Mushrooms - From cuisine to clinic

NoteW hile sautéed Portobello mushrooms are popular as side-dishes and are a key ingredient in many main-course recipes, the possibility that mushrooms could be used to treat human diseases is viewed with suspicion by many Westerners, including Portobello-loving Italians.Yet, mushrooms have been used for centuries by Asian people to improve health and enhance longevity.Recent studies indicate that mushrooms such as Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, Agaricus blazei Murrill, and Antrodia cinnamomea produce a broad range of beneficial effects on cultured cells, laboratory animals, and humans.[3] In addition, the more common white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), available in major supermarkets throughout the world, can enhance natural killer cell activity [4] and reduce breast cancer risk. [5]rom the perspective of Western medicine, it is worth noting that various bioactive compounds have been isolated from fungi, including the antibiotic penicillin, the immunosuppressant compound cyclosporin, and the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin.In addition, more than 30 mushroom extracts and fungal compounds are currently being investigated in clinical trials by the National Institutes of Health in the US. [6] Given that only about 10% of fungi have been studied so far, and few of them have been characterized with regards to health benefits, it is likely that new active fungal compounds will be discovered in the future.In this issue of Biomedical Journal, Paterson and Lima [7] suggest that Asian countries have a head start in the study of medicinal mushrooms, compared to the rest of the world.For instance, the Chinese pharmacopeia lists more than 100 mushroom species for medicinal use, and fungal

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   The Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms · 2005

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