Mycology, the study of mushrooms, is bringing new admirers to the ‘fungus among us.” Already being used for a variety of medical reasons around the world, the humble toadstool may be thrust into the spotlight soon as a successful, alternative treatment for some stubborn imbalances.

Mushrooms are valued by vegetarians due to their high Ukmagicmushrooms nutritional value.They are able to produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Mushrooms contain B vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, and zinc.

Medicinal mushrooms have thousands of compounds and nutrients that are health-strengthening. Eastern medicine, especially traditional Chinese practices, has used mushrooms for centuries. In the U.S., studies were conducted in the early ’60s for possible ways to modulate the immune system and to inhibit cancerous tumor growth with extracts.

Hunting is popular

Mushroom hunting is popular, but it is not safe. Some edible mushrooms are almost identical to poison ones. It takes an expert to tell the difference. Also, mushrooms behave like a sponge and easily absorb toxins from soil and air. However, mushrooms are easily considered a ‘health food.’

Without the process of photosynthesis, some mushrooms obtain nutrients by breaking down organic matter or by feeding from higher plants. Another sector attacks living plants to consume them. Edible and poisonous varieties are found near roots of oak, pine and fir trees.

Mushrooms were used ritually by the natives of Mesoamerica for thousands of years. They were widely consumed in religious ceremonies by cultures throughout the Americas. Cave paintings in Spain depict ritualized ingestion dating back as far as 9000 years. Psilocybin use was suppressed until Western psychiatry rediscovered it after World War II.

A naturally occurring chemical

The controversial area of research is the use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring chemical in certain mushrooms. Psilocybin has been shown to be effective in treating addiction to alcohol and cigarettes.

New studies show the hallucinogenic drug might relieve anxiety and depression in some cancer patients. Mood raising effects that lasted at least several weeks after consuming the fungus were reported in some studies.

While fungus has fascinated people for centuries, it may finally be coming into a new era where its healing powers and unknown qualities are being discovered. The mushroom might very well hold the key to some long ago locked mysteries and diseases.

Medicinal use of mushrooms has been going on for thousands of years with good reason: they are effective. It is time for more focused research exploring additional uses and powers of this delicate gift from nature.

Southern Mexico state of Oaxaca

When we think of mushrooms and the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, the first thing which traditionally comes to mind is María Sabina, Huautla de Jiménez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But slowly that’s all changing as a result of the groundbreaking work of Josefina Jiménez and Johann Mathieu in mycology, through their company, Mico-lógica.

Based in the village of Benito Juárez, located in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán district (more commonly known as the Sierra Norte, the state’s main ecotourism region), Mico-lógica’s mission is threefold: to train both Mexicans and visitors to the country in the low-cost cultivation of a variety of mushroom species; to educate about the medicinal, nutritional and environmental (sustainable) value of mushrooms; and to conduct ongoing research regarding optimum climatic regions and the diversity of substrata for mushroom culture.

The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, and in fact to Huautla de Jiménez, in 2005. “Yes, coming all the way to Mexico from France to pursue my interest in Ukmagicmushrooms mushrooms seems like a long way to travel,” Mathieu explained in a recent interview in Oaxaca. “But there really wasn’t much of an opportunity to conduct studies and grow a business in Western Europe,” he continues, “since reverence for mushrooms had been all but completely eradicated by The Church over the course of centuries; and I learned that Mexico still maintains a respect and appreciation for the medicinal and nutritional value of hongos. Mexico is far from mycophobic.”

 

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