Many plants (about 90%) have evolved creating symbiosis (mycorrhiza) with fungi; the latter can act as a parallel "immune system" and in many cases consti-tute a "parallel digestive system".

In addition, mycorrhizae make waste products of plants and animals bioavailable. In fact, before feeding on the substrate, they must inactivate toxins and counte-ract pathogenic agents of the environment. It is therefore possible to extract enzymes, antibiotics and defensive substances (e.g. triterpene) from fungi to use them in human and veterinary medicine.

Therefore, although they can be a source of devastating sores for animals and plants, mushrooms are also one of the best sources of medications for humans.

Moreover, in frontier fields of recent scientific research, we are trying to use mushrooms as real synthesis laboratories for the production of new "organic" molecules, inserting former "inorganic" elements in their growth substrate.