Being Cordyceps militaris (L.)Link

Being Cordyceps militaris (L.)Link recognized as a medicinal mushroom, this work intend to reveal new interesting bioactive molecules that could be isolated from the species, to date there is no defined study on C.militaris from NW Himalayan region.

Fourier Transformed InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed the presence of major chemical constituents in the fungus, which was evident from the various peaks in absorption spectra. Hence, the various extracts (ethanol, chloroform, methanol, acetone and aqueous) prepared from the fruiting bodies which contained these active constituents were tested by agar well diffusion method to access their antibacterial potential. Major absorption peaks were of primary amines, alkenes, alcohol and phenols. E.coli was inhibited maximum by ethanolic extracts and showed inhibition zone of 30.58±0.02mm whereas acetone extracts showed maximum inhibition against S.aureus with 36.94±0.05mm inhibition zone at 100% concentration of the extract.The bioactive contents of the mushroom are promising natural antimicrobial agents that can be harnessed as antimicrobial toxicants. In future the C.militaris could provide an alternative method for antibacterial therapy which is a major concern for today mainly in the developing countries like India.