Okay, so I’ve been a bit “mushroom mad,” lately.
I never used to think about mushrooms much. Like many people, I avoided them in the wild and enjoyed them in the kitchen. They were nothing more than a tasty addition to some of my favorite savory recipes, or something that sprouted up in my back yard after a thunderstorm and disappeared after a few days.
Then, I stumbled across an interview with master mycologist, Paul Stamets. In a little under an hour, my view of the world burst wide open. Far from being a mere lackluster addition to a mezze board, mushrooms are actually one of the keys to sustaining life on this planet.
There’s nowhere mushrooms or fungus don’t live on the earth. They exist in every climate on every continent, and in every body of water. Before trees evolved, our world was covered in forests of massive mushrooms. Trees talk to each other through a worldwide matrix of fungal threads under the soil. And, they’re capable of miracles.
Though we’ve only discovered a tiny fraction of the variety of fungus on this planet, those we’ve studied so far can do some truly amazing things, such as:
Break down plastic, oil, cigarette filters, and other pollutants.
Treat cancer, viruses, and mental illnesses.
Be made into biodegradable plastic, clothing, building materials, and batteries.
...and so much more.
Check out the following studies to learn more about what these incredible fungi can do:
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