Cordyceps sinensis, a medicinal parasitic fungus that grows in the high altitudes of the Tibetan plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, West-Sichuan, SW-Gansu & NW Yunnan) and the Himalayas[10], also known as DONG CHONG XIA JAO in Chinese, has been commonly used as herbal medicine and a health supplement in China for over two thousand years [1], however it wasn't until recently that the increadibly high demand for this new traditional herbal medicine increased its price up to a level that it's difficult to believe nowadays. The price per gram payed for Cordyceps sinensis have reached amounts that double the price per gram of that payed for precious metals as gold, something that has indoubtebly forced local rural economies to move towards this new form of income.  Image left: Cordyceps sinensis by kohei yamada under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0).

But there is something that makes this parasitic fungus diferent from others, the way it propagates. Cordyceps sinensis uses its spores to propagate, something that doesn't particularly make it any different from other types of fungi, however in the case of Cordyceps sinensis, known locally by Tibetans as yartsa gunbu or yatsa gunbu [10], this propagation occurs when the larva of the ghost moth from the Thitarodes genus is infected by the spores of Cordyceps sinensis, then kills the larva and mummifies the insect, growing then from the head of this one upwards to reach the light and continue its live cicle. The new cordyceps will then produce more spores that will infect other larva of the ghost moth and so on.

CORDYCEPS SINENSIS

Family: Ophiocordycipitaceae
Genus: Cordyceps
Common name: Yartsa gunbu, Xinganbao capsule, Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Active constituents found in the aqueous extract of a flower native to Spanish coasts, locally known as Manto de la Virgen (English: Virgin's mantle), botanical name Fagonia cretica, showed cytotoxic activity against breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, causing p53 associated growth arrest within 5 hours of extract treatment and apoptosis within 24 hours, showing how the aqueous extract of Fagonia cretica can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via p53-dependent and independent mechanisms, with activation of the DNA damage response [5].  Image: Fagonia cretica by Silversyrpher under Creative Common license (CC BY 2.0).

The results of the study indicate that Fagonia cretica aqueous extract contains potential anti-cancer agents acting either singly or in combination against breast cancer cell proliferation via DNA damage-induced FOXO3a and p53 expression [5].

FAGONIA CRETICA

Family: Zygophyllaceae
Genus: Fagonia
Common name: Virgin's mantle, Manto de la virgen.

Wogonin is a naturally occurring Flavone, but not the only one, Apigenin, Luteolin, Tangeritin, chrysin, baicalein and scutellarein are also natural Flavones [1].

Flavones are not as widespread as Flavonols, they can be found in some herbs and plants but their amounts and occurrence is far from being close to that of Flavonols. We can find Flavones in the leaves of Carya cathayensis and also in Scutellaria baicalensis, where Wogonin is also present.

Flavones have also been subject of many studies and clinical trials for their capability to exert certain anti-tumor properties, something which in the case of Wogonin deserves special attention. But do you want to know what makes Wogonin so special?

SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS

Family: Laminaceae
Genus: Scutellaria
Common name: Baikal skullcap