Mushrooms are used not only for culinary purposes, but also for the
treatment of various chronic diseases. It shows vital therapeutic activity in several
neurodegenerative disorders such as, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. These
diseases are non-communicable as well as age-related. Currently, no drug therapy is
available to treat such neurodegenerative disorders; instead, it is best to delay
progression of these diseases. Accumulated evidence has suggested that culinary or
medicinal mushrooms may play a significant role in the prevention of these disorders,
as mentioned earlier, and dementia. Therefore, daily consumption of mushrooms in the
diet may improve memory and cognitive functions, including mushrooms such as,
Hericium Erinaceus, Ganoderma lucidium, Pleurotus giganteus, Dictyophora
indusiata, Sarcodon scabrosus, Antrodia camphorata Termitomyces albuminosus,
Paxillus panuoides, Mycoleptodonoides aitchisonii, Lignosus rhinocerotis, and
numerous other species. These mushrooms show potent antioxidative, antiinflammatory, and memory-enhancing activities. This chapter deals with the
therapeutic activity of mushrooms and their bioactive components for different
neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, mushrooms can be considered supportive and
promising candidates for treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Culinary mushroom,
Neurodegeneration, Neuritogenic, Neuroprotection, Neurotrophic.