They have been collected and cultivated for hundred of years in Asian countries, like China and Japan (Zhanga et al., 2007). One of the most prominent functional foods for human is mushrooms. Therefore US, European Union and Asian countries like Japan, South Korea etc have drafted and revised various regulatory guidelines on functional foods and their health claims (Hasler, 1996). Detailed information about food bioactives is required in order to obtain appropriate functional food products. Consumers are now deeply interested in food bioactives that provide beneficial effects to humans in terms of health promotion and disease risk reduction. It has been more than two decades since the concept of "functional foods" was first introduced as a factor in the analysis of foods after nutrients (Sadler & Saltmarsh, 1998). Keywords: mushrooms, functional food, therapeutic agents, nutraceuticals IIJan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial College of Pharmacy, Sirsa, India IPrabhu Dayal Memorial College of Pharmacy, Bahadurgarh, India Sushila Rathee I Dharmender Rathee II Deepti Rathee II Vikash Kumar I Permender Rathee I Mushrooms functional food therapeutic agents nutraceuticals In the present paper the medicinal potential of mushrooms is being discussed. However the mechanisms of the various health benefits of mushrooms to humans still require intensive investigation, especially given the emergence of new evidence of their health benefits. There has been a recent upsurge of interest in mushrooms not only as a health food which is rich in protein but also as a source of biologically active compounds of medicinal value which include complementary medicine/dietary supplements for anticancer, antiviral, hepatoprotective, immunopotentiating and hypocholesterolemic agents. There are monographs that cover the medicinal and healing properties of some individual traditional mushrooms. In modern terms, they can be considered as functional foods which can provide health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients. Mushrooms have been known for their nutritional and culinary values and used as medicines and tonics by humans for ages.
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