ABSTRACT
Mushrooms and mushroom-derived substances are recognized for many years for their therapeutic value and for their ef cacy in treating a variety of human illnesses including cancer. Historically, hot-water-soluble fractions from medicinal mushrooms were used as medicine in the Far East, where knowledge and practice of mushroom use started primarily (Wasser, 2002). Today, there are approximately 200 species of mushrooms that have been reported to posses therapeutic value including anticancer activity (Yang and Jong, 1989). However, most of these antitumor substances have not been de ned yet (Wasser and Weis, 1999).
