Cordycepin, ergosterol, and polysaccharides from cordyceps trigger programmed cell death, which is needed to remove cells that start behaving cancer-like. These active compounds also increase the activity of cancer-fighting immune cells, and prevent the growth of blood vessels that provide nutrients to cancer.
The main active compound cordycepin also makes brain and mouth cancer cells more sensitive to cancer treatment.
Cordyceps slows cancer growth, reduces tumor size, and increases survival time in mice with skin, immune cell, lung, and liver cancers. It also helps prevent cancer from spreading.
While Cordyceps shows excellent potential as an anticancer therapeutic in animal and cell-based studies, we still don’t know if this benefit translates to humans.