Mushrooms as Medicine

Are Mushrooms Truly Magical: Part II

Photo by Angelina Hoeppner

Sometimes we witness a magic trick that so spellbinds us, we can’t stop thinking about how it occurred. What was the illusion, the slight of hand? How did that magician trick me? That’s how I feel when I learn about the world of mushrooms. How is it that this organism exists, thrives, and contributes to our ecosystem in a way that truly sounds fantastical, alien, and too good to be true? 

Last week, I wrote about fungi as food and all the delicious and novel permutations of how we humans have harnessed the powers of mushrooms for the sake of a good meal. This week, I am eager to explore the medicinal, and dare I say, magical uses of mushrooms as agents of healing, nurturing, and sustaining. Fungi as pharmaceuticals.

Mushrooms have been invaluable to human health. Indigenous communities around the world have long embraced the mind and body benefits of mushrooms and mycelium. The Chinese quite literally wrote the book (or books) on mushroom medicine, starting with The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica in the third century BCE. And in many modern day countries, mushrooms aren’t an alternative medicine, but rather they are considered essential for achieving wellness every day.

It might not surprise you that Western science was slow to agree. Some have joked that we couldn’t easily make money off of mushrooms. Others point to cultural fears, religious rigidity, or scientific skepticism. Whatever the reason, a single petri dish contaminated with bread mold changed Western mindsets forever. Sir Alexander Flemming’s discovery of the antibiotic-producing Penicillium notatum in 1928, brought fungi front and center. Some even say it won World War II for the Allies.

Then, in 1957, R. Gordon Wasson published a Life magazine article about his ethnobotanical adventures with indigenous mushroom practices and ceremonies. This former J.P. Morgan banker and mycology amateur, had 50s era housewives fascinated by the hallucinogenic powers of psilocybin mushrooms

In the 60s and 70s, mushrooms seemed to be on their way to being named a panacea, a miracle medicine. They were being researched for all kinds of medical applications. But then folks got scared again. The “Hippie” counterculture movement triggered a fear and skepticism that the risks of these sometimes toxic and mind-altering substances might outweigh their benefits. The US Controlled Substances Act of 1970, brought a dark ages to Western mycology science, classifying mushrooms as a Schedule I drug, “illegal,” with “no medicinal benefit.” For almost another 40 years, fungi were banished back to the woods.

Things softened again in the 90s and early 2000s with books like Terrance McKenna’s Food of the Gods, and Paul Stamets’ famous 2008 Ted Talk, “6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World.” Stamets quickly became a mushroom messiah, his charisma igniting a renaissance of interest in fungi and its applications. He didn’t shy away from this image, suggesting mushrooms “cured” him of a debilitating childhood stutter, and that they reversed his mother’s terminal breast cancer diagnosis. Audiences of college students, NPR listeners, and other mycophiles better resembled charasmatic religious gatherings than scientific sessions. Attendees intently listened with tightly clasped hands, gasping in astonishment, crying and cheering on his every word. Check out Fantastic Fungi on Netflix if you want to hear more of Stamets compelling story. The hypnotic photography throughout the film by myco-photog Stephan Axford will absolutely take your breath away. 

Paul Stamets holding up an Agarikon fungus.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, mushroom medicine is more mainstream than ever. Now a $30 billion market and growing, old and new applications of fungi as therapy abound.

Disease Fighting

I’m not a health nut. I don’t follow any food regimes or take any dietary supplements. I don’t have any prescribed daily medications. I’d probably forget to take them anyway. When I’m fatigued, I go outside and get some sun on my body. If I’m mentally low, I call a friend, watch a funny movie, or spend time in nature. If I have a cold, I rest and drink extra water; maybe I take a tylenol. But I also realize that I’ve been very lucky–some may even say “charmed”–not to be diagnosed with a chronic illness at the age of 46. 

That’s not to say sickness has had no impact on my life. I’ve been surrounded by cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental illness. It runs rife through my genetic lineage, and those of my loved ones. I’ve seen folks struggle, deteriorate, and depart. I’ve witnessed when western medicine fails. I’ve seen friends at their wits end seek new modalities or mindsets, new approaches to treatment and therapy. And when faced with the finality of it all, I’ve watched beautiful things happen as people contemplate treatments and solutions that work in different and exciting new ways. 

And that’s where mushrooms come alive for me. The art of the possible. Could nature’s own organisms hold more insights than the man-made medicines we rely on? I’m no doctor, and you should definitely consult one before you rely solely on my opinions, but here’s a surface scratch of the world of medicinal mushrooms, and how to get your hands on them. 

General Health and Well Being

Reishi Mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) are probably the most famous of medicinal mushrooms, and have been known for their health benefits since ancient Chinese times. They may reduce inflammation, fight off infection, or even stop cancer in its tracks. Clinical studies have been underway for benefits combating a host of chronic illnesses. There’s a great Healthline article that outlines much of what’s going on. Reishi mushrooms aren’t tasty, and they’re a bit tough to chew. so most ingesting is encapsulated or as a dried powder in teas, smoothies, and soups. You’ll find this mushroom in any health food store, but you can also try to grow it at home.

Several studies over the decades have shown that Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus), an edible mushroom that tastes a little like crustaceans when cooked well, stimulates nerve cell regrowth, specifically, brain cells. This could mean help with diseases of the nervous system, Alzheimers, and traumatic brain injuries. At the very least, it may protect our brains against dementia and memory loss. You can find fresh Lion’s Mane in most high end grocery stores, or farmers markets, get it powdered, dried, and encapsulated online, or try to grow it yourself here.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom; Photo by Artur Kornakov

Maitake (Grifola frondosa), sometimes called Hen of the Woods, is an almost magical mushroom revered in Japan and China. In addition to cancer-fighting claims, some say it protects the body from type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The maitake has the added benefit of being deliciously earthy in flavor, making it a delectable medicine. I haven’t found it in grocery stories, but I’m sure I’d have more luck in Asian ones. You can buy maitakes from folks like FarWest Fungi, or you can try to grow your own with kits from MycoLabs, or inoculate your own backyard oak logs with North Spore’s kit.

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) is another fungus with cancer-fighting flare. This leathery, brightly banded mushroom has a very unpleasant bitterness. Regularly consumed in capsule or tea form, it’s a powerful immune system booster. In fact, clinical trials have shown that turkey tail was effective at shortening the recovery time of breast cancer patients after radiation therapy. These guys are found online in pills or dried. They’re also a good forage candidate, as they are very commonly found around the world on rotting logs from deciduous or evergreen trees. Seek out a local mycology society to help with identification. 

Some mushrooms and fungi are heavily fortified with antioxidants, the molecules that neutralize free radicals in the body, preventing cellular damage and contributing to overall health. Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a fungus found in birch trees and is chock full of antioxidants. It has a long history as a medicinal tea in the Ural Mountains and other parts of Russia’s Siberian Taiga. It’s got an array of claims: anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral. Chaga is also the fastest growing mushroom supplement right now. You can find it fresh on websites like Forest Mushrooms, and encapsulated or powdered in most health food aisles at your supermarket. 

Lifestyle Improvements

If you haven’t heard of mushroom coffee, you’ve been living under a rock. Even Rolling Stone Magazine has done a review. It comes in regular and instant varieties, and looks about the same as regular coffee, maybe a little dustier in texture before you add the water. Some mushroom coffees are fungi and herbs exclusively. Others are a combination of mushrooms and traditional coffee. Many reviews mention a stimulated mental state when drinking it, minus the caffeine jitters. There are also claims of soothing stress, improving mental function, and improving sleep.

Honestly, I’m excited by the idea of a habit (my morning coffee ritual is fierce) being jiu jitsu'd into something more medicinal. Could my morning vice be turned into virtue? I’m game. I’m buying some this week, and plan to share my findings (probably only to you lovelies who throw me some cash). There are dozens of brands of mushroom coffee to choose from, and the price difference can be a bit startling, so I’ll get back to you with my report when my pocket book allows. Offer your suggestions in the comments.

Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis) are the most famous adaptogen–and maybe have the most exotic genesis story. This is one of those parasitic fungi. A real baddy. Cordyceps grow on bugs, namely caterpillars. They enter the larva’s body, digests non-vital parts, and live off their host. Once the fungus is ready to reproduce, it bursts out of the bug, often killing this unsuspecting host, and spreads its spores into the air to find its next prey. Yikes! 

Cordyceps grows all over the world, and is known for its energy-boosting, fatigue-reducing and kidney revitalizing benefits. Cordyceps became famous in the 1990s when the Chinese Olympic team was running circles around its competition, breaking several Olympic and World records in the process. The Olympic Committee suspected doping, but only found a strange elixir that the coach had been making out of Tibetan Cordyceps. To this day, athletes often use this fungus for its performance enhancing benefits, improved aerobic function, and ability to repair the body after strenuous training. You can buy them, mostly in powdered form, online.

Mental Health

Mushrooms for mental health has gotten a lot more interesting in recent years. There is a whole new society of mushroom mental health enthusiasts challenging the stereotypes of psychadelic exploration. No longer relegated to tie-dyed deadheads, high schoolers doodling toadstools on their notebooks, and crystal-wearing naturalists, modern day psychonauts (people who use psychedelics recreationally or for medicinal purposes) are popping up in places like the board rooms of Silicon Valley, where mushrooms and other hallucinogens are even being added to company healthcare plans.

Many say a 2006 study by neuroscientist Roland Griffiths, changed the perceptions of fungi pharmaceuticals forever. His clinically responsible psychedelic research into Psilocybin (Psilocybe cubensis) encouraged esteemed universities like Johns Hopkins, NYU, and UCLA to build multi million dollar research centers for the study of mind altering mushrooms. Dusting off data almost lost to the mushroom dark ages, these institutions are now conducting Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (P-AT)–that’s “mushroom trip” in science speak–for addiction, depression, and anxiety. Researchers have even found that in some applications, mushrooms more effective than the multi-billion dollar standards of care, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), AKA Prozac and Zoloft.  

Mushrooms as Medicine

I find it beautifully poetic that mushrooms, an organism feared by many modern cultures, revered by our ancients, and almost forgotten to science, might now be the solution for many of our most confounding medical mysteries. It’s happened once already, with the discovery of penicillin. How quickly we forget when nature brings us gifts. I’m excited to explore the benefits of a morning cup of mushrooms, or a new recipe that dabbles in Lion’s Mane or Maitake. In fact, mushrooms are motivating me to connect more of my culinary traditions and habits to health benefits in a way I never prioritized before. Maybe I’m getting older. Maybe I’m realizing the truths in the the old saying, “you are what you eat.” Or maybe the mushrooms are teaching me something else. All I know is that the world seems a better place because of these fungi, and we should never relegate them to the darkness again.