Diversity and Ethnopharmacological Studies of Mushrooms from District Kupwara of North Kashmir

Abstract

The kingdom fungi is estimated to be six times larger than the plant kingdom and the most diverse group of organisms after insects and have been estimated to constitute about 1.5 million species of the total biodiversity (Hawksworth, 2001). Fungi have a wide range of habitat, other than their normal terrestrial and aquatic habitats they can grow in high salt concentrations, xeric conditions, in areas with ionizing radiations (Raghukumar and Raghukumar, 1998; Dadachova et al., 2007; Vaupotic et al., 2008). They represent the largest and oldest multicellular organisms on earth as evidenced by the fossil records which dated back to Silurian period of Paleozoic era and mushrooms had been part of the fungal wealth some 300 million years ago (Alexopoulos et al., 1996). newlineThe word mushroom is thought to be derived from the French mousseron (muceron), mousse or moss . Due to the confusion created by this word because of its use in different senses, other versions of its origin come from muscheron and mouscheron . In Latin its origin is attributed to fungo which means to flourish. This term was used to refer to mushroom and to excrescences from the ground or from trees. In Greek, the term mushroom was derived from the word sphonggos or sphoggos which refers to the sponge-like structure of some mushroom species. The Greek civilization Mycenae also attributes its name to mushrooms as Mycenae is derived from the Greek word Mycology which itself is derived from Mykes means mushroom and logos means discourse (Alexopoulos, 1962). newlineThe history of mushrooms in Indian subcontinent dates back to 1500 B.C. with Aryan migration for carrying an intoxicating drink soma with them. In Rig-Veda soma refers to a mushroom, Amanita muscaria (Wasson, 1968). Ethnomycological reports of prehistoric people are rare; however different people have used mushrooms in different ways at different times. They had been objects of beauty for artists, food for royals and possible source of remedy newlineDepartment of Botany, University of