ABSTRACT
Ganoderma is a well-known, wood-decaying, worldwide-distributed fungus that has been taxonomically identified since the 18th century. Throughout history, the genus has contained a number of synonyms, species complexes, and misidentified species due to the employment of morphologic characteristics as a major identifying method, though this has been resolved to a certain extent thanks to molecular techniques. Most importantly, recent Ganoderma studies have aimed to assess the content of bioactive compounds that support human well-being, using them as active ingredients in pharmacology, nutraceuticals, and the cosmetics industry. The purposes of this chapter are to review the taxonomic history and modern taxonomic studies of Ganoderma species and provide a brief account of the medicinal and other beneficial uses of this genus, referring to the most recent studies.
