Group of mushrooms growing in a mossy forest with sunlight in the background – a natural woodland scene with a focus on wild fungi.
Numerous brown mushrooms clustered on a tree trunk with a golden autumn backdrop – a natural close-up.

What Are Medicinal or “Functional” Mushrooms
Mushrooms are unique life forms—neither plant nor animal.
Unlike plants, they are not green, have no leaves or roots, and never produce flowers, fruit, or seeds.
From an evolutionary perspective, fungi are more closely related to humans than to plants.

They are everywhere, though often hidden. Most fungi consist of invisible single cells and hair-thin filaments that spread beneath the soil. Without them, many biological processes simply would not work.

Across the world, fungi act as guardians of forest health. They break down organic matter, recycle nutrients for plants, and provide water as well as natural protective compounds.

Living in a highly competitive environment, mushrooms defend themselves against bacteria and viruses with a wide range of natural substances. Remarkably, many of the pathogens that threaten fungi can also affect humans.

Some scientists suggest this is because, roughly 460 million years ago, fungi and humans shared a common ancestor. Over time, similar defense mechanisms against disease-causing microbes evolved. This helps explain why the enzyme systems developed by fungi can also help protect our bodies from bacterial and viral infections—a discovery that ultimately led to the development of antibiotics