A Comprehensive Review of Sanghuangporus spp.: Unveiling the Multifaceted Therapeutic Potential of a Medicinal Fungus

Sanghuangporus spp. are treasured medicinal fungi prescribed for over a millennium. They produce diverse bioactive metabolites, including polysaccharides, polyphenols, triterpenoids, and others, with broad therapeutic potential spanning antitumor, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and metabolic activities. Yet their transition from traditional remedy to modern therapy is hindered by tangled species boundaries, nonstandardized extraction protocols, poor bioavailability of key constituents, and scarce high-quality clinical evidence. Here we synthesize major advances in sanghuang research from 2020 to 2025. We chart the taxonomic clarification that now enables precise chemotaxonomic authentication, dissect the structures and modes of action of signature metabolites, and map the molecular circuits underlying their pharmacological effects. We further survey emerging green extraction and purification technologies, such as deep eutectic solvents and ultrasound–microwave synergistic systems, that raise yield while reducing environmental burden. Looking forward, we outline a translational roadmap that couples multi-omics standardization of chemotypes with nano-delivery strategies to enhance bioavailability, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials to validate efficacy, and sustainable biomanufacturing routes such as submerged fermentation. Only through such interdisciplinary convergence can sanghuang be transformed from an ancestral decoction into a rigorously evidence-based therapeutic and functional food for the twenty-first century.