ABSTRACT
Only a percentage of the fungal kingdom's species has been recognized and documented, resulting in a tremendous diversity of organisms. It has at least an order of magnitude more variety than the total number of species reported. Mushrooms have been used as medicine for millennia, having a variety of bioactive chemicals that include antibacterial, cytotoxic, and anticancer properties. In mushrooms, bioactive molecules can be found as polysaccharides or secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds, terpenes, and steroids in the cell wall. Tremella fuciformis is a tremellaceae-family basidiomycotan fungus. Because of its inability to break down cellulose and lignin, it feeds on them in a parasitic manner. Since the beginning of time, it has been employed in traditional Chinese medicine and food. In this chapter, the taxonomy, resources, availability, phytochemistry, and pharmacological potential of the mushroom are summarized. In addition, the mycology, metabolism, and economic importance of the mushroom is briefly outlined.
