User:Velmanasimiyu
FUNGAL ENDOPHY
plants
biology
For a long time, plants have been used as a major source of novel drug compound, on the other hand, mushrooms have been used since the neolihic and Paleolithic eras (Samorini G, 2001). Historically, mushrooms have been used by the chinese to make traditional chinese medicine since 100 AD (Gunde, 1999).Subsequently, medicinal mushrooms have been discovered to produce secondary metabolites that are of positive importance to human health and can be used in drug development (Ulrike et.al, 2014; Kim et.al, 2009; Chen et.al, 2005; Mau et.al, 2002) hence they make a vast and yet a large untapped powerful source of new pharmaceuticals. Though the use of medicinal mushrooms for drug development studies had been restricted to the Asian countries, nowadays, it has spread into Europe and other countries (Ulrike et.al, 2014).
mushrooms
- open licence
- kenya
- nakuru
The number of mushroom species currentl on arth is approximately estimated to be at 150,000 species and yet only a very small proportion (about 10%, that is between 14,000-15,000 species) is known to science (Hawksworth, 2001; Mueller and Schmit, 2007; Kirk et.al, 2008). Out of the 10%of mushrooms that are known to science, around 700 species have known medicinal properties, but about 1800 species are thought to possess potential medicinal attributes (Chang et.al, 2004). Ulrike et.al defines medicinal mushrooms as macroscopic fungi, mostly basidiomycetes which are used in the form of extracts and powder form in the treatment of various infections. Ji-kai lu, 2004 indicates that macromycetes are characterized by the production of fruiting bodies.
