Polysaccharides
Cordyceps contains a large amount of polysaccharides,
which can be in the range of 3–8% of the total weight,[34,35]
and usually comes from the fruiting bodies, the mycelium
of solid fermentation submerged cultures and the broth.
Cordyceps polysaccharide (CP), one of the main bioactive
components, represents a class of structurally diverse
biological macromolecules with wide-ranging physiochemical
properties. The anti-tumour and immunomodulating
activity of the medicinal mushrooms has already been
brought to scientific and commercial attention.[36,37] Since
1977, much of scientific investigation in Japan and China has
been performed to discover possible functional polysaccharides;
many CPs and their components have been isolated and
characterized from wild and cultivated Cordyceps species
(Table 1).