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When you hear the word “mushrooms,” you’re probably thinking fungi; and when you hear the word “fungi,” you’re probably thinking Athlete’s foot. It’s really no surprise, as certain species of fungi are known to cause the human race truckloads of trouble. But what if someone tells you that not all members of the fungus kingdom are bad? Didn’t that beef stroganoff you had for lunch have some mushrooms in it? And what will the world look like if there are no fungi to decompose dead matter, i.e., break them down for the nourishment of the planet? Just like society, there are species of fungi that do some good for all of mankind, as well as species that must be avoided because they’re going to be bad for you. For Paul Stamets, a man with a passionate mind for anything “mushroom”, the fear is somewhat understandable. Many people still look at mushrooms in a rather elusive way, often taking the wrong context as to how they really work. Mushrooms are very potent in terms of the stuff they carry, which leads people to believe that they can kill. Stamets thinks that mycophobia, the fear of mushrooms, is getting the best of them. Stamets believes that a major hindrance in the widespread use of mushrooms for medicine is the said phobia. If mushrooms have been in the medical scene since ancient times, you would think that they should already be very much a part of standard medical practice today. It is up to people like Stamets to show the world just how wonderful mushrooms can be. Of course, not all medicinal mushrooms can be eaten raw, but rather extracted for its elixir of life and health. Various studies have already proven the health benefits of mushrooms, either edible or non-edible. For an actual situation, Stamets’ mother was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer in 2009. The turkey tail mushroom extract, along with two standard anti-cancer drugs, saved her life. So the next time you hear someone getting a bad case of Athlete’s foot, that’s just about 1-5% of the fungi kingdom doing its mischief. Stamets’ struggle to endorse medicinal mushrooms will persist into the future; but, after all, it’s his job to spread the word. The other end of the fungi spectrum needs to be shown to the world just as ancient civilizations have done before. You can read about the interview with Stamets on medicinal mushrooms by reading the article at CNN.com. You can also check out multiple resource websites like MedicalNewsToday.com and ScienceDaily.com for scientific evidence on the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms.
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