Recently, we have had several inquiries about using mushrooms for animals with symptoms such as feline leukemia, and for enhancing the immune systems of thoroughbred racehorses. We have derived many health benefits from green plants, but we have barely scratched the surface of fungi as a source of prevention and cure of diseases. Crit Rev Immunol. International Centre for Cryptogamic Plants and Fungi, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel. This review highlights some of the recently isolated and identified substances of higher Basidiomycetes mushrooms origin that express promising antitumor, immune modulating, cardiovascular and hypercholesterolemia, antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic effects.
Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in folk medicine.
In particular, mushrooms useful against cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, etc. are known in China, Russia, Japan, Korea, as well as the U.S.A. and Canada. There are about 200 species of mushrooms that have been found to markedly inhibit the growth of different kinds of tumors. Searching for new antitumor and other medicinal substances from mushrooms and to study the medicinal value of these mushrooms have become a matter of great significance. However, most of the mushroom origin antitumor substances have not been clearly defined. Both cellular components and secondary metabolites of a large number of mushrooms have been shown to effect the immune system of the host and therefore could be used to treat a variety of disease states.