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Edible and medicinal macrofungi, mainly from the phylum Basidiomycota and some from Ascomycota, are currently classified as functional foods. The terminology may also be applied as “medical functional food,” as some culinary/edible mushrooms exhibit significant medicinal properties, while many medicinal species are also highly valued in gastronomy. Numerous bioactive compounds present in mushrooms have been shown to be responsible for their antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, tonic, and preventive effects, including the prevention of osteoporosis, macular degeneration, and neuronal degeneration, as well as antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and hypoglycemic activities. During the lectures, participants will learn about the role of mushrooms in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.
Prof. Bożena Muszyńska, MD, PhD, DSc (medical and health sciences), is Head of the Department of Biotechnology of Medicinal Plants and Fungi at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College in Kraków. She is a clinical pharmacist, specialist in pharmaceutical analytics, mycologist, and botanist. For 36 years, the primary objective of her research has been to demonstrate the therapeutic and dietary value of edible mushrooms and algae. In the field of fungal biotechnology, her work focuses on developing mycelial cultures as a rich, alternative source of bioactive compounds. Her most recent research addresses the antidepressant, pro-cognitive, neuroregenerative, immunostimulatory, anti-osteoporotic, and ergogenic potential of medicinal mushrooms, with ongoing experiments aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of these activities in the human body.
She is the author of scientific and popular science publications, with a research output comprising 240 articles listed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (including 152 papers with an Impact Factor), 4 books, and 22 textbook chapters, as well as over 50 popular science publications and more than 300 conference presentations. Her achievements also include two granted patents and two patent applications. She regularly participates in radio, television, and online programs focused on fungi, algae, and plants. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms and Scientific Editor of the journal Grzyby i Zdrowie (www.grzybyizdrowie.com). Additionally, she is a board member of the Polish Pharmaceutical Society (Kraków Branch; Deputy Chair of the Clinical Pharmacy Section), the Main Board of the “Doctors of Hope” Association, the “Stop Illegal Pharmaceuticals” Association, the Polish Botanical Society, and the Polish Mycological Society, and serves as Deputy Chair of the Board of Medical Mycology. She has supervised 9 doctoral dissertations and 55 master’s theses.
