The Bioactivity of Tiger Milk Mushroom: Malaysia’s Prized Medicinal Mushroom

Abstract

The tiger milk mushroom has long been extolled for its medicinal properties and has been used for the treatment of asthma, cough, fever, cancer, liver-related illnesses , and joint pains and as a tonic. The history of usage for tiger milk mushroom dated back to almost 400 years ago, but there were no records of scientific studies done due to unavailability of sufficient samples. Even when there were samples collected from the wild, the supply and quality were inconsistent. With the advent of cultivation success of one of the most utilized species of tiger milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerotis) in 2009, scientific investigation was done to validate its traditional use and to investigate its safety for consumption and biochemical and biopharmacological properties. Among the properties that have been investigated to date are antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, nutritional, immunomodulatory, and neuritogenesis activities of the Lignosus rhinocerotis. The scientific findings have so far verified some of its traditional applications and revealed interesting data which shows potential for it to be further developed into possible nutraceutical. More scientific investigations are much needed to validate the medicinal properties of tiger milk mushroom across its species and to unveil potential biomolecules that may form a valuable foundation in pharmaceutical and industrial applications. 112 Keywords Biomedical properties • Lignosus • Medicinal mushroom • Tiger milk mushroom • Sclerotia Contents