MEDICINAL BENEFITS OF THE MUSHROOM GANODERMA

This chapter discusses medicinal benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma. Recently, the fruit body and liquid-cultured mycelium of Ganoderma have been reported to contain polysaccharides which inhibit the growth of tumors. Identified as glucans, one of the major constituents in the cell wall of fungi, they appear to increase bodily resistance against the growth of tumors, induce the production of interferon, enhance the immunity function, and kill tumor cells within the body. The role of medicinal mushrooms in metabolic regulation is gaining greater attention. Their use in the development and application of beneficial biological activities offers an advantage in that the active principle is safe and can be tolerated by humans. Cultivation of such mushrooms provides an adequate supply but is unnecessary if mycelial cultures grown in large-scale fermentations can produce the same active principle. Finally, the search for new uses for the traditional medicinal fungi continues and the public should be educated about their potential value. © 1992, Academic Press Inc.