Current Roles of Mushroom in 21st Century Health Sustainability: A Review on Mushroom and Their Roles in Health Sustenance

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/08/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 3 (2026)

Article No.

021

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-WASS3AGP

Received

22 Jul 2026

Views

99

Downloads

17

Abstract

Mushrooms are known for their nutritional, medicinal, and ecological benefits, making them a valuable resource for health and sustainability research. In this review, we compiled results of around 85 peer-reviewed studies retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar between 2010 and 2025. From the reviewed evidence it is concluded that mushrooms contain a long list of proteins, Dietary Fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds such as polysaccharide, terpenoids, phenolic compounds etc. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory and anticancer activity of these constituents. Several well-studied fungi like Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes, Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium erinaceus and Trametes versicolor have shown considerable therapeutic potential, including free radical scavenging, immune modulation and supportive effects on cancer treatment. In addition to their health attributes, mushrooms play a role in the quest for environmental sustainability in a number of ways such as bioremediation, biodegradation, recycling of agricultural wastes, as well as low impact cultivation. All these collectively indicate that mushrooms are multi-functional organisms that possess a great potential as functional foods, natural therapeutics and as sustainable biological resources. While there are promising results, continued clinical trials and the development of large-scale cultivation, product development, and pharmaceutical applications are required to take full advantage of their nutritional, medicinal and ecological benefits.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.