The Medicinal Mushroom Ganoderma: A Review of Systematics, Phylogeny, and Metabolomic Insights

Abstract

<i>Ganoderma</i> is a genus of medically significant fungi, that is used in traditional medicine and is increasingly incorporated into modern nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Accurate species identification and product standardization remain major challenges due to morphological plasticity and cryptic diversity. This review articulates current advances in <i>Ganoderma</i> systematics, phylogenetics, and metabolomics, with an emphasis on molecular identification strategies and chemical profiling. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing has substantially improved species delineation compared with morphology alone, but its resolving power is limited in closely related species complexes, necessitating complementary multilocus approaches. Advances in metabolomics, and LC-MS- and HPLC-based profiling of triterpenes and polysaccharides, have enhanced species discrimination, chemotaxonomic resolution, and quality control of commercial products. Integrating molecular barcoding with metabolomic fingerprints provides a more robust framework for classification, pharmacological evaluation, and standardization. This review also highlights significant geographic knowledge gaps, particularly in Africa, where molecular and metabolomic data remain scarce despite high species diversity.