Mushrooms as source of dietary fiber and its medicinal value: A review article

Abstract

Mushrooms had long been used for medicinal and food purposes since decades. It is now known good health can be maintained by correct diet which controls and modulates many functions of human body, it can reduce the risk of many diseases. Modern pharmacological research confirms large parts of traditional knowledge regarding the medicinal effects of mushrooms due to their antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties, besides being used as functional foods. Foods with dietary fiber are in great demand now- a- days due to their various benefits. Mushrooms are valuable resources for food, medicine and nutraceuticals. Edible mushroom has a rich dietary content but composition in edible mushroom varies greatly with its morphological stages including fruit body, mycelium and sclerotium. This paper sums up diverse beneficial health effects of mushrooms to humans, as a dietary fibre, and an important source of medicines.ee.