Fungi can feed us, heal us and save our planet. They are our past, our present and our future.
You’ve probably heard us say this already, but mushrooms are our eternal lovers. They are magical beings that are part of a massive kingdom that discreetly and (if you’re not looking closely) invisibly underpin our world.
Mushrooms are ancient healers
Architects and alchemists weaving natural magic through a sprawling network that interconnects almost all living plants, animals and humans. We are in partnership with the fungal kingdom and we don’t even know it. The largest living organism on the planet is actually a fungus. Master decomposers and recyclers, fungi shape our environments and represent critical ecological processes that allow Earth to heal and regenerate. This is called the Mycorrhizal network. This system interacts with the root system of plants and represents the most widespread organisms in soil and helps plants grow stronger and more adaptable.
All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms
The fungal kingdom is unfathomably diverse. Mushrooms represent only 10 percent of the fungi on our planet. And our knowledge of mushroom species is still growing every day. Fungi can be yeasts, molds, mildews and more. You might think they’re yukky, but they contain regenerative superpowers that prop up all life on Earth. Mushrooms aren’t even primarily on Earth to be consumed, their primary function is to reproduce! Sexy, right? But we benefit from all their good qualities regardless.
Fungi have fed the world since the dawn of time
They are an incredibly adaptable, resilient nutrient rich food source that support our immune systems. They are also the lynchpin of many traditional (and now modern) health and wellness practices. Herbal healing, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, which all arose before modern scientific discoveries of the 20th Century, all relied on fungi and mushrooms for topical and internal treatments. Today, mushrooms are bridging the gap between traditional medicinal modalities and modern medical science. Being easy to cultivate and needing little to thrive, mushrooms are an accessible natural remedy with few side effects, low percentages of allergy and no known lethal dose. This doesn’t even begin to cover the promise mushrooms hold as recyclers, building materials and environmental healers. It’s safe to say, mushrooms are safe to use and we should rely on them to help us build a healthier, more sustainable future.