Today, pharmacies and hospitals offer nearly thirty drugs based on compounds extracted from mushrooms. In some cases, these compounds have even shifted perceptions of the limits of medical possibilities. Naturally, the search does not stop – experts in laboratories continue to examine how various compounds found in mushrooms or their modifications can affect cells, animals, and later – humans.

The lives saved by the antibiotic penicillin number in the hundreds of millions. Later, another antibiotic deadly to bacteria but life-saving for humans was discovered – cephalosporin. Without the immune-suppressing cyclosporine, organ transplantation would hardly be possible. Lovastatin and mevastatin reduce the risk of death from heart and vascular diseases. All these compounds are from mushrooms. And this is far from all that mushrooms have contributed to modern medicine.

From Tradition to Science

Medicine is closely linked to tradition – although our ancestors did not have laboratories, over thousands of years they noticed what improves well-being.
"Many mushrooms have long been used both as food and as medicine. Current research shows that mushrooms possess various beneficial properties that protect against a variety of diseases – antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, immune-regulating, antimicrobial, liver-protective. It is also scientifically confirmed that they can be used for the treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart and vascular insufficiency, diabetes, or neurodegenerative diseases. Increasing scientific research supports and supplements the knowledge passed down from generation to generation in traditional Eastern medicine. So, it is not surprising that in recent years mushrooms have received increasing attention and can be produced as functional food or medicine for prevention," asserts Academician, Professor Pranas Viškelis.

In the laboratories of Lithuanian universities and scientific institutes, more attention is paid to plants and their medicinal properties than to mushrooms. It is because there is no tradition of using mushrooms as medicine in our country.

"The pharmacological effects of medicinal or hallucinogenic mushrooms are mostly studied by scientists in countries where these mushrooms are most prevalent. In our country, medicinal plants are more widespread than mushrooms. Therefore, it is natural that their medicinal properties are more actively researched in Lithuania," explains the scientist.
However, according to Prof. P. Viškelis, the mushrooms growing in our regions are also valuable from a medicinal point of view.

"Lithuanian mushrooms are not only nutritious but also have health-promoting properties. They contain various micro and macronutrients, vitamins, dietary fibers, antioxidants, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and other valuable compounds. For example, consuming 100 grams of morels will provide you with the daily requirement of copper and zinc, while a kilogram of chanterelles contains 250 mg of vitamin B2 and about 6 mg of niacin," says the professor.

Medicinal Mushrooms

Some mushrooms were mentioned thousands of years ago in ancient Chinese medical manuscripts, and today many of them are making their way into scientific laboratories. True, often the medicinal properties are limitedly marked on the packaging due to legal restrictions.
For instance, Ganoderma lucidum, more commonly known as reishi, was called the "mushroom of immortality" in China. It is attributed with a long list of pharmacological properties: anticancer, reducing sugar and lipid levels in the blood, lowering high blood pressure, regulating immunity, destroying harmful cells, protecting against aging, diabetes, and liver diseases, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and many others.

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) – a mushroom highly valued in Eastern medicine and cuisine for thousands of years. The polysaccharide lentinan extracted from it is widely used in Japan as an adjunct in cancer treatment, especially stomach cancer. The scientific literature also describes the antioxidant, antimicrobial effects of this mushroom.
Lion's mane, scientifically known as Hericium erinaceus, has a long history of use in Chinese folk medicine. It is also one of the more extensively studied mushrooms. The main groups of compounds it produces that are valued in medicine are erinacines and hericenones. Both easily cross the blood-brain barrier and have neuron-protective and growth-promoting effects. Researchers state that this mushroom also has properties that protect against ischemic stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's diseases, neuropathic pain, and age-related hearing loss.

Scientists indicate that this mushroom also has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immune-boosting, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, blood sugar, and lipid-lowering effects.

A large variety of medicinal effects are attributed to the parasitic Cordyceps mushroom genus. Most species in this genus – there are about 600 – are distinguished by an unusual method of reproduction. They parasitize insects and other arthropods and can alter their behavior to increase spore dispersion in the environment. However, unlike as depicted in the post-apocalyptic game and series "The Last of Us," these mushrooms cannot turn humans into zombies.

This is one of the mushrooms most deeply rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. According to Eastern tradition, these mushrooms "rejuvenate the kidneys, calm the lungs, stop bleeding, and remove phlegm." Modern scientific research indeed attributes to these mushrooms a kidney-protective effect, as well as anticancer, immunity-modulating, antioxidative, blood sugar-reducing effects. The sexual and reproductive function-enhancing and endurance-increasing effects of this mushroom have also received significant attention.

Chaga mushroom, or Inonotus obliquus, has been well known for centuries not only in Asian but also in European folk medicine. Traditionally, it has been used to treat intestinal diseases. Scientific research has demonstrated its antibacterial and antiviral value, anti-inflammatory effect, ability to stimulate the immune system, hypoglycemic, insulin sensitivity-enhancing effects, and potential anticancer effects.
"Scientific research shows that the therapeutic effect of these mushrooms is not just a myth created by tradition. On the other hand, the long-standing tradition of using these mushrooms, reaching back thousands of years, often as a food product, clearly shows that they are safe to consume. True, there is some evidence that excessive amounts of erinacine and hericenone – compounds from the lion's mane mushroom – can be harmful to humans. However, in this case, one should not forget the golden rule that says only the dose makes the poison. Overdosing any compound – even water – can be harmful," evaluates the safety of medicinal mushrooms Prof. P. Viškelis.