Medicinal mushroom: What should we know?

Abstract

Mushrooms are the epigeous fruiting bodies of terrestrial fungi and as they lack cellulose and chlorophyll, they have a different lifestyle to other nonmotile life, such as plants. Mushrooms have been documented for centuries as use as food and medicine as they are generous sources of nutrients and biologically active compounds that have various applications in agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food related industries, and others. Research on various metabolic activities of medicinal mushrooms have been performed both in vitro and in vivo studies. Over the past two decades, medicinal mushrooms industry have developed greatly and today offers thousands of products to the markets. This paper describes the current status of some important world medicinal mushrooms, products, and provides suggestions for further research.

Nameko Mushroom (Pholiota microspore), Hiratake Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Shimeji Mushrooms (Lyophyllum shimeji): Bioactive Compounds as a Source of Various Biological Activities: A Review

“…Mushrooms have been used in many sides of human activity for many years. Some of these mushrooms have been called medicinal mushrooms due to their various morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics that are also responsible for their diversity [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Some mushrooms and other fruiting bodies of fi lamentous fungi are edible and provide a good source of protein, whereas others have narcotic eff ects and used as medicine.…”

Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Bioactive Components, Nutritional Value and Application in Functional Food Production—A Review

“…They are particularly popular in Asian countries, e.g., China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Due to the presence of numerous biologically active compounds, including polysaccharides, proteins, peptides, terpenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and mineral elements, they are ascribed, e.g., anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, hypoglycaemic, and immunomodulatory effects [ 8 , 9 ] However, it should be remembered that the consumption of medicinal mushrooms is not always advisable. The safety of their use during pregnancy, lactation, and in children is still poorly reported.…”

“…The chemical profile of medicinal mushrooms varies according to species, strain, cultivation conditions (cultured or growing wild) [ 10 ], the degree of maturity [ 11 ], and the proportion of individual anatomical parts in the total mass of the mushroom [ 12 ]. This is largely determined by environmental (access to water, light, UV radiation) [ 9 , 13 ] and biological (type of substrate/host, presence of competing fungi) factors. Song et al [ 8 ] compared the chemical composition and functional properties of wood-cultured and sack-cultured Shiitake ( Lentinula edodes (Berk.)…”

“…Pilát) sclerotia collected in France, Ukraine, and Canada were characterised by their different contents of betulin, betulinic acid, and inotodiol and showed differential biological activity in different cancer cells [ 15 ]. The bioactive substances present in fungi are primary and secondary metabolites that can be synthesised in response to specific environmental stimuli [ 9 , 13 ]. Their content depends on the species of fungus and their growing conditions [ 10 , 16 ].…”

The Fascinating Spongiforma Mushroom (Spongebob Mushroom)

“…Also the small amounts of the collected samples are limited to find metabolites from mushrooms. Therefore, mycelial culture of basidiomycetes and ascomycetes originated from wild edible and non-edible mushrooms would be suggested as an alternative, reliable, and manageable method that can obtain various bioactive metabolites from mushrooms [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40].…”