Chaga's Antioxidant Properties, Russian Mushroom Medicine, and Psilocybin for the Gut

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• Your gut fungi help your lungs

• Microdosing vs. placebo

• A mushroom urn

IN CONVERSATION

Alan Rockefeller is a renowned mycologist, public speaker, biohacker, and photographer who’s even been profiled with partner Mandy Quark, in The New York Times. He left his career as a computer hacker to pursue his passion for mycology full-time, and now he travels globally to study mushrooms.

Alan has photographed over 1,000 species of fungi from Mexico and California, and has identified several new species. In our conversation, he talk about the unique challenges fungi face and why collaboration is key in mycology. ➡️ Read more.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Inonotus obliquus 🌲 Chaga’s anticancer, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-boosting properties were coroborrated in a new study. The researchers reviewed chaga’s composition, revealing how polysaccharides enhance immune function, triterpenoids fight cancer, phenolic compounds provide antioxidant benefits, and melanins reduce inflammation.

Gut feeling, lung healing 🫁 Recent research explores the gut-lung axis, showing how gut bacteria and fungi influence lung health. Imbalances in the gut can impact conditions like asthma and chronic inflammatory lung diseases, like COPD. Prebiotics in foods like garlic and mushrooms boost beneficial gut bacteria and figuring this connection opens new doors for holistic respiratory treatments.

581 interviews later 📚️ A new study dove into 35 historical texts and conducted 581 interviews to learn how herbal medicine influenced the use of medicinal fungi in the western Russia. Turns out, local communities still use fungi like fly agaric for joint pain, chaga for cancer treatment, and Iceland moss for coughs.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

Trust your gut 🧠 Did you know ~70% of our immune cells are in our gut? A study from UC Davis found that psilocybin may strengthen the gut-brain love by altering serotonin levels. Participants who took a controlled dose of psilocybin showed a 30% increase in serotonin receptor activity in the gut, leading to reduced anxiety and better digestion.

Finding comfort 🕊️ Thomas Hartle, a stage four colon cancer patient, shared how psilocybin helped him confront death with The Guardian. Hartle spoke to his experiences finding profound relief from his anxiety, which helped him embrace his fears and live presently with his family.

Microdosing magic or myth? 🌟 A review of 19 studies examined if the benefits of microdosing are real or just placebo. They found brain activity changes, improved mood, and higher pain tolerance with microdosing, but most studies were short-term with small sample sizes. Promising, and like everything with mushrooms, we need more comprehensive research to truly understand the potential and long-term effects.

Nature’s healing touch 🪴 UCLA is building a rooftop garden to boost psychedelic therapy sessions, setting treatments for depression and PTSD in a calming space with native plants and wildlife in hopes the therapy will be even more effective. It will also double as an education center, hosting workshops and public tours, but the garden won’t grow psychedelic plants.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

A new beginning for the end 🌱 There’s a mushroom urn made from mycelium that biodegrades in 45 days on the market. Loop Biotech’s EarthRise costs ~$325 USD (€295,00 EUR), which is inexpensive for the funeral market (the average most basic cremation service in Texas where I live is ~$2,000), but I hope citizen scientists and cultivators find this concept inspirational. Please let us eradicate coffins (soil pollution) to meaningfully return to our roots.

Helping the housing crisis 🏗️ Namibia is tackling its housing crisis for a population of 2.7 million and a need for 500k homes with mycelium-based construction. with a truly innovative solution: mycelium-based construction. The MycoHab project is stepping up to create affordable, eco-friendly housing that could change the future of living in Namibia, especially considering nearly 90% of households earn less than $145 a month.

We got you babe 💪 Urban heat domes, where cities are much hotter than the surrounding rural areas, are increasing around the world. Researchers found that fungi and protists (single-celled organisms that aren’t plants, animals, or fungi—isn’t nature cool!) are absolutely crucial in helping soil resist flash droughts, helping them maintain soil functions even though their environments lack the robust nutrition of forest soils.

Good pollution news 🥤 India is facing a massive plastic pollution crisis, ranking 12th among the top 20 countries contributing to this global issue. Recent research corroborates that certain fungi, like Aspergillus tubingensis, can break down plastics in weeks or months, rather than the hundreds of years it typically takes. The fungi secrete enzymes like laccase, which help break down the plastic into components that can be penetrated and mineralized by mycelium.

GROWING & GOURMET

Ancient meat replacement 🥩 In Burkina Faso, researchers conducted 133 interviews and 6 enthomycological surveys in 6 villages to study indigenous use of Amanita mushrooms. They found that 5 specific types were eaten especially as a meat replacement during the rainy season. Amanita subviscosa, A. masasiensis, A. congolensis, A. strobiliformis, and A. crassiconus don’t contain muscimol, the psychoactive compound found in A. muscaria and A. pantherina.

Reinvent the vinegar ❤️ A novel vinegar made from wild Russula delica was found to be full of antioxidants and nutrients while being almost too delicious.

Skill session 🫙 Learn how to make your own mushroom powder in 5 easy steps from prep to storage.

MUSHROOMS IRL

The natural remedies ignored in Western healthcare

Greek philosopher Hippocrates, the renowned ‘father of medicine,’ once famously stated, “Nature itself is the best physician.” And perhaps, despite how separated we now are from the natural world, there still is some profound truth in his words. Our ancestors once relied entirely on nature for healing, using centuries of passed-down knowledge to survive their illnesses and injuries…

Indigenous communities developed a profound understanding of the flora and fauna around them, creating remedies that were passed down through generations. So why haven’t these traditional practices and the wisdom they hold largely been forgotten? And why is the validity of these medicines so widely dismissed despite how long they’ve sustained and healed humanity? ➡️ Read more. — Seraiah Alexander

MUSH MORE

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