Current research lays emphasis on exploring natural products for use in nutraceuticals and
pharmaceuticals to overcome various side effects of synthetic drugs. Fungi occupy an eminent
position among natural sources of food and medicinal importance since ancient times. Many
fungal species have been eaten as food and used in folk medicine for the treatment of many
human ailments as mentioned in traditional medical literature. However scanty information is
available pertaining to the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical importance of fungi which merits
an extensive review. This book spotlights the use value macrofungi in human health. Macrofungi
with health benefitting properties largely belong to Basidiomycota followed by Ascomycota
growing indoor (cultivated) and outdoor (wild). We endeavoured to throw light on the benefits
of macrofungal taxa in relation to their food and medicinal significance in human life. We
provided knowledge pertaining to the ethnomycological significance of macrofungi with respect
to their uses as food and medicine by the people inhabiting different parts of the world. This
book highlights the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds present in macrofungi. We
also focused on the pharmacological activities of macrofungi contributing towards their
medicinal value against several human disorders. We cited many commercially available
nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products of macrofungal origin. This work will hopefully serve
as a basic reference for general public mycologists researches and industry men interested
in consumption research and marketing of macrofungi.
