The secret life of mushrooms and their healing power

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There is more to it than you can see, what do you imagine as a person when you think of something that is "how it" is? In 2000, Dr. Michael Hathaway, professor of anthropology at Simon Fraser University, with elephants. He researched anthropologically in a village in the south of China, where people and animals shared a rainforest. The elephants were powerful, with complex social dynamics and behaviors that developed over time. They were outraged against the help of a local nature conservation project that should protect them. The elephants were also big fans of rice. Many leaned abundantly ...
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it is more than you can see

What do you imagine as a person when you think of something that is "how it"?

In 2000, Dr. Michael Hathaway, professor of anthropology at Simon Fraser University, with elephants. He researched anthropologically in a village in the south of China, in which people and animals shared a rainforest.

The elephants were powerful, with complex social dynamics and behaviors that developed over time. They were outraged against the help of a local nature conservation project that should protect them. The elephants were also big fans of rice. Many refused to eat plenty of food in the forest to face the villagers, the pots and pans hammered and tried to protect their rice fields from their stubborn neighbors.

years later Hathaway questioned the human -centered dogma of anthropology and wrote a piece in which he regarded these elephants as acting beings who had the power to shape their own life. From there, his research was limited to mushrooms. Could mushrooms, although they are more understated, be seen as rice -hungry elephants, also as acting beings that influence their own world? And if we learn more about the incredible potential of mushrooms that benefit our health and the environment, how can we make sure that we use them sustainably?

What do we have with mushrooms?

More than you might think. Mushrooms breathe in oxygen and carbon dioxide. Your skin consists of chitin, the same material as in the hard shell of a beetle or the scale of a fish. You decide whether, when and where you should germinate and plant -dependent spores decide, which plant you merge with. Mushrooms will actively search for their food and carnivorous mushrooms will even apply special methods to look for nematodes. If a fungus faces a multiple-choice decision, it does not always go the same way.

"We can learn a lot from mushrooms," says Yarrow Willard, a clinical herbalist. "Your myzel networks share information and space more freely than we humans often do."

Hathaway agrees. "Mushrooms have relatives," he says. "A human -centered perspective of life will always limit our understanding of the world around us."

In 2010, a mushroom -like mold built up a network of nutrient duct pipes, which was viewed by engineers as more efficient than the layout of the Japanese rail system, as oatmeal in the pattern of Japanese cities around Tokyo.

mushrooms play a role in environmental conversion

Building on their complex manifestations in the world, mushrooms play a crucial role in ecosystems: they are strong decomposition. Scientists have found that enzymes in mushrooms can dismantle toxins in the water, including in sewage treatment plants, and eliminate toxins in the ground. Endocrin -acting plastics can also neutralize myzel fungi, which are contained in numerous commercial and industrial products, and prevent them from getting into the environment and the human body.

These properties mean that fungi offer opportunities for radical redesign. In 2018, a group of students from the University of British Columbia won first place in a biology design challenge for creating a single toilet based on Myzel, which they designed for use in refugee camps.

The reason why we no longer hear about the potential of mushrooms to change our environment so radically are the challenges related to the consumer awareness, says Willard. "We have to request state laws -for example the taxation of waste flows -that offer large companies a financial incentive to go on board," he says. "In the meantime, the renovation of mycelium waste is an excellent option for the small farmers."

to see with new eyes is good for mushrooms and for our world

The first step to appreciate the hidden life of mushrooms is to think deeper about the unique role that they play in ecosystems.

"If we consider mushrooms as world -changing organisms, we receive a new appreciation for the network of mushrooms, plants, bacteria and animals that are dependent on it," says Hathaway.

Of course, this new perspective on fungi can be in tension with our wish to use its positive advantages. Is it possible to reconcile this, and if so, how?

according to Hathaway, there is an answer in the principles of the first nations of reverence, humility and mutuality. These principles celebrate social, ecological and spiritual networking between humans, animals and minds. If you practice you, only take what you need, know how you take it and appreciate what was given to you to ensure that future generations do not come in danger.

"If you approach a mushroom, be curious about his liveliness," says Hathaway. "Imagine its liveliness as important as our own, in a way that is more complex than we can imagine."

In Switzerland, the national constitution protects the "dignity of all living things" - plants enclosed.

The healing power of mushrooms

to support strong immune function, especially during a global health crisis, the clinical herb connector Yarrow Willard recommends using a mixture of three to five mushrooms. Here are his five best tips.

  • chaga (inonotus obliquus) can help to build up our defenses against viruses and bacteria and to suppress the growth of cancer cells.
  • cordyceps (cordyceps sinensis) is used to strengthen the immune system, increase aerobic endurance and improve breathing function.
  • lion mane (hericium erinacus) promotes healthy nerve and nerve function and at the same time relieves anxiety and depression.
  • Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) is used to increase the energy level and support healing.
  • The turkey tail (Coriolus Versicolor) can calm the reaction of our body to oxidative stress and protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

What is myzel?

myzel is the root system of a mushroom that collects and absorbs nutrients, while the fruit bodies of the myzel are what we call mushrooms.

ethical harvest practices

If you take a fungal preparation, be sure to choose an ethical supplier. For example, when it comes to revered Chaga mushrooms, a large-scale commercial harvest would quickly decimate the local populations. Willard's plant Medicine company uses Chaga extract from Siberia, where producers show and protect large forest areas for chaga cultivation.

While Willard encourages to learn more about mushrooms, he is concerned that the newly discovered popularity of the mushroom search leads to inappropriate harvest practices. In order to avoid damage to trees and sensitive forest ecosystems, chopper should only harvest the fruit base of the mushroom and leave the layer of bark intact. Willard also recommends breeding some types of mushrooms at home, whereby old coffee grounds being used as a base.

"Mushrooms are regenerative and this is a great metaphor for how we can lead our own lives," says Willard. "How do we take our waste and transform it into something valuable?"