Application of Wild Macrofungi as Anticancer Therapeutics

Abstract

Man consume mushroom because it is delicious. In the East, mushroom as medicine is not uncommon. Following encouraging outcome from clinical trials, several properties from edible and wild mushroom species have been recognised and registered as anticancer therapeutics. The drive to examine existing and wild mushrooms growing in each respective country for anticancer properties sees the compilation of new and unknown medicinal mushrooms research being shared for further assessment. The accumulated evidence of mushrooms possessing an anticancer property is attributed to all the extensive studies on cell lines, animal and human trials, validating the health, safety and quality of life after treatment. The move treads towards finding selective cytotoxicity mushroom properties which would only target cancerous cells and not harm normal healthy cells. The wealth of knowledge we have garnered for the last 20�years on how all macro fungi; be it edible, non-edible, poison or recreation mushrooms conceal in them the properties we could use to suppress the statistics of death and suffering due to cancer. Inevitably, the way forward next is to explore the potential of all wild and less commonly known mushroom resources and push these candidates down the pipeline for the next 20�years of further anticancer research, if not, potentials as food and delicacies.