Functional polysaccharides from medicinal mushroom Cordyceps sinensis as a potent food supplement: extraction, characterization and therapeutic potentials – a systematic review

As a rich source of novel polysaccharides, Cordyceps sinensis (CS), one of the valued traditional Chinese
medicinal fungi, is a major focus of many natural products research efforts. More than 33
polysaccharides have been characterized till the date. Polysaccharides from CS possess a wide spectrum
of biological activities like antitumor, antioxidant, immunomodulatory activity, kidney and lung
protection, etc. This review covers the recent literature and updates the information on polysaccharides
from CS, covering about 130 research articles emphasizing the isolation, characterization of
polysaccharides and their biological functions.