Russula, a genus of Basidiomycetes with considerable taxonomic diversity, holds significant potential in both traditional and modern medicinal practices. This comprehensive review explores the bioactive compounds identified in various Russula species, detailing their characterization, structural elucidation, and classification. The medicinal properties of these fungi are examined, with a focus on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects, supported by both historical usage and contemporary preclinical pharmacological research. The review also highlights emerging biotechnological applications including environmental remediation, antimicrobial agents, and functional food development. Safety and toxicological considerations are evaluated to provide a balanced perspective on the medicinal use of Russula. The review concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the importance of Russula in both traditional medicine and future clinically validated innovations.

Neohelicomyces species comprise a group of helicosporous hyphomycetes, with over 90% of the currently accepted taxa reported from China, occurring in both freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Although the genus has been increasingly documented in recent years, its presence in crop-related ecosystems remains poorly understood, as most species have been reported from unknown hosts. In this study, a survey of fungi associated with Coffea arabica in Yunnan Province, China, was conducted, and fruiting bodies of helicosporous hyphomycetes were found on dead branches of coffee plants. Based on the morphological characteristics of conidiophores, conidiogenous cells, and conidia, in combination with multigene phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, rpb 2, and tef 1-α), two novel species of Neohelicomyces ( N. coffeae and N. puerensis ) were identified. Morphologically, N. coffeae differs from closely related species N. edgeworthiae by having shorter conidiophores, longer conidiogenous cells, and smaller, multi-septate conidia (vs. aseptate in N. edgeworthiae ), while N. puerensis differs from its close relative N. dehongensis by having narrower and distinctly multi-septate conidia, more tightly coiled conidial filaments, and unbranched conidiophores. These results expand the known diversity of Neohelicomyces and contribute to a better understanding of fungal assemblages associated with coffee plants in subtropical China. In addition, detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic trees are provided.

Xylaria nigripes and its close relatives, specialized for their associations with termite fungus combs, are capable of producing massive sclerotia within the chambers of dead termite nests. These sclerotia, traditionally referred to in Chinese medicine as “Wulingshen,” exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities. Massive Xylaria sclerotia are typically harvested from natural habitats, and their formation under laboratory conditions has rarely been reported. This study induced the formation of small sclerotia in Xylaria minima by incubating mature Macrotermes fungus combs. Sclerotium formation on the comb was characterized by an inconspicuous vegetative growth phase, rapid sclerotial development, early dormancy, and temporally delayed reproduction. Sclerotia formed more sporadically on potato dextrose agar (PDA), water agar (WA), and oat-based media. In contrast, growth on comb leachate agar (CLA) was faster, and sclerotia developed readily. The sclerotia of X. minima show strong potential for cultivation using comb materials and agricultural substrates. Exploratory chemical analyses revealed that sclerotia were enriched in crude polysaccharides, alkaloids, and terpenoids, as well as amino acids and amino acid derivatives such as L-glutamic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), compared with mycelia. These findings indicate that X. minima does not exhibit strict substrate specificity for sclerotium formation and highlight its potential for future studies on cultivation and bioactive compound discovery. This study additionally highlights that the sclerotium-forming habit in comb-associated Xylaria species has likely evolved independently multiple times, occurring in both the newly reported small-sclerotium-forming X. minima and the X. nigripes species complex.

Coffea arabica (Rubiaceae) is one of the most popular coffees worldwide (Zhu et al. 2024). In April 2024, symptoms of sooty mold appeared in the largest coffee-growing region in Yunnan Province, China (22°66'N; 100°96'E; 1073 m). The disease initially appears as a black powdery coating on coffee leaves, cherries, and twigs, later forming a thick, adherent layer that cracks or peels off under dry conditions. A field survey was conducted over approximately 20 hectares (300 mu) of coffee plantations, and fresh symptomatic leaves were collected and observed. Micro and macro photographs were prepared for photomicrography. Pure cultures were obtained following the methods in Senanayake et al. (2020). Pure cultures were grown on potato dextrose agar at 28 °C for one month and used for DNA extraction and the pathogenicity test. Morphology and multi-locus phylogeny confirmed that the sooty mold is a distinct new species in Trichomerium: Trichomerium puerense L. Lu, K.D. Hyde & Tibpromma, sp. nov. MycoBank number: MB 857498. Etymology: The epithet refers to the location "Pu'er" from where the holotype was collected. Holotype: MHZU 24-0582. It forms black sheets which are superficial and thin, cover the leaves, and are composed of cylindrical hyphae. Superficial hyphae 4-6 μm wide also form, are septate, constricted at the septum, unbranched, brown, dense, with cylindrical hyphal cells, and produce guttules. Ascostromata are 100-150 × 120-150 μm, superficial, solitary, globose to subglobose, and brown to black. Setae are 40-80 × 4-7 μm, straight or flexuous, brown, and septate. Peridia are 15-20 μm wide, thick-walled, hyaline to brown, and comprised of textura angularis cells. Asci are 45-70 × 20-28 μm (n = 30), 8-spored, bitunicate, ellipsoid to clavate, or cylindrical, with a short pedicle and an ocular chamber. Ascospores are 20-25 × 7-10 μm (n = 10), fusoid to ellipsoid, hyaline, 1-3-septate, constricted at the septum, with narrow ends, somewhat tapering towards the base when mature, smooth-walled, and produce guttules. DNA fragments were amplified and sequenced with ITS, LSU, and SSU (Hyde et al. 2020). The sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS, PV056513, PV056514; LSU, PV056517, PV056518; SSU, PV056515, PV056516). The morphology of the collection (sm4) was consistent with Trichomerium (Rana et al. 2019; Hyde et al. 2020). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses on CIPRES confirmed that our isolates formed a distinct lineage within Trichomerium with 100% ML/1.00 PP statistical support. Based on morphology and phylogeny, sm4 was identified as a new species, T. puerense. To fulfill Koch's postulates (Xu et al. 2019), ten healthy arabica coffee plants were selected. Five plants were inoculated with two 3-mm fungus plugs per leaf sheath, and the other five plants were inoculated with PDA agar plugs (control group). All plants were sealed in transparent plastic bags and incubated in a greenhouse at 26 ± 2 °C for 28 days, with daily moisturizing using a 5% bee honey solution (with relative humidity maintained at 70%). Four weeks after inoculation, black sooty mold spread on the leaves that were inculated with the fungus plugs, while no symptoms were observed on the control leaves. This study represents the first report of T. puerense associated with coffee sooty mold in China. This finding will facilitate further research on defense strategies against coffee sooty mold and support the development of improved management practices for this disease.