Mushrooms can treat cancer.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have discovered how a promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, works. Dr Cornelia de Moor of The University of Nottingham and her team have investigated the drug called cordycepin, which was originally extracted from a rare kind of wild mushroom called cordyceps and is now prepared from a cultivated form. the discovery will open up the possibility of investigating the range of different cancers that could be treated with cordycepin. they have also developed a very effective method that can be used to test new, more efficient or more stable versions of the drug in the Petri dish. This is a great advantage as it will allow them to rule out any non-runners before anyone considers testing them in animals.