Introduction

What is a mushroom?  

Mushrooms are not plants! May be or maybe not. Recently it has been exposed that they are more thoroughly related to animals. But at one time its call Fungi, including mushrooms, were believed to be close relatives of plants so much of their nomenclature (names for parts of the mushroom) are close to the names used for plant parts. It is the fruit (like an apple) of the mushroom "body" and contain mushroom "seeds" called spores. The body of the mushroom in called mycelium and its individual parts are microscopic. Since the body of the mushroom is usually dispersed over a relatively large area it is rarely noticed. In nature some species of mushrooms may have a body that spreads over hundreds of square miles!

Mushrooms are fungi, and are usually placed in a Kingdom of their own apart from plants and animals. Mushrooms contain no chlorophyll and most are considered saprophytes. That is, they obtain their nutrition from metabolizing non-living organic matter. This means they break down and "eat" dead plants, like your compost pile does.

A mushroom is the reproductive structure produced by some fungi. It is somewhat like the fruit of a plant, except that the "seeds" it produces are in fact millions of microscopic spores that form in the gills or pores underneath the mushroom's cap. The spores blow away into the wind, or are spread by other means, such as animal feeding. If they land on a suitable substrate (such as wood or soil) spores will germinate to form a network of microscopic rooting threads (mycelium) which penetrate into their new food source.

Unlike the mushroom, which pops up then passes away quickly, the mycelium persists, often for many years, extracting nutrients and sending up its annual crop of mushrooms

Importants For Human body

Edible mushrooms are used extensively in cooking, in many cuisines (notably Chinese, European and Japanese). Though commonly thought to contain little nutritional value, many varieties of mushrooms are high in fiber and protein, and provide vitamins such as


·         Thiamine (B1),

·         Riboflavin (B2),

·         Niacin (B3),  

·         Biotin (B7),

·         Cobalamins (B12)

·         Ascorbic acid (C), 

as well as minerals, including iron, selenium, potassium and phosphorus.

Mushrooms are getting a higher profile for containing antioxidants Ergothioneine and Selenium. Research is currently being conducted as to how the mushroom may help to prevent breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity.