Mycotherapy (Medicinal Mushrooms) as a Potential Treatment for Epilepsy

Epilepsy is one of the oldest neurological diseases known to humans that affect patients of all ages and sexes worldwide. Consequently, there are various treatment tactics to prevent and treat this recurring neurological condition, such as surgical, pharmacological (synthetic drug), non-pharmacological (diet), and alternative and complementary therapies. However, the current therapies may not be appropriate for all patients, and there are numerous adverse effects and hypersensitivity reactions. Therefore, there is an impending necessity for novel therapies to treat this neurological condition immediately. "Complementary" (therapies used in concert with traditional/conventional remedy) and "alternative" (nontraditional/conventional treatment) therapeutic approaches are currently considered as future healthcare interventions to treat epilepsy prophylactically and therapeutically. Mycotherapy (the use of mushrooms in healthcare) has shown substantial preventative and curative efficacy in treating various human ailments. Hence, in this book chapter, we have identified various beneficial mushrooms with significant anti-epileptic effects. Thus, this may help to curb the pathophysiology, symptoms, and comorbidities associated with neuronal hyperarousal leading to epilepsy.