Exploration of wild medicinal mushroom species in Walayar valley, the Southern Western Ghats of Coimbatore District Tamil Nadu

The present study explored the medicinal mushroom species used by the Irula tribal community in Walayar Valley, the southern Western Ghats of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. The study was between May 2013 to August 2014 and reportson30medicinal mushroom species belonging to 23 genera in 13 families. The fungi occurred between 421 to 834m above m.s.l. Mushrooms were recorded in separate field data sheets, including binomial name, local name, medicinal uses and quantitative assessment of mushroom species collected per season per Kg based on information provided by the Irula community. These species included treatment of eight different illness categories. The study concludes their nutritional and medicinal potential, as well as ethno medicinal uses, which may have future pharmaceutical application.