Antidiabetic Attributes of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are macrofungi, with distinct mycelia structure, and fruiting bodies, divided into stalk and cap that contains spores in most of the species. These mushrooms are edible with diverse therapeutic applications. Old civilizations from India, China, and Korea used these mushrooms to cure diseases, especially diabetes. Diabetes is now a newly emerging pandemic, affecting people worldwide, with special reference to developing countries. There are several medications available for the management of diabetes, but their permanent treatment is still to be explored. Due to synthetic medicines and their adverse effect, people are searching for natural therapeutic agents. Many mushroom species have shown their potential to control diabetes and its related complications, such as weight loss, lipidemia, hypertension, etc. In this chapter, we have discussed five different mushroom species, i.e., Auricularia auricula-judae, Agaricus bisporus, Ophiocordycep sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum, and Pleurotus species with their potential therapeutic application against diabetes and its related complications. 

Keywords: Anti-diabetic properties of mushroom, Diabetes, Diabetes type 1, Diabetes type 2, Edible mushroom, Medicinal mushrooms.