Fungi: mycelia, mushrooms & more

In this episode of the CNM Specialist Podcast we welcome Hania Opienski to discuss the incredible world of medicinal mushrooms. Hania is a Naturopathic Nutritionist, traditional Chinese medicine acupuncturist and energy medicine specialist. She applies a holistic approach to health using a synergy of natural eastern, western and energy medicine. She is the education lead and a medicinal mushroom specialist consultant for Hifas Da Terra UK & Ireland.

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Leading mycologist Paul Stamets shares his work exploring the diverse role medicinal mushrooms may have in activating our immune systems and helping treat cancer, to new data supporting the role of fungi in biosecurity and the health of the bees that pollinate our planet.

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cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/14161554

Posted by Benjamin Young Savage on Mastodon (@benjancewicz@mastodon.social)

I recently went to an exhibition on mushrooms at the botanical garden. Coprinus comatus was the main attraction, as it grows locally and is "mushroom of the year", apparently. If you harvest the caps and let them sit for a couple of days, they liquefy into a brown sludge. Strain that, and you have a beautiful brownish-black particle ink, with the particles being its spores. When young, they are also edible, and they stay non-toxic when liquid. Put a couple of drops of an antibacterial oil in it, and it keeps for some time. (Do not cook to sterilize though, as it congeals. Ruined the first batch like that!)

Fast-growing and strong, mushrooms are moving from the plate to other uses as well: packaging, vegan leather, sneaker soles, and more

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Lets welcome Danielle Stevenson to Flora Funga Podcast where we will be getting down and nerdy with some mycoremediation...

Fossils show that millions of years ago, 20-foot-high fungi spikes towered over Earth’s landscape.

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• Mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for holding up to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions below ground - more than China emits each year

• The fungi make up a vast underground network all over the planet underneath grasslands and forests, as well as roads, gardens, and houses on every continent on Earth

• It is not only crucial to storing carbon and keeping the planet cooler, but are also essential to global biodiversity

• Researchers are now calling for fungi to be considered more heavily in conservation and biodiversity policies, and are investigating whether we can increase how much carbon the soil underneath us can hold

7 types of medicinal mushrooms with adaptive health benefits. Discover each of their superpowers and how they can improve your health.

And a quite humorous relevant video: The Cloudy Origins of Kombucha

One Belgian company is recycling coffee grounds to grow mushrooms, as part of a circular system that aims to eliminate waste.

In an innovative project, scientists are turning to one of the oldest group of living organisms, fungi, to solve problems of energy wastage. Discover how experts are leveraging  a system of fungal bio-electric sensors to address smart and sustainable living.

New research suggests that mycorrhizal fungi take in 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, playing a prominent role in Earth’s carbon cycle.

Tulip trees were long renowned for their carbon storage. Their unique wood may be responsible.

Some fungi species can clean the environment from pollutants, convert plastics into bio-available food, and more.

Note: I haven't tried this myself cause I don't have all the equipment needed (or should I say haven't thought of how to replace them, perhaps?). Still, it does seem pretty doable.

Flora. Fauna. Funga. The case for fungi to be considered their own kingdom within the natural world was simple: Without them, much of life as we know it on this planet—starting with the ability of plants to live outside of water—would not exist.