ABSTRACT
The human gut microbiota bears trillions of highly diversified microbial consortia and is significantly correlated with human health and several immune responses. The dysbiosis of such mutualistic human gut microbial companionship leads to different disease progressions ranging from obesity, metabolic disorder, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and allergy to carcinoma. In recent years, scientists have searched for alternative dietary fibers and polysaccharides from natural sources to ameliorate a healthy intestinal microbiome. Ganoderma, a medicinal mushroom, has been well known in Asia for several decades because of its promising pharmacological efficacy to influence better immune health and longevity. Accumulating reports have evinced that Ganoderma intriguingly modulates gut microbiota, reducing obesity, inflammatory responses, body weight, and colorectal cancer. Here, we summarize recent findings in the context of the function of Ganoderma on human gut microflora balance and their underlying mechanisms in detail. Furthermore, we discuss the clinical trials of this medicinal mushroom and propose a future perspective for research in this field. More research and deeper understanding will be noteworthy for the use of Ganoderma as a promising prebiotic agent to downregulate the gut-flora dysbiosis and disease ailments.
