cordyceps (page last updated 10 February 2022)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/cordyceps"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":["chaga-mushroom","astragalus-root","siberian-ginseng-eleuthero"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care","nutrition-lifestyle"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Cordycepin and polysaccharides modulate lymphocytes and natural killer cells and inhibit platelet aggregation in laboratory models.","strengths":["No major side effects reported in the studies MSK reviews"],"limitations":["No trial with a cancer outcome","Avoid in myeloid blood cancers, per MSK","Bleeding and blood-sugar interactions"]},"route":"/technologies/cordyceps-fungus/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"astragalus-root","kind":"technology","name":"Astragalus root","route":"/technologies/astragalus-root/"},{"id":"chaga-mushroom","kind":"technology","name":"Chaga mushroom","route":"/technologies/chaga-mushroom/"},{"id":"dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","kind":"technology","name":"Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms","route":"/technologies/dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"siberian-ginseng-eleuthero","kind":"technology","name":"Siberian ginseng (eleuthero)","route":"/technologies/siberian-ginseng-eleuthero/"},{"id":"traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine","kind":"technology","name":"Traditional Chinese herbal medicine alongside treatment","route":"/technologies/traditional-chinese-herbal-medicine/"}],"section":[{"id":"nutrition-lifestyle","kind":"section","name":"Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle","route":"/fronts/nutrition-lifestyle/"},{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}