Lion’s Mane for Gut Health, Faster Poisoning Tests, and Fungal Medicines

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• 🧬 | Fungal pharmacy unlocked

• 🤔 | Tripping alone

• 🧲 | Metal-moving mushrooms

Hi Shroomers. From the lab bench to the forest floor, fungi are proving bigger than we imagined—millions of compounds hidden in their genomes, new biomarkers that could save poisoned patients, and everyday benefits from lion’s mane to yeast.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Probiotic power 🍽️ Polysaccharides from lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) helped good gut bacteria thrive and survive. In lab tests, one fraction (HEP-80) boosted the growth of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, improved its adhesion by 30%, and preserved over 70% of the bacteria after 90 days of freezing—key for probiotic shelf stability. It also showed antioxidant power, making lion’s mane not just brain food, but gut food too.

Poison detection breakthrough ☣️ Doctors may soon be able to detect mushroom poisoning faster thanks to new blood-based biomarkers. In a study of 58 poisoning cases, researchers found four key metabolites that stood out with AUC values above 0.9, meaning they accurately predicted mushroom poisoning in lab tests. These markers showed up in blood before full symptoms appeared, helping distinguish poisoning from other illnesses like infections. This could make early diagnosis—and life-saving treatment—much more reliable.

Fungal pharmacy unlocked 🧬 Filamentous fungi could produce at least 1.4 million unique compounds with therapeutic and industrial potential. Using a new tool called mGem, researchers analyzed over 1,100 fungal genomes and uncovered an average of 78 gene clusters per species for making bioactive secondary metabolites. That’s 18 times more than what’s currently cataloged. Many of these compounds have antifungal, antibacterial, or anticancer properties—marking fungi as a vastly untapped source for drug discovery, agriculture, and food innovation.

Yeast immune boost 🥄 Supplementing mice with Candida intermedia—a non-pathogenic yeast—enhanced immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The mice showed higher levels of key immune markers, while also improving gut health by increasing beneficial bacteria and reducing inflammatory strains. This yeast acted like a probiotic, balancing the microbiome and strengthening mucosal defenses.

Beta-glucan boost 🛡️ Not all mushroom supplements are created equal. This deep dive into mushroom beta-glucans—the key immune-supporting compounds—found that structure is everything. The most effective forms had a triple helix shape, high molecular weight (over 1,000 kDa), and specific sugar linkages (3→1 and 6→1). Mushrooms like maitake (Grifola frondosa), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), and shiitake (Lentinula edodes) scored highest for immune benefits when their beta-glucans had a branching ratio between 0.2–0.4 and chain lengths over 25 units. These compounds triggered strong increases in immune signals. But watch how they’re processed—harsh extraction methods can flatten their structure and lower effectiveness.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION 

Tripping alone 🤔 Western psychedelic therapy often insists on solo sessions—eye mask, headphones, no talking. But what if that quiet, clinical model isn't the most healing? Oshan Jarow dives into how culture shapes every part of a psychedelic experience, from what we see to how we make meaning. With reflections from Santo Daime rituals to modern clinical trials, this essay asks: What are we leaving out when we trip in silence?

High, not hooked 🧪 A large single dose of psilocybin altered rat behavior temporarily—think reduced activity and increased grooming—but it didn’t create a “reward effect” in tests typically used to assess addiction. In short: even at high doses, psilocybin didn’t cause the kind of reinforcement seen with addictive drugs. These results reinforce the compound’s low dependence potential, even when administered in large amounts.

How it works 🧠 A systematic review of 12 neuroimaging studies reveals that psilocybin consistently alters brain activity in ways that track with therapeutic benefits for major depressive disorder. Changes in regions like the default mode network and amygdala were linked to improved mood, emotional regulation, and reduced rumination. These time-based brain shifts could help explain how and why psilocybin helps some people recover from depression.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Soil under stress 🧫 Microplastics are more than ocean pollution—they’re disrupting underground ecosystems too. This review highlights how even small amounts of plastic (just 1–10% by weight) can damage arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), the critical fungi that help plants absorb nutrients and build healthy soil. The plastics release toxins, block nutrients, and reshape the soil itself—threatening the fungi-plant partnerships that keep ecosystems alive.

Tomato defense squad 🍅 Fungi living inside wild tomatoes (Solanum pimpinellifolium) produce natural compounds that fight off major crop pathogens. One strain, Penicillium sumatraense, blocked growth of Alternaria alternata by over 56%, and its main metabolite outperformed commercial fungicides in binding to a fungal enzyme. These natural fungal allies could help replace harmful chemical sprays with eco-friendly, plant-powered protection.

Pollution cleanup fungi 💧 Researchers used split gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) to create eco-friendly zinc oxide nanoparticles that broke down 95% of the antibiotic tetracycline in just 30 minutes under UV-A light. By combining the fungi-made particles with chitosan, a natural polymer, they boosted both stability and reusability—offering a green, scalable solution for antibiotic-contaminated water.

Metal-moving mushrooms 🧲 Instead of blocking toxins, Suillus fungi helped pine trees (Pinus thunbergii) absorb and transport cadmium—a toxic heavy metal—into their needles within 48 hours. While ectomycorrhizal fungi are usually known for supporting plant health, this study shows they can increase heavy metal exposure in forest ecosystems, raising new concerns for pollution management.

Bacteria vs. crop rot 🌽 Researchers found Bacillus bacteria from North East India’s hot springs could kill off common fungal pathogens that damage crops like mustard, peas, and peppers. These natural microbes deformed fungal mycelium and produced powerful bioactive compounds like oleic acid and citronello.

ACCOUNT SUSPENSION SURVEY

If you or someone you know has had a mushroom-focused social media or ecommerce account suspended, restricted, or shut down, I want to hear from you. Your input will help me track patterns and articulate the impact these takedowns have on our community. Take the survey here. 

MUSH MORE

• Howdy 🤠 Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here.

• Free resource ✅ The Shroomer Guide to Mushrooms and the easy-to-reference Mushrooms and Medical Benefits Chart.

• Mushroom supplements 🍄 Discover extraction methods and recommended picks.

• Meet fellow fungi fans 🎪 Bookmark our Festival Directory and start planning.

• Our door is open 🚪 Connect with 24k+ Shroomers. Partner with us.

• What else 🗒️ Reply to this email! It goes right to my inbox.