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Recent Progress of Research on Medicinal Mushrooms, Foods, and Other Herbal Products Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Summary

This research reviews several important medicinal mushrooms and herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, examining their health benefits and active compounds. The study validates many traditional uses of these natural medicines while identifying new potential therapeutic applications using modern scientific methods. Impacts on everyday life: – Provides scientific evidence supporting the use of common natural products like green tea, garlic, and turmeric for health benefits – Identifies new potential treatments for diseases like cancer using traditional medicinal mushrooms – Helps ensure safety and proper use of traditional herbal supplements – Leads to development of new medicines from natural sources – Promotes integration of traditional wisdom with modern medical science

Background

Herbal products have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years as foods to maintain good health and as drugs to treat disease. Because specific components in herbal products can exhibit different biological activities, the identification, characterization, and biological evaluations of these components can validate the traditional use of the herb, as well as provide leads for new drug discovery and development.

Objective

This article reviews selected herbal products used in traditional Chinese medicine, including medicinal mushrooms, Cordyceps, pomegranate, green tea, garlic, turmeric, and Artemisiae Annuae Herba. The review focuses on the active constituents of the herbs and their bioactivities, with emphasis on the most recent research progress from 2003 to 2011.

Results

The review found significant therapeutic potential across the studied herbs and mushrooms. Key findings included anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects from medicinal mushrooms; cardiovascular benefits from garlic; broad spectrum therapeutic effects of curcumin from turmeric; and validation of artemisinin from Artemisia annua as an antimalarial compound.

Conclusion

Modern scientific methodology and medicinal chemistry approaches continue to identify and evaluate the bioactive components found in TCM prescriptions. While these herbal products show promise as sources of new medicines and dietary supplements, proper scientific validation of pharmacological effects, toxicological studies, authenticity verification, and quality control standards must be maintained to ensure both safety and efficacy for treating chronic and acute conditions.
  • Published in:Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMCID: PMC3942920
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