The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is characterized by extreme altitude, hypoxia, intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and complex geomorphology. Such extreme environments have fostered a distinctive spectrum of food and medicine homology resources (FMHR). These resources include medicinal and edible plants, animals, fungi, and traditional fermented dairy products, all of which are integrated into Tibetan daily life and ethnopharmacological systems. This review examines the ecological distribution, functional properties, and sustainable utilization of local species, specifically analyzing the impact of severe environmental stress and soil conditions on their adaptation and bioactive accumulation. The resources are then categorized along altitudinal gradients and major ecological zones to analyze their spatial distribution across alpine grasslands, agricultural valleys, and montane forests. By combining traditional Tibetan dietary wisdom and medical theories with modern pharmacological evidence, the review highlights reported biological activities, including antioxidant, antifatigue, immunomodulatory, and metabolic-regulatory activities. Currently, these plateau resources face severe threats from climate change, overexploitation, and inadequate standardization. Based on a comprehensive synthesis of the literature, this review identifies critical evidence gaps including the scarcity of clinical trials, incomplete quality standards, and limited quantitative data on industrial development. To address these challenges and gaps, future strategies focusing on germplasm conservation, scientific validation, industrial upgrading, and sustainable development are proposed. The overarching goal is to provide a systematic reference for the high-value utilization and ecological protection of FMHR on the QTP.

Polysaccharides derived from the Agaricus genus have garnered considerable attention due to their diverse biological activities and potential applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. This review focuses on the preparation methods, structure-activity relationships, and underlying biological mechanisms of Agaricus polysaccharides. Key advances in their extraction and purification techniques, structural characterization using modern analytical tools, and their association with biological activities are discussed. The role of polysaccharide structure, including glycosidic linkages, branching degrees, and molecular weight, in determining their physicochemical properties and biofunctions is highlighted. Moreover, the biological mechanisms underpinning their antitumor, immunomodulatory, antioxidant effects are elaborated. Finally, future perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for developing Agaricus polysaccharides as functional biomaterials are provided.

Medicinal fungi, due to their high nutritional and medicinal value along with safety, are regarded as invaluable resources for the discovery of new pharmaceuticals. Naematelia aurantialba, commonly known as the golden ear mushroom, is a rare medicinal and edible fungus in China, renowned for its rich nutritional profile and safety for consumption. It has a long-standing history of use in traditional medicine, with ancient texts frequently citing its benefits for liver protection and its efficacy in alleviating cough and phlegm. Modern pharmacological studies have revealed that the N. aurantialba contains various bioactive compounds and nutritional constituents, exhibiting multiple pharmacological activities, including hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and anticoagulant effects. This review synthesizes the current literature on the active components, medicinal and nutritional values, and the cultivation history of this species, aiming to provide a reference for the rational development of N. aurantialba in health food and medical fields.

Sarcodon mushrooms are esteemed as a rare and highly valuable resource for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Ancient medical classics have documented their beneficial effects on conditions such as indigestion, loss of appetite, and neurological disorders. Modern phytochemical research into their secondary metabolites has led to the discovery of numerous bioactive compounds with significant biological activities. Despite notable achievements in the study of the chemical composition and bioactivity of Sarcodon mushrooms, a comprehensive understanding of these findings has been lacking. This review provides an exhaustive summary of the advancements in the phytochemistry of Sarcodon mushrooms, as well as the biological and pharmacological activities of the isolated compounds and crude extracts derived from Sarcodon over the past nine decades. A total of 100 secondary metabolites isolated from these mushrooms have been classified into five major categories based on their chemical structures, which exhibit bioactivities such as anti-tumour, neurotrophic, and neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and hypoglycaemic properties. The aim of this study is to establish a scientific foundation for future research in drug discovery, biotechnological development, and the exploration of functional foods involving Sarcodon mushrooms.

The family Diatrypaceae is a less well-known group within the order Xylariales (Ascomycota). Initially, the focus on its metabolites was related to the pathogenicity of one of its members, Eutypa lata. To date, a total of 254 natural products have been identified from Diatrypaceae strains. These compounds include terpenoids, sterols, polyketones, phenols, and acetylene aromatic compounds, which have shown anticancer, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. The complex and diverse structural types, along with the diverse bioactivities, highlight the potential of Diatrypaceae as a valuable source of bioactive natural products. In this review, a deep analysis of the biosynthesis of pimarane diterpenes and scoparasin-type cytochalasins is provided, coupled with a compilation of the biosynthetic pathways of aromatic acetylene compounds in filamentous fungi. This comprehensive review not only enhances our understanding of the natural product chemistry, biological activities, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites from the Diatrypaceae family but also promotes the exploitation and development of important bioactive compounds and potential strains.