Cordyceps Militaris for Immune Function

Research suggests that Cordyceps militaris may support immune function through several mechanisms, including enhancing immune organ activity, boosting white blood cell counts and antibody production, stimulating macrophage responses, and modulating cytokine signaling toward more robust immune activity. Studies indicate that both polysaccharides and polypeptides derived from Cordyceps militaris have shown immune-enhancing effects in animal models of immunosuppression, and one study found that a polysaccharide fraction reduced viral load and improved survival in influenza-infected mice. The available evidence comes almost entirely from preclinical studies conducted in animals or cell cultures, with no human clinical trials represented in this body of research, which is a significant limitation when considering how these findings might translate to human health outcomes. One study involving prostate cancer cells is largely tangential to general immune function, and while the overall direction of the animal evidence is supportive, conclusions about effectiveness in humans remain premature.