Conclusions

the health-promoting claims reported are valid and significant. Critical factors going forward include ensuring studies are of the highest quality, following manufacturing best practices, and developing sustainable, large-scale production of medicinal mushrooms under controlled conditions.

Medicinal mushrooms and their bioactive compounds have the potential to act as promising source materials for both the dietary supplement and pharmaceutical industries. Medicinal mushroom cultivation can also serve to promote equitable economic growth in communities within the developing world that are subject to the accumulation of large amounts of agricultural crop residues and forest industry wastes.

What’s more, mushroom cultivation has the power to restore and regenerate soil health in a zero emissions manner, thereby positively contributing to not only human health and social change, but also to healing our planet.

The multidimensional nature of the powerful fungi is highly unique and worth celebrating, even in its current state of research and level of impact. This is just the beginning for the abundant and diverse mushroom kingdom. I, for one, am deeply excited about the vast opportunities within this space.

Medicinal Mushrooms in the 21st Century 22