Mushroom Consumption as a Proactive Approach for Improving Human Health: A Review

Mushrooms have been considered as a therapeutic food due to its high nutritional and medicinal properties. It is a good source of proteins and carbohydrates and also contain essential vitamins like vitamin B complexes, C, A, D and E; essential as well as non-essential amino acids; and valuable minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc, selenium, magnesium, sodium, manganese, potassium, copper, phosphorous and cobalt which play a vital role in stimulating immune function and improving metabolism, and thus, beneficial for human health. Various extracts and biologically active compounds such as polysaccharides, glycoproteins, terpenoids, alkaloids, sterols, phenolics, cordycepin and cordycepic acid from fruitbodies of different mushroom species showed beneficial effects in the treatment of many human diseases including life-threatening disease like respiratory illness, tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancers, microbial infection and also showed positive effect against HIV, influenza A virus, hepatitis B virus and herpes simplex virus type 1. This review describes the importance of White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju), Paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea), Milky mushroom (Calocybe indica), Termitarium mushroom (Termitomyces spp.), Rugra mushroom (Astraeus hygrometricus), Cordyceps mushroom (Cordyceps militaris) and Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) so that, people include mushroom in their diet to make themselves healthy and strong enough to fight against infections caused by foreign substance (antigens) like bacteria and virus.