Therapeutic potential of mushrooms in preventing and ameliorating hypertension

• Mushrooms possess anti-hypertensive components.
• Terpenoid, sugar alcohol, peptide, lentinan, TMP, pipecolic acid and K+ are active.
• Acts by inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme and on Na+-K+ pump.
• Mushrooms are safe and natural remedy for hypertension.

Hypertension is a multi-aetiological, chronic pathophysiology that leads to multi-organ dysfunctions like cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and renal complications. Synthetic anti-hypertensive drugs have been blamed for side effects of various sorts. Thus, the search for natural, safe, and food-based anti-hypertensive agents has gained momentum. Mushrooms, abundant in bio-active components, had been recognized for its use as therapeutics in alternative and complementary medicine as well as functional food. In the present article, the potential of both culinary and edible-turned-medicinal mushrooms is reviewed with respect to their anti-hypertensive effects along with the respective bio-component’s mode of action.