How to observe:
- Use mushrooms to make tasty dishes
- Learn about the different uses of mushrooms
Mushrooms are part of the fungi kingdom, and they derive energy from carbon in dead plants and animals.
Culinary mushrooms are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients such as vitamin B6, vitamin D, copper, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, amino acids, ribflavin, thiamine, ergosterol, niacin, and antioxidants.
Mushrooms may also decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, viral diseases, and diabetes.
There are also potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin mushrooms. Studies show that psilocybin could be a potential treatment for psychiatric disorders. However, research is ongoing.
Microscopic fungal filaments form a asymbiotic relationship between trees and fungus. Trees are able to communicate through this network by sending chemical, hormonal and electrical signals, similar to an animal nervous system. Ancient forests contain extensive and diverse fungal networks and house fungi with explored and unexplored medicinal benefits.
References:
Grant, R. (2018, February 21). Do Trees Talk to Each Other? Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/
Kumar, K., Mehra, R., Guiné, R., Lima, M. J., Kumar, N., Kaushik, R., Ahmed, N., Yadav, A. N., & Kumar, H. (2021). Edible Mushrooms: A Comprehensive Review on Bioactive Compounds with Health Benefits and Processing Aspects. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(12), 2996. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10122996
Lowe, H., Toyang, N., Steele, B., Valentine, H., Grant, J., Ali, A., Ngwa, W., & Gordon, L. (2021). The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(10), 2948. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26102948