Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr) Pers. is a medicinal mushroom that has various health benefits and is a rich source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. In recent years, H. erinaceus has been considered for its many medicinal properties and is widely consumed in Asian countries. Remarkably, the effect of mushroom cultivation using substrates composed of soybean meal by-products on growth, as well as the enhancement of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, was evaluated. Our results confirmed that using soybean meal-produced H. erinaceus displayed a higher mycelial growth and biological efficiency than the control treatment. Bioactive compounds with triterpenoid content and total phenolic content of H. erinaceus grown on soybean meal contained the highest values at 56.78–69.15 mg Urs/g DW and 15.52–16.07 mg GAE/g DW, respectively, while H. erinaceus grown on the control treatment had the lowest value at 32.15 mg Urs/g DW and 7.75 mg GAE/g DW, respectively. In addition, H. erinaceus cultivated on soybean meal had higher DPPH activities than those grown on the control treatment, with IC₅₀ values of 0.67–0.89 and 1.08 mg/mL, respectively. Therefore, this study provided baseline information on the potential role of soybean meal by-product substrates in H. erinaceus growth and their effect on bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity.

Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr) Pers. is a medicinal mushroom that has various health benefits and is a rich source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. In recent years, H. erinaceus has been considered for its many medicinal properties and is widely consumed in Asian countries. This work aimed to explore the potential improvement of coconut water utilization in order to promote growth and increase the yield, as well as the enhancement of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of H. erinaceus. The application of coconut water at a concentration of 20% (v/v) resulted in the optimal development and production of H. erinaceus. In terms of biological efficiency, it was demonstrated that the 22.09% increase over the control treatment resulted in a higher yield. Moreover, H. erinaceus cultivated from coconut water intake at all concentrations resulted in higher protein content. Additionally, bioactive compounds such as total triterpenoid content and total phenolic content of H. erinaceus were 67.87–89.24 mg Urs/g DW and 16.62–17.39 mg GAE/g DW, respectively, while H. erinaceus grown on a control treatment had the lowest at 56.84 mg Urs/g DW and 14.42 mg GAE/g DW, respectively. Applying coconut water at all concentrations resulted in H. erinaceus IC₅₀ values of 0.58–0.69 mg/mL exhibiting higher DPPH activities than those grown on control treatment IC₅₀ value of 0.77 mg/mL. Therefore, this finding of the study indicated that the utilization of coconut water as a therapy resulted in a significant enhancement in the development, production, and bioactive compounds of H. erinaceus, in comparison to the control treatment.

The split gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) is a valuable natural resource with high nutritional value and diverse bioactive metabolites, underscoring its potential for sustainable applications. By applying elicitors, this study highlights the quality enhancement of S. commune fruiting bodies, a commercially significant resource. While elicitors have been shown to stimulate beneficial bioactive compound production, research on their use in S. commune remains limited. This study applied methyl jasmonate (MeJA) at various concentrations (0, 4, 13, 22, 31, and 40 µM) to optimize growth, improve nutritional value, promote triterpenoid and phenolic compound synthesis, and boost antioxidant activity in S. commune. The results demonstrated that MeJA’s effects on growth and bioactive compounds are concentration-dependent. A concentration of 22 µM was identified as the most effective, resulting in the highest growth performance, including cap diameter (2.01 cm), fresh weight (24.10 g), and biological efficiency (15.21%). Furthermore, all MeJA treatments significantly enhanced triterpenoid, phenolic compound, and antioxidant activity compared to the control. These findings present a promising approach to enhance the sustainable use of S. commune as a natural resource by improving its quality and bioactive properties. Additionally, this research contributes to understanding the role of MeJA in promoting the growth and production of bioactive compounds in mushrooms, offering insights for advancing mushroom-based natural resource management.

Ardisia polycephala, Iresine herbstii, and Oenanthe javanica are commonly used to nourish women’s blood and treat reproductive system diseases, according to Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) scriptures. This study explores the biological activities of these herbs as documented in TTMs. Both water and ethanol extracts of the three herbs were examined for their antioxidant activities using DPPH, FRAP, and NO assays. Additionally, their antiestrogen and cytotoxic effects were investigated, focusing on breast cancer cell lines (T47D and MCF‐7). Chemical analysis was conducted using the GC–MS technique, with reference data obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. All herbs demonstrated good antioxidant activity. The water extract of Ardisia polycephala (AP ^∗∗ ) exhibited the highest activity in the DPPH assay (EC ₅₀ = 7.09 ± 1.47 μg/mL), which correlated with the FRAP results (358.52 ± 1.07 mg Trolox equivalent per gram). The ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica (OJ ^∗ ) specifically showed cytotoxicity against both T47D and MCF‐7 cell lines (IC ₅₀ = 38.06 ± 1.52 and 39.93 ± 0.36 μg/mL, respectively) and demonstrated antiestrogen activity by inhibiting the growth of T47D cells by 99% at 1.3 μg/mL when stimulated with 100 pM estradiol. GC–MS analysis identified numerous compounds that support the observed biological activities, including antioxidant and cytotoxic effects. In summary, the three herbs demonstrated antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antiestrogen activities consistent with the chemical compounds identified in the GC–MS analysis. These findings suggest the potential use of these herbs in future breast cancer treatments.