Nutrition of TMM

What is Tiger Milk Mushroom?

Lignosus rhinocerotis, or tiger milk mushroom (TMM) can be found locally and in other parts of South East Asia. It’s name came from a folklore where this rare mushroom grew on the spot where a tigress’ milk accidentally dribbled while feeding its young. It is sought after by local indigenous communities to relieve cough and asthma, provide stamina & stave of hunger.

Traditionally, the sclerotium part of TMM is pounded, and the extract is then water-infused to be consumed as a tonic. The sclerotium is also consumed raw with betel leaves to relieve symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.

i) Source of most essential amino acids

• A local study conducted in 2013 on the protein and amino acid composition of the local L. rhinocerotis from different developmental stages (e.g., the fruit body, sclerotium, mycelium) collected in the wild reported moderate protein levels with all essential amino acids (e.g., phenylalanine, valine, threonine, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, histidine) were present in the tiger milk mushroom except tryptophan.¹

• Tiger milk mushroom contains eight out of the nine essential amino acids that are required by the body through daily diets. Also known as indispensable amino acids, these nine amino acids cannot be synthesised by humans or other vertebrates from metabolic intermediates. Among the major functions of essential amino acids are its crucial role in building protein blocks, acting as precursors or substrates for neurotransmitters, vitamins and hormones’ production as well as other cellular processes.

ii) Source of beta-glucans and minerals

• From the nutritional aspect, the sclerotium of L. rhinocerotis is considered to be a good source of dietary fibre rich in beta-glucans.²

• According to Zekovic et al., mushrooms’ beta-glucans have been reported to exhibit diﬀerent eﬀects (e.g., immune-booster, anti-tumour) when compared with beta-glucan from oats and barley (e.g., lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels).³

• Findings from another local study in 2013 reported the major constituents of L. rhinocerotis sclerotia were carbohydrates (monosaccharides and disaccharides) while the fat content was significantly low i.e., less than 1%.⁴

• As published by Lau et al., the beta-glucans represented the dominant glucans in the aqueous extracts of L. rhinocerotis, which was 82–93% of total glucan (w/w).¹

• The minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium) were also higher in the cultivated strain. In general, investigation revealed that the nutrient composition of the sclerotium of cultivated strain of tiger milk mushroom was higher in comparison to that of the wild strain.

1. Lau BF, Abdullah N, Aminudin N. Chemical composition of the tiger’s milk mushroom, Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden, from different developmental stages. Journal ofAgricultural and Food Chemistry. 2013;61(20):4890-7.
2. Wong K-H, Cheung PCK. Dietary fibers from mushroom sclerotia: 1. Preparation and physicochemical and functional properties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;53(24):9395-400.
3. Zekovic DB, Kwiatkowski S, Vrvic MM, Jakovljevic D, Moran CA. Natural and modified (1→3)-β-D-Glucans in health promotion and disease alleviation. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 2005;25(4):205-30.
4. Yap YH, Tan N, Fung S, Aziz AA, Tan C, Ng S. Nutrient composition, antioxidant properties, and anti-proliferative activity of Lignosus rhinocerus Cooke sclerotium. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2013;93(12):2945-52.
5. Lukacs NW. Role of chemokines in the pathogenesis of asthma. Nat Rev Immunol. 2001;1(2):108–16.
6. Johnathan M, Gan SH, Ezumi MFW, Faezahtul AH, Nurul AA. Phytochemical profiles and inhibitory effects of tiger milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus) extract on ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a rodent model of asthma. BMC Complementary and Alternative
Medicine. 2016;16(1):167.
7. Muhamad SA, Muhammad NS, Ismail NDA, Mohamud R, Safuan S, Nurul AA. intranasal administration of Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden (tiger milk mushroom) extract attenuates airway inflammation in murine model of allergic asthma. Exp Ther Med. 2019;17(5):3867-76.
8. Lee SS, Tan NH, Fung SY, Sim SM, Tan CS, Ng ST. Anti-inflammatory effect of the sclerotium of Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden, the tiger milk mushroom. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2014;14:359.
9. Choi I-W, Sun K, Kim Y-S, Ko H-M, Im S-Y, Kim J-H, et al. TNF-α induces the late-phase airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation through cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2005;116(3):537-43.
10. Chang C-S, Sun H-L, Lii C-K, Chen H-W, Chen P-Y, Liu K-L. Gamma-linolenic acid inhibits inflammatory responses by regulating NF-κB and AP-1 activation in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Inflammation. 2010;33(1):46-57.
11. Tan ESS, Leo TK, Tan CK. Effect of tiger milk mushroom (Lignosus rhinocerus) supplementation on respiratory health, immunity and antioxidant status: an open-label prospective study. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1):11781.
12. Lee ML, Tan NH, Fung SY, Tan CS, Ng ST. The antiproliferative activity of sclerotia of Lignosus rhinocerus (tiger milk mushroom). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:697603.
13. Cheung PCK. Mushrooms as functional foods. ed Cheung PCK. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2008. Chapter 4, Sclerotia: emerging functional food derived from mushrooms; p. 111–146.
14. Yan H, Lamm ME, Björling E, Huang YT. Multiple functions of immunoglobulin A in mucosal defense against viruses: an in vitro measles virus model. Journal of Virology. 2002;76(21):10972-9.

Nutritional Compositions of Lignosus rhinocerotis Tiger Milk Mushroom (TMM)

Nutrition of Multigrain

Nutritional Compositions of Lignosus rhinocerotis Tiger Milk Mushroom (TMM)