#01: Fungi Frequencies

Welcome to issue #01 of Fungi Frequencies.

Hi there. It’s the first issue of Fungi Frequencies, the newsletter delivering you curated mushroom guides, news, and more.

This week’s highlights include an update on bipartisan psychedelic legislation and the world’s first living coffin 🍄 🌿 . — Shannon Ratliff

Mirror mirror on the wall, is Tremella the fairest of them all?

Tremella mushrooms are having a moment… again. These brain-like fungi are also known as snow mushrooms. The species was used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries for its beautifying and healing effects. It’s even mentioned in the Bencao Gangmu, one of the most complete books in the history of Chinese medicine. Written over 27 years by Li Shi-Zen and completed during the Ming dynasty, it describes all of the plants, herbs, animals, and minerals that are believed to have medicinal or healing properties. These days, tremella mushrooms are resurfacing in all sorts of skincare products, from hydrating serums to face masks.

Read more about tremella mushrooms. - SR

The latest on psychedelic legislation

Psychedelic legislation reform gets a bipartisan boost. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are recognizing psychedelics’ therapeutic potential. New proposed legislation led by progressive Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and conservative Republican Dan Crenshaw aims to expand research opportunities, remove obstacles for medical professionals, and foster safe and regulated access to psychedelic therapies. This is a fantastic step forward for progress, but Representative Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged the road ahead. “While we are here to celebrate this legislative progress, I also want to acknowledge we are not yet done,” she said. “While we expect this psychedelic provision to make it through the House, we also expect it to face resistance in the Senate.”

Read more about the bipartisan psychedelic reform efforts. - SR

Around the web

• Forage for lobster mushrooms with Aaron Hilliard of the Kitsap Peninsula Mycological Society in the Pacific Northwest and learn how to spot them in various parts of the United States.

• Britta Love published a must-read essay on power, consent, and harm in psychedelic communities on DoubleBlind Mag: “Pyschedelia Has a Power Problem—Here’s How We Move Forward.”

• Loop Biotech is a Dutch startup that has invented the world’s first living coffin. The Loop Living Cocoon is all-natural and grown from mycelium.

Featured artist

In each edition, we'll show you a wonderful mix of mushrooms and art. Imagine this: a skilled artist turning mushroom prints into beautiful masterpieces, where the natural ink dances on the canvas, making captivating patterns. And what about a musician using mushroom sound waves to create music that truly comes to life? Here, creativity and mushrooms come together, revealing a world of endless imagination and new concepts.

PrairieLaneArtDesign makes the most expressive little mushrooms. The expressive shading and quirky shapes bring unique personalities to life. The small fungi bumper stickers come in random packs on Etsy so you never know just what you’ll get.

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