Primary Uses of Medicinal Fungi

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The following list gives an indication of some of the main mushroom species with major medicinal benefits. The list is far from complete demonstrating the enormous amount of research into medicinal mushrooms, particularly in the past decade or so.
Those in bold are either particularly well studied, or have potent effect.

See also

Fungal Materia Medica

Anti-bacterial

Those effective against gram + are marked with (+)
Those effective against gram – are marked with (–)
Agaricus arvensis (+, –)
Agaricus bisporus (+, –)
Agaricus campestris (+, –)
Agaricus xanthoderma
Armillaria mellea (+, –)
Boletus edulis (+, –)
Calvatia gigantea (+, –)
Cantharellus cibarius
Clitocybe alexandri (+, –)
Dendropolyporus umbellatus
Flammulina velutipes (+)
Fomes formentarius
Fomitopsis pimicola (+)
Ganoderma lucidum (+, –)
Ganoderma applanatum (+, –) (Broad spectrum)
Ganoderm pfeifferi (+, –)
Ganoderma recinaceum
Grifola frondosa
Hericium coralloides (+, –)
Lactarius deliciosus (+, –)
Laetiporus sulphureus (+, –)
Laricifomes officinalis (Agarikon)
Lentinus edodes (Shitake) (+, –)
Morchella esculenta (+, –)
Phellinus linteus (+, –)
Piptoporus betulinus
Pleurotus australis
Schizophyllum commune
Trametes versicolor (+)

Antiviral

Agarius blazei (Hepatitis B)
Agaricus subrufescens
Flammulina velutipes
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum (Hepatitis B, HSV-1, HSV-2, HIV)
Ganoderm pfeifferi (HSV-1, Influenza A)
Grifola frondosa (inc. Influenza)
Lactarius piperatus
Laricifomes officinalis (Agarikon) (Influenza)
Lentinus edodes (Shitake) (inc Influenza)
Polyporus umbellatus (Hepatitis B)
Trametes versicolor (inc. HIV, Influenza)
Umbilicaria esculenta
Xanthoria parietina

Anti-fungal

Agaricus bisporus (Candida)
Armillaria mellea (Candida)
Cantharellus cibarius (Candida)
Flammulina velutipes
Fomitopsis pimicola
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Lactarius deliciosus (Candida)
Laetiporus sulphureus (Candida)
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Phellinus linteus (Candida)
Piptoporus betulinus
Trametes versicolor
Volvopluteus gloiocephalus

Anti-inflammatory

Flammulina velutipes
Ganoderma lucidum
Inonotus obliquus
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Schizophyllum commune
Tremella fuciformis

Antioxidant

Agaricus campestris
Auricularia auricular‐ judae
Boletus edulis
Cordyceps sinensis
Ganoderma lucidum
Hericium erinaceus
Phellinus linteus
Polyporus tenuiculus
Schizophyllum commune
Trametes versicolor

Anti-histamine / Anti-allergy

Agaricus subrufescens
Ganoderma lucidum

Immune enhancing

Agaricus subrufescens
Grifola frondosa
Inonotus obliquus
Pleurotus eryngii
Polyporus umbellatus
Phellinus linteus
Sparassis crispa
Tremella mesenterica

Immunomodulating

Agaricus bisporus
Dendropolyporus umbellatus
Flammulina velutipes
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Hericium erinaceus
Inonotus obliquus
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Schizophyllum commune
Tremella fuciformis

Anti-diabetic / Hypoglycemia

Agaricus campestris
Agaricus subrufescens
Auricularia auricula-judas
Cordyceps
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Pleurotus ostreatus
Tremella fuciformis

Hepatoprotective

Agaricus subrufescens
Dendropolyporus umbellatus
Fomitopsis pimicola
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Inonotus obliquus
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Schizophyllum commune
Trametes versicolor

Cardiovascular

Agaricus blazei
Agaricus subrufescens
Auricularia auricula-judas
Ganoderma lucidum
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom)

Anti-hypertensive

Ganoderma lucidum
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)

Lowers Cholesterol

Auricularia auricula-judas
Ganoderma lucidum
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Tremella fuciformis

Inhibits Platelet aggregation

Ganoderma lucidum

Brain tonic / Increase Cognition /Neurodegeneration

Ganoderma lucidum
Hericium erinaceus
Trametes versicolor

Nerve tonic

Ganoderma lucidum
Hericium erinaceus

Sexual enhancer

Ganoderma lucidum
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)

Treatment of Cancer with Fungi

Probably the most important and promising use of medicinal Fungi is in Cancer treatment. A number of Medicinal Fungi have shown potent or broad-spectrum Anti-Cancer effects with direct inhibition of tested Cancer cell lines. Most of the medicinal Fungi, especially the Polypores, have shown immunomodulatory and immune stimulating effects largely due to their polysaccharide content, and this is direcly although not solely related to their positive effects in Cancer therapy.

The following is a brief list and generally related to tested cancer cell lines. In some cases, only 1–3 cancer cell lines were used to test Anti-Cancer effects. Therefore this does not necessarily mean the effects will translate in clinical treatment. It also means that various other cancers may be used by these mushrooms other than those listed. Nevertheless, a number of these mushrooms have shown potent effect against various cell lines, and some have been widely used in cancer treatment in countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Russia. Some Fungi extracts have been approved for use as an adjunct in Cancer therapy in these countries. Polysaccharide-K (PSK), marketed as Krestin, derived from Trametes versicolor is one example.

Broad Spectrum Anti-cancer

Usually multiple effects including immunostimulating. Those marked with ‘X’ have been developed into accepted or license Cancer therapies in certain countries.
Agaricus subrufescens
Fomes formentarius
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum X
Inonotus obliquus X
Laricifomes officinalis (Agarikon)
Schizophyllum commune X
Trametes versicolor X

Anti-tumor

Agaricus bisporus
Agaricus blazei
Agaricus subrufescens
Amanita virosa
Astraeus hygrometricus
Auricularia auricula-judas
Coprinellus micaceus
Clavariadelphus truncatus
Cladonia furcata
Clitocybe alexandri
Cordyceps militaris
Dendropolyporus umbellatus
Flammulina velutipes
Fomes formentarius
Fomitopsis pimicola
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Hericium erinaceus
Inonotus obliquus
Laricifomes officinalis (Agarikon)
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Leucopaxillus giganteus
Meripilus giganteus
Omphalotus olearius
Phellinus linteus
Phellinus rimosus
Pholiota spumosa
Piptoporus betulinus
Pleurotus ostreatus
Polyporus umbellatus
Schizophyllum commune
Shiitake
Trametes versicolor
Tremella fuciformis
Volvariella volvacea

Bladder Cancer

Phellinus Linteus
Polyporus umbellatus
Poria cocos

Brain Cancer

Grifola frondosa
Inonotus obliquus

Breast Cancer

Fomes formentarius
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma lucidum (Estrogen dependent)
Grifola frondosa
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Phellinus linteus (Estrogen dependent)
Poria cocos
Trametes versicolor

Cervical, Ovarian, Endometrial

Agaricus blazei
Agaricus subrufescens (Ovary, Endometrial)
Poria cocos
PSK (Ovary, Endometrial)
Schizophyllum commune (licensed for use in Japan for Cervical Cancer with good results in Stage II but not stage III)

Colorectal Cancer

Agaricus sylvaticus
Fomes formentarius
Ganoderma lucidum
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Trametes versicolor

Esophageal Cancer

Fomes formentarius
Trametes versicolor

Gastric Cancer

Fomes formentarius
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
PSK
Trametes versicolor

Hepatic Cancer

Agaricus subrufescens
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Phellinus Linteus
Polyporus umbellatus

Leukemia

Agaricus subrufescens
Cordyceps
Fomes formentarius
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Poria cocos
PSK
Trametes versicolor

Lung Cancer

Agaricus subrufescens
Fomes formentarius
Ganoderma lucidum
Grifola frondosa
Laricifomes officinalis (Agarikon)
Phellinus Linteus
Poria cocos
Trametes versicolor

Lymphoma

Ganoderma lucidum
Trametes versicolor
Myeloma
Agaricus blazei (82%) +Hericium erinaceus (14.7%) + Grifola frondosa (2.9%)

Pancreatic Cancer

Ganoderma lucidum
Omphalotus olearius (cytotoxic component from)
Poria cocos

Prostate Cancer

Agaricus bisporus
Agaricus subrufescens
Ganoderma lucidum
Flammulina velutipes (Androgen dependent)
Lentinus edodes (Shitake)
Phellinus Linteus
Pleurotus ostreatus (Androgen dependent)
Trametes versicolor

Resources and References

PubMed Central (Research Database)
Paul Stamets, https://fungi.com/
Medicinal Mushrooms: Their therapeutic properties and current medical usage with special emphasis on cancer treatments, Smith, Rowan and Sullivan, May 2002
Healing with Medicinal Mushrooms, Dr Walter Ardigo, 2017
Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhou et al, Springer, 2011
Inonotus obliguus as medical fungi in Russia, Zhang et al., Int J Trad Chin Med, March 2019, Vol. 41, No.3
Medicinal mushrooms as an attractive new source of natural compounds for future cancer therapy
The Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms
Medicinal mushrooms: Towards a new horizon:

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This Website is intended for the study of Traditional Medicine. Some of the information is Intended for Historical reference only and may be illegal or dangerous if used by unskilled hands. MedicineTraditions cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of the information contained herein, nor can it be held responsible for injury, sickness or death due to use or misuse of the information contained herein.

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