The unusual mushroom was found in the territory of a hotel complex of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha," BelTA informs with reference to the Department of Forest Protection of the Park.
The mushroom, which looks like an orange flower, is called Aleuria Aurantia. The mushroom is edible, but it has no nutritional value because of its thin flesh, rubber-like content and poor taste. It can be boiled, eaten raw and used as a salad dressing.
Aleuria Aurantia contains a special kind of lectin, the so-called Aleuria Aurantia Lectin (AAL). In natural ecosystems it has antifungal activity. The antifungal and insecticidal properties of plant lectins have long been known, but AAL is the first lectin with fungicidal activity isolated from a fungus.
The property of Aleuria Aurantia allows the mushroom to be used in biochemistry and medicine, primarily as a marker in diagnostic and biological tests. In particular, there is data on the possibility of its use in the diagnosis of various types of cancer. In addition, scientists consider the use of AAL as a promising strategy for oral immunotherapy.













