Medicinal Value of Mushrooms

If we go into the history we will find many types of uses of mushrooms but our focus will be in the medicine. So here we will present an account of the medicinal value of the mushrooms.

Agaricus muscarius

Universal Remedies for Complaints and Disorders

• Polyporus officinalis was used under the name “agarick”.it was used for all the complaints and disorder as a universal remedy.
• To stop bledding
• P.Officinalis was used in homes as drastic purge aid applied externally to stop bleeding.
• It was also used for chronic catarrh disease (=inflammation of mucous membrane) of the breast and lungs.

Other Diseases

• Used as remedy for night sweating in tuberculosis, for rheumatism, gout, jaundice, dropsy and intestinal worms.
• Homeopathic medicines
• Boletus laricis was used for flamed eyes and as a gargle for Inflammation of the throats.
• F.fomentarius and agaricks are used for rapid coagulation of blood.

Surgical Dressing

• Lycoperdon giganteum is used as a soft and comfortable surgical dressing.
• Clavatia gigantea is still used for anesthesia.

Heart ailments and Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Agaricus muscarius has been used therapeutically from the earliest times as a power or tincture for swollen glands ,epilepsy and various diseases.
• It is still used today in homeopathic dose.
• It is also used in highly diluted preparations for heart ailments and rheumatoid arthritis.
• From Volvariella volvacea cardiotoxic proteins have been isolated.they lower the blood pressure and also act against tumor cells.

Antioxidant Activity

Antioxidants are chemical compounds that protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals are powerful oxidants and those chemical entities that contain unpaired electrons. They are capable of randomly damaging all components of the body, viz., lipids, proteins, DNA, sugars and are involved in mutations and cancers. The nascent oxygen is trapped by enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Over production of free radicals creates oxidative stress. 

The antioxidants are an important defense of the body against free radicals and mushrooms which are rich sources of these antioxidants. Waxy cap mushroom extracts (Hygrocybe coccinea) are inhibitory to sarcoma.

Immunoceticals isolated from more than 30 mushroom species have shown anticancer action in animals. Schizophyllan from Schizophyllum commune is effective against head and neck cancer. Antioxidant property of compounds is correlated with their phenolic compounds. Many species of mushrooms have been found to be highly potent immune enhancers, providing potential to animal and human immunity against cancer.

Summary

In short, mushrooms have the following medicinal properties;

• Homeopathic medicine
• Surgical dressing
• Anesthesia
• Heart and rheumatic ailment
• High blood pressure
• Antiviral and anti-cancer
• Antioxidants

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Post by:
Sehrish Mushtaq
(sherry.a143@gmail.com)