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lecture on development of a newly approved medicine from the entomopathogenic fungus Isaria sinclairii, a close relative of Cordyceps sp. for treatment of multiple sclerosis. The fungus contains myriocin which was ear- lier found to suppress the rejection of organ transplants. Myriocin was first purified in 1992 by the Japanese scientist Fujita and synthetic analogues were made of which the present MS drug fingolimod was one. It had taken appr. 20 years of preclinical and clinical research before fingolimod was approved by FDA as an orally available drug. The remaining question is whether (in- expensive) extracts of Isaria can suppress symptoms of MS. Also, how many more medicines can be developed from the enormous and unexplored Kingdom of Fungi that contains 4.5-5 million different fungal species, and 250.000 different mushrooms of which 16.000 have been described so far. Prof. Ulrike Lindequist of University of Greifswald re- viewed the present status of pharmacological approval procedures. These remain very stringent for identity, purity and content and cannot easily be passed; quality standards are to be found in European Pharmacopeia, Homeopathic pharmacopeia and the Pharmacopeia of People’s Republic of China. Although many new effects were demonstrated of medicinal mushrooms during the conference, none were accompanied by translatio- nal resp. clinical tests. Altogether possibilities for clini- cal application of mushroom derivatives remain foggy. In fact much more attention should be paid to western- type double blind assays to show clinical effects. This seems a problem of the sector that will not be easily solved, given the present minimum investments in R&D in most parts of the world.


Cordyceps and Ganoderma Cordyceps sinensis is an insect parasitizing fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It is used for many ailments including liver, kidney and lung disease, but foremost to counteract aging by inhibiting monoamine oxidase, a.o. responsible for human aging.


It has become a status symbol in China and as a results it’s price went up to US$ 90.000 per kg in Chinese coastal cities. C. sinensis is an example of how natural resources can be destroyed by overexploitation. Dr Daniel Winkler demonstrated how collection intensity, climate change and the lack of local work play a decisive role in sustai- nability.


As subsistence of C. sinensis in nature is dependent on spore dispersal, late season fruiting bodies should be left in the ground, securing spores to infect larvae for the next year’s crop. Winkler’s important work in cooperation with WWF China office has now led to a campaign to prevent this late harvesting and to protect the fungal resource, production of this myco-medicinal and of livelyhood of rural communities on the Tibetan Plateau. The cultivated species Cordyceps militaris which shows more or less similar effects as C. sinensis is esti- mated for China at 5000 tons per year. Approximately a quarter of all lectures was devoted to various aspects of LingZhi (Ganoderma sp.) and its possible application in medicine. The same was observed for Cordyceps sp. Most contributions were concerned with cultivation efficiency, purification, cha- racterization of chemical structure, in vitro properties, mouse studies, projections of future development, and speculation. Disappointedly little attention had been paid in the past two years to possible healing proper- ties of these “medicinal” mushrooms in humans. If the sector will ever become successful in the Western parts of the world, more clinical research is urgently needed.


The author during a presentation at the conference.


Columbia is next Next meeting of the International Medicinal Mushroom Conference (IMMC8) will be held in Colombia and will be chaired by dr Carmenza Jaramilla. Location will be in the middle of the Coffee production area. Coffee waste is recycled there and has become a valuable material for production of Pleurotus, Ganoderma and Shii-take, creating jobs, income and re-utilization of wasted biomass.◗


The caterpillar fungus Cordyceps sinensis is sold for extraordinary prices in shops at the coast.


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