Medicinal Mushrooms - Health Benefits and Uses

Medicinal mushrooms are fungi that are used for their health-promoting properties in traditional medicine. They contain bioactive compounds that have various medicinal benefits.
Category
Supplement
Where to get
Available in health food stores and online.
Applicable for
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Medicinal Mushrooms FAQ


Image credit: ecosh.com

What are medicinal mushrooms?

According to the book Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Arthritis and Related Inflammatory Diseases, medicinal mushrooms are macroscopic fungi that are used in the form of extracts or powder to prevent, alleviate, or ‘heal’ multiple diseases.

Can medicinal mushrooms be used in food products?

Medicinal mushrooms have great potential to be used in the design of innovative functional foods. There is a need for further research on the possibility of incorporating mushrooms into food products to assess the interactions of their bioactive substances with ingredients in the food matrix.

Are medicinal mushrooms good for You?

Medicinal mushrooms may have a host of other health benefits. According to a review published in the journal Planta Medica, fungi like giant oyster, Reshi and Lion’s mane could alleviate the symptoms of certain neurological conditions.

What are the benefits of medicinal mushrooms?

They have a beneficial effect on the organism through the improvement of its overall health and nutritional level. The biologically active constituents contained in medicinal mushrooms exhibit anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and immunomodulatory effects.

Are there clinical studies on medicinal mushrooms?

On the other hand, a small number of clinical studies carried out on humans and published in the peer-reviewed literature are available. Clinical studies are necessary to assess the efficacy of medicinal mushrooms within the complex human body system but also to assess their safety [ 2, 5, 6 ].

What is the chemical profile of medicinal mushrooms?

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 ].

Medicinal Mushrooms References

If you want to know more about Medicinal Mushrooms, consider exploring links below:

Explore Related Topics

Are there effective alternatives to antibiotics that could help combat resistance?

Explore innovative approaches and alternative treatments that could help address antibiotic resistance and reduce reliance on traditional antibiotics. From phage therapy to probiotics, what emerging solutions show promise in combating resistant bacteria and infections? Share your views on potential alternatives to antibiotics in the era of increasing resistance.