+1 (629)348-3199Short Article - Archives in Food and Nutrition (2019) Volume 2, Issue 2
The medical benefits of Mushrooms in Public Health
Mushrooms are fungi, particularly the order of Basidiomyecetes or Ascomycetes, fleshy-fungi with a small umbrella like structure. The use of mushroom takes a different approach among other fungi not all mushrooms are edible. There are more than 70,000 fungi species discovered in the world, only few edible mushrooms from the forest in West African countries in particular Nigeria are consumed as food. Agaricales are edible while Amanita species are non-edible mushrooms. Mushrooms are unique because both edible and non-edible have medicinal values. This review unveils medicinal benefits of mushrooms in public health through the analysis of the historical perspective of the organisms, methods of cultivation, methods of extraction, and various medical implications such as it is used in the treatment of cancer. The therapeutic effect of mushrooms consumption in diet cannot be overemphasized in the public health, because compounds extracted from mushrooms such as Agaricus blazei is capable of healing cancer, arteriosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, chronic hepatitis and diabetes. In general, chronic catarrh, breast and hinges illness can be taken care of with the aids of medicinal mushroom. Others illnesses that consumption of mushrooms can heal include jaundice, dropsy, intestinal worms, tuberculosis, rheumatism and gout.
Author(s): Emmanuel Olumuyiwa Onifade, Innocent Okonkwo Ogbonna, Ebah Esther Eneyi, Olofintila Oladotun Blessing,Ode Tosin Adebola, Stephen Olaide Aremu and Itodo Samuel Olusegun