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Introduction
Dear Citizens of the Hive
In this post, I thought of visiting our Fungal relatives in the forest. Inspired by 
With a mindset that I was also going to find edible mushrooms for a meal, I entered the forest from a path that leads to an area that I only became much more familiar with this year. Finding Calocybe Gambosa there in Spring, I was certain I was going to strike fungi.
Off the chicken path(Güggel in Swiss-German), the moisture seemed to give an indication of great conditions.
In my previous post Mushroom Protocol 04 We went over 3 mushrooms.
Namely:
- The Coprinopsis atramentaria, ink cap
- The Hericium cirrhatum, tiered tooth fungus
- The Clitocybe nuda, wood blewit
So far we covered:
- The Scleroderma citrinum or earthball
- The Craterellus cornucopioides or horn of plenty
- The lycoperdon or puffball
- The Boletus calopus, bitter beech bolete or scarlet-stemmed bolete
- The Hygrocybe punicea, Crimson or waxycap
- The Hypholoma fasciculare, sulphur tuft
- The Hericium Erinaceus, Lion's Mane
- The Gyroporus castaneus, chestnut bolete
- The Stabilomyces Stabilaceus, old man of the woods
- The Hydnum repandum, hedgehog mushroom
- The Hericium Erinaceus, Lion's Mane
- The Coprinopsis atramentaria, ink cap
- The Hericium cirrhatum, tiered tooth fungus
- The Clitocybe nuda, wood blewit
That's 14 Mushrooms so far! Note, not all of them were edible!
Did you know that actually all Mushrooms are edible? Unfortunately some are only once. lol
Stepping off the path, I discovered an old tree that had been felled, but grew new Branches. This part of the Forest also looked quite adventurous.
Russula Sanguinaria
After reaching another Path, I stepped through a very dense Forest.
It was more like me sneaking around a fenced area in the forest. There was also a military headquarter there. I actually picked up a lot of trash there too. A couple of PET Bottles, a Metal Rod, a Red Bull Can, 2 Beer Cans and an old Exhaust Pipe.
Some of these patches were really exciting to go through. I tried to be as mindful as not to step on certain patches of moss or any sensitive places. The cool air gave me moments of goos bumps and feelings that enliven the soul.
At times there was a sensation as if I could trace the mycelium or sense it's presence underground. It was more of a visual sensation in my imagination of how it's network might look like.
As I came back to the path, I stumbled across this carved Bark. I keep admiring it a lot on my last visit. It was only recently commissioned and I witnessed a bit of it's progress. Carvings of the same person are truly master pieces of art I keep encountering close to home.
Mushrooms
Last time I found an edible mushroom in my local forest, namely the Coprinopsis atramentaria aka ink cap. This time I actually found a bunch of very interesting mushrooms, although very common ones. I noticed that people around where I live, wake up pretty early for their mushroom hunting excursions.
Armilliria ostoyae, Dark Honey Fungus
The following mushroom is also known as the largest organism on earth. It grows mainly in conifer forests and is known to be a conifer pathogen. Maybe it grows near your forests?
| Class | Agaricomycetes |
| Division | Basidiomycota |
| Family | Physalacriaceae |
| Order | Agaricales |
| Scientific Name | Armillaria ostoyae |
| Common Name | Dark Honey Fungus |
| Appearence | 5 to 15cm in diameter, deeply convex then flattening with a depressed centre; colour typically red-brown but hygrophanous and drying out much paler; covered in brown scales when young, but these are less evident at maturity, when the margin becomes virtually scaleless and noticeably striate. The cap flesh is white and firm. Parasitic on conifer trees and occasionally broadleaf trees; also occurring as a saprobic fungus on dead stumps and roots, and occasionally on fallen branches.Mostly common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests. Source |
| Type | Mycorrhizal |
| Odeur | slightly acidic odeur |
| Culinary | Smells like anis. Cook well before eating. Not for everyone. |
| Taste | Delicious. |
| Medicinal properties | Until the last few years, there was little scientific evidence in support of the use of Armillaria Mellea for medicinal purposes, despite being used throughout Asia as herbal medicine. It has become evident that the popular wild mushroom, Armillaria Mellea like other mushrooms has bioactive compounds in its fruiting bodies including, polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Since 2018 a few studies have focused on the medicinal properties of Armillaria Mellea; however, this is largely performed in vitro, and human studies will be required in the future to confirm the efficacy of Armillaria mellea as a medicinal supplement. Although the results look interesting, it is important to receive professional advice from a medical practitioner before self-administrating any mushroom as a therapeutic. This will ensure that there are no contraindications or possibilities of it affecting any drugs already being taken.
Anti-oxidant Preliminary and very recent work in vitro has shown that polysaccharides extracted from the Armillaria mellea showed remarkable anti-oxidant ability, at a concentration of at 1mg/ml. The experiment focused on free radical scavenging, and the work is promising but needs to be expanded [2.]. Anti-oxidant compounds are essential to slow ageing, in the management of many health conditions and to prevent DNA damage. Immunomodulatory In the same study above, the effects of Armillaria mellea on key immune cells: T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes were observed; these cells are essential and involved in adaptive immunity. T cells are crucial for cell-mediated immunity, and B cells produce antibodies, necessary for humoral immunity. Preliminary findings indicated that in the presence of Armillaria mellea and a molecule that naturally induces cell proliferation, there was a concentration-dependent increase in the number of T lymphocytes (with the addition of Con-A) and B lymphocytes (the addition of LPS). Moreover, macrophage stimulation and activation of phagocytosis were observed in vitro [2.]. This could potentially provide a method of manipulating the immune system, in favor of a specific arm of immunity, depending on the conditions of the patient. Anti-Tumorigenic A study recently examined the antitumor effects of a bioactive compound isolated from Armillaria mellea named Armillaridin. Armillaridin was administered in vitro to a human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line and was shown to inhibit the growth of the liver cancer cells. Growth inhibition is critical to prevent the proliferation and then spread of a tumor. Furthermore, the ability of Armillaridin to kill cells was confirmed by cytotoxicity testing, demonstrating the potential use of the Armillaria mellea molecule, Armillaridin, as an anti-liver cancer drug, due to its ability to prevent cancer cell growth and promote death [3.]. Anti-Depressant Sesquiterpenoids isolated from Armillaria mellea were used to assess their ability to counter depression in a mouse model. Interestingly, Armillaria mellea was able to show specific anti-depressant-like properties. In addition, the extract was able to modify levels of key neurotransmitters in the brain of the mice, important for mental well-being, including dopamine. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter; reductions in levels of dopamine or dopamine receptors can be observed in those suffering from depression. This supports the necessity for further work to establish the viability of the use of Armillaria mellea in depression [4.]. Anti-Diabetic Diabetes is characterized by high blood glucose levels, these cause damage to nerves, tissues and blood vessels, and it is essential the blood glucose levels are controlled. Using type 2 diabetic rats, caused by administration of a high-fat diet and dexamethasone (DEX), a study observed the potential of Armillaria mellea extract, to offer hypoglycemic effects (reduction in blood sugar levels). Administration of high doses of the Armillaria mellea extracts markedly lowered fasting blood glucose levels and benefited insulin resistance. Furthermore, the Armillaria mellea extract enhanced the level of lipases, enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism, leading to a decrease of fatty acids in the serum; additionally, inhibition of the accumulation of fatty molecules in the liver was seen [5.]. These results indicate that Armillaria mellea extract could be a potential novel drug or dietary supplement used for the treatment of diabetes and metabolism of fatty acids, accumulations of which contribute to cardiovascular disease. Anti-Inflammatory A molecule extracted and isolated from Armillaria mellea, known as a xylosyl, has been proven to significantly suppress the release of inflammatory mediators and cytokines, in vitro [6.]. This provides preliminary evidence for the role of Armillaria mellea as an anti-inflammatory; with further research, this could prove useful as a dietary supplement in the management of diseases characterized by inflammation, such as diabetes and arthritis. Source |
There are numerous later scientific papers on the benefits of Honey mushrooms, although for pharmacological use. Also strong anti cancerous activity shown in vitro seems to make this also very exciting. I must mention, it's also one that I think tastes really good, almost like shiitake. I read that armallaria Ostoyae have very similar properties to armillaria mellea
Laccaria Amethystina, amethyst deceiver
| Class | Agaricomycetes |
| Family | Hydnangiaceae |
| Order | Agaricales |
| Division | Basidiomycota |
| Scientific Name | Laccaria Amethystina |
| Common Name | amethyst deceiver |
| Appearence | When they grow among moss, the caps of this beautiful mushroom stand out and are very easy to find. More often they grow among dark damp leaf litter and sometimes go unnoticed until the caps begin turning pale. Old caps become almost white in dry weather and are easily mistaken for Laccaria laccata, the Deceiver or more seriously they could be confused with other small pale ochre or fawn mushrooms, some of which are poisonous.At one time this mushroom was considered merely as a variety of the Deceiver (Laccaria laccata), a species of the same general size and form but very variable in colour.During dry spells the caps and stems of Laccaria laccata become much paler and eventually almost white. The specimen seen here is not yet completely dry; its cap is becoming paler from the centre. Eventually, Amethyst Deceivers become pale buff, as do the common Deceivers. This makes identification of old specimens even more difficult.Source |
| Habitat | Among leaf litter in all kinds of woodland but particularly plentiful under beech trees, with which it is ectomycorrhizal. Amethyst Deceivers are also known to be able to form mycorrhizal associations with certain other broadleaf and coniferous trees.Source |
| Type | Mycorrhizal |
| Odeur | Not distinctive |
| Culinary | edible |
| Taste | Laccaria amethystina the Amethyst Deceiver is edible, although it takes rather a lot of them to make a good meal. The fibrous stems of these mycorrhizal mushrooms are tough and inedible and so only the caps are worth collecting. |
| Warning | Laccaria amethystina can have High levels of Arsenic Concentrations. In some places like china, I would not recommend eating them. The ones found in Europe are relatively safe to eat. Source |
Omphalotus illudens, eastern jack-o'lantern
| Class | Agaricomycetes |
| Division | Basidiomycota |
| Order | Agaricales |
| Family | Marasmiaceae |
| Scientific Name | Omphalotus illudens |
| Common Name | eastern jack-o'lantern mushroom |
| Appearence | 7 to 20cm across; initially convex with an inrolled margin, flattening and eventually developing an upturned wavy margin; smooth; bright orange to yellowish orange. |
| Habitat | Saprobic, on buried decaying hardwood roots, especially oaks and Sweet Chestnut, often in lawns and park grassland near to trees; also occasionally on hardwood stumps.Source |
| Odeur | Odour quite strong but pleasant; taste not distinctive. |
| Culinary | POISONOUS/inedible |
Conclusions
When I got home, I was really excited about my find, as I didn't know that it was so common. I went back to get dinners twice this week and made a delicious meal with Armilliria ostoyae. As I mentioned, the taste is exceptional.
As the full moon approaches and the leaf starts to fall, I still yet have to travel further away to explore new forests. So exited to find more, dehydrate or freeze some delicacies for the colder season.
Next week I am attending a retreat at a place where I spent a lot of time last year. The owner of the property has been hunting mushroom for almost 20 years. Close to the mountains, situated in some foot hill valleys with river streams, the habitat is home to some delicious mushrooms.
Even my new friend on hive recently gave me a Trametes versicolor(Turkey Tail Mushroom) Tea that I tried a few times. It's very vitalising. I can only encourage it's medicinal use to get rid of any mucus.
Thank you for reading
Best Wishes
Rane
Previous Posts on Mushrooms:
Posts of Wild Herbs:
Graffiti of vanishing
Dong Chang 东厂
aka Rane
'The more humankind evolves, the more freedom should be given to individuals in a society to be creative. Institutional restriction hinders the progress of the collective, by complex adjustments in an attempt to adapt to diversity, when in fact they're just lining us up. All in the name of maintaining their fascist order. Borders nourish xenophobia. As the masses get conditioned by living in conformity and fear, coercive measures cause inhibition for the populace to deviate and conceive solutions. If progress is born from a small group of individuals, then nation states or government measures can lead to all it's arrest. Revolutions are created when we all just do them anyways, because we know they can't stop us all.' -
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