Medicinal Mushrooms

Products

Medicinal mushrooms are commercially available, for example, in the form of capsules, tablets and as powders as dietary supplements or as individually prepared mixtures. Also used are the pure ingredients that are extracted, synthetically produced or semi-synthetically modified. These are usually registered as medicinal products.

About mushrooms

Fungi are a very diverse group of living organisms that are distinctly different from plants, animals, and bacteria, and are classified as a separate kingdom within the eukaryotes. They are characterized by the fact that their digestion takes place outside their organism. They release digestive enzymes that break down their food and absorb the digested nutrients. Fungi are extremely diverse. The number of species on earth is estimated to be as many as over 3 million. Fungi, by the way, are more closely related to animals than to plants, which they used to be counted as. Fungi have cell walls, which contain chitin. This is the same material that insects use for their exoskeletons. They store energy in the form of glycogen like animals and also differ from plants in that they do not use photosynthesis or celluloses. Some, such as yeasts, are single-celled organisms, while other fungi form huge networks underground with what is known as mycelium (hyphal plexus). They use the hyphae, which are tubular and filamentous extensions, to explore their environment and interact with other organisms. Fungi have a very close relationship with plants, which have only been able to spread on land and develop in such diversity thanks to their help. They have an important mediating role between the soil and the roots. This symbiosis is called mycorrhiza. The fungus provides nutrients, minerals and water to the plant in exchange for carbohydrates from photosynthesis. Of tremendous importance is the breakdown of dead organisms such as plants and animals by the fungi and the release of the bound substances for the next generation of living things. Best known are their edible or poisonous fruiting bodies (e.g. porcini, toadstool, morels, shiitake, mushrooms, green button mushroom and chanterelle), with which they release spores and reproduce. But the actual fungus is often not visible because it spreads in the soil or in dead trees.

Ingredients

The ingredients of mushrooms include, for example, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, enzymes, lipids, fiber, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and secondary bioactive substances such as the lectins (glycoproteins), polysaccharides (e.g., glucans), polyphenols, steroids, alkaloids and isoprenoids. It should be noted that the spectrum and quantity of constituents vary.

Effects

Mushrooms and their constituents have very diverse pharmacological properties – for example, they are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumoral, psychoactive, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering. The areas of application are correspondingly broad. Much discussed for some years is the use in cancer therapy for the stimulation of the body’s immune defenses. However, medicinal mushrooms are also criticized in the scientific literature (e.g., Money, 2016).

Examples of medicinal mushrooms

• Glossy Lackporling (, Reishi, Ling Zhi).
• Tibetan caterpillar club fungus
• Shiitake
• Common rattle sponge (, maitake)
• Almond mushroom
• Mushroom
• Judas ear
• Slate Schillerporling (, Chaga)
• Crested Tintling
• Oyster mushroom
• Oak hare (, Zhu Ling)
• Hedgehog spiny beard

Fields of application

Dried or fresh mushrooms and corresponding dosage forms, such as powder or capsules, are used as remedies for the prevention and treatment of diseases. In Europe, mycotherapy is traditionally less common than in Asia, for example, in traditional Chinese medicine. In Europe, medicinal plants play a much more important role. Genetically modified fungi are used for the biotechnological production of biologics. Natural substances from mushrooms are used as active pharmaceutical ingredients. They are also the extracted pure substances or semi-synthetic and synthetic derivatives. The best known example is penicillin. Mushrooms also play an important role in the production of food.For example, it plays a central role in baking and in the production of alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine). The yeast ferments glucose (grape sugar) and other carbohydrates to alcohol. This process also produces the gas carbon dioxide (CO₂), which causes the bread to rise.

Medicines from mushrooms

The following list shows a selection of pharmaceutical agents obtained from fungi or derived from their ingredients: Alcohols:

• Ethanol

Antifungals:

• Echinocandins such as caspofungin
• Griseofulvin

Antibiotics:

• Cephalosporins
• Fusidic acid
• Penicillins
• Retapamulin

Enzymes:

• Lactase and other digestive enzymes.

Hallucinogens:

• Psilocybin from -species, eg.
• LSD

Immunosuppressants:

• Ciclosporin
• Mycophenolate

Lipid-lowering agent:

• Statins such as lovastatin and mevastatin (Compactin).
• Red mold rice (unapproved in many countries).

Ergot alkaloids:

• Ergotamine
• Dihydroergotamine

Probiotics:

• Medicinal yeast

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulators:

• Fingolimod

Adverse effects

The possible adverse effects of mushrooms include, for example, gastrointestinal disorders, skin reactions (e.g., shiitake dermatitis) and allergic reactions. Like phytopharmaceuticals, medicinal mushrooms and their active ingredients can cause pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions. Mushrooms may be contaminated with heavy metals, radionuclides such as cesium-137 (from Chernobyl), pesticides, and mycotoxins. Therefore, look for reputable suppliers and good product quality.