Comparison of cytotoxic extracts from fruiting bodies, infected insects and cultured mycelia of Cordyceps formosana.

A resazurin method was employed to test and compare cytotoxicity of extracts from fruiting bodies, insects and cultured mycelia of Cordyceps formosana against Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Results showed that the cultured mycelia had much stronger cytotoxicity than that of the fruiting bodies and infected insects. This suggests that using cultured mycelia to substitute a natural Cordyceps may result in poisoning.

Identification and production of a novel natural pigment, cordycepoid A, from Cordyceps bifusispora.

A novel yellow pigment, cordycepoid A, was isolated and identified from the entomogenous fungi Cordyceps bifusispora. Cordycepoid A exhibited no significant toxicity against Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and mice, and showed high stability against food addictives, metal ions and heat. A liquid/solid double-phase cultural process for the production of the pigment was optimized as follows: 3 days aged liquid seed, 7.

Activity-guided isolation and identification of radical scavenging components in Gao-Cha tea.

Gao-Cha is a traditional Chinese health tea made from Acer ginnala. We performed a components and radical scavenging activity analysis to identify any medicinal components in this tea. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)-1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (HPTLC-DPPH) assay showed that the methanolic extract contained strong radical scavengers.

[Controlled study of auricular point taping and pressing therapy for treatment of vascular dementia].

Objective: To assess the therapeutic effect of auricular point taping and pressing therapy on vascular dementia (VD).

Methods: One hundred and eighty cases of vascular dementia were randomly divided into an auricular point taping and pressing group and a western medicine group, 90 cases in each group. The auricular point taping and pressing group was treated by auricular point taping and pressing at auricular points Shennen, Nao (brain), Shen (kidney), Zhen (pulvinal), and the western medicine group by oral administration of Nimodipine, thrice each day, 30 mg each time.