A comprehensive review on poisonous mushrooms: The revolutionary potential of mycotoxins in medicine and beyond.

Mushrooms are popular due to their significant health benefits. Globally, over 1,40,000 mushroom varieties, of which 5000 are toxic. Around 100 of these poisonous types account for most reported cases of mushroom poisoning. The accidental consumption of harmful mushrooms poses a significant threat to public health, particularly among indigenous communities that rely on wild mushroom gathering for sustenance. The situation is even more dire in India, where cases of mushroom poisoning often go unreported and ignored. This review focuses on various mycotoxins responsible for harmful consequences by closely examining the mushroom poisoning situation in the Indian subcontinent and globally. It highlights 110 poisonous mushroom species, their toxic compounds, confusion during mushroom gathering, the harmful impacts of mushroom poisoning, and the symptoms they cause in human health, as well as how mushroom mycotoxins could be utilized for the treatment of various diseases in the future. The review will aid in understanding mushrooms while reducing human fatalities and the category of poisonous species, which will open new avenues for pharmaceuticals in cancer treatment and drug development against multiple drug-resistant microbes.