Wild Medicinal Mushrooms - AmericanMushrooms.com

AMERICANMUSHROOMS.COM SITE INDEX
about • mushroom basics • coolest mushrooms • edible mushrooms • 1,046 mushroom photos! • HOME • lawn & garden mushrooms • mushroom links • medicinal mushrooms
morel mushrooms • mushroom I.D. • mushroom photography • mushroom show • music • mushroom odors • psilocybin mushrooms • schedule • store • tiniest mushrooms • toxic mushrooms

AMERICA'S TEN BEST
WILD MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS PAGE: This resource is not intended as a primary source of information to facilitate the competent identification of wild medicinal mushrooms; for that purpose, I recommend that you use a good mushroom field guide. Furthermore, I must emphasize that I am not a healthcare professional! I present this page for informational purposes, not as a primary resource on medicinal mushrooms. Consult with your physician(s) before using any wild medicinal mushrooms for treatment of any medical condition.

I gleaned most of the information presented here from Paul Stamets's Fungi Perfecti, and I heartily encourage you to refer to their Web site and Paul's books for more information on wild (and cultivated!) medicinal mushrooms.

–David Fischer

	Enoki / Enokitake or Winter Mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) Habitat: Primarily on elm, willow and other hardwoods (both dead and apparently healthy trees), fruiting usually during the colder months of the year. Medicinal use: This mushroom has been shown to have anti-tumor (prostate cancer) and anti-lymphoma activity, as well as immuno-boosting, cholesterol-lowering and antihypertensive potentials. Recommended form: The mushrooms are edible, and ingestion is the standard form of administration. Comments: Identification of this species must depend on careful review using a good mushroom field guide; it is especially important to note that the spore print is white and that there is no partial veil. The cultivated form, which looks quite a bit different than the wild form, is widely available in groceries.
	Tinder Polypore (Fomes fomentarius) Habitat: Common on dead or dying birch, occasionally other trees Medicinal use: Traditionally used as a styptic agent (as are various other mushrooms), this common mushroom has been demonstrated to have significant anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Recommended form: Steep to make a tea; drink hot or chilled. Comments: This mushroom has been used for millenia as an instrument for starting fires. A conk can be ignited by placing a tiny ember from a fire on the mushroom's undersurface and gently blowing at it to stimulate ignition; wrapped in a dampened leather pouch (not so tightly as to suffocate it), it can be carried by straps from morning until night and then used to start a campfire. If a conk is soaked and then aggressively pounded, the fibers can be separated; once dried, this "wool" makes excellent tinder.
	Artist's Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) Habitat: Very common on dead and dying hardwood trees, especially common on large oak and maple logs and stumps; occasionally reported on conifers as well, particularly Douglas fir. The fruiting bodies are perennial, adding a new layer of tubes (in which the spores are produced) each year. Medicinal use: Note that this mushroom has strong laxative/diuretic effects. This mushroom has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and is reputed to be beneficial for the lungs and respiratory system. It also appears to have anti-tumor potentials, but more research is needed. Recommended form: Steeped in hot water to make a tea. Comments: One of the largest common mushrooms, these woody shelflike growths can be found wherever large hardwood trees occur.
	Maitake, Hen of the Woods, or Sheepshead Mushroom (Grifola frondosa) Habitat: This mushroom is commonly found from late summer through autumn at or near the base of large oak trees, and occasionally other hardwoods and even some conifers. In North America, it is uncommon except in the Northeast quadrant of the continent. Medicinal use: One of the most medicinally active of all common wild mushrooms, Maitake has well-demonstrated immuno-boosting and anti-microbial (anti-bacterial and anti-viral) properties, as well as anti-tumor activity against breast, colorectal, liver, lung and prostate cancers, and leukemia. As if that weren't enough, it also shows considerable potential as an antihypertensive, as a blood-sugar moderator, and as a cholesterol reducer. Additionally, it is reputed as being beneficial for the lungs and respiratory system, as a stress reducer, and even as an anti-Candidiasis (yeast infection) agent. Recommended form: This popular, delicious mushroom is now widely cultivated and readily available in groceries. Eating the mushroom is certainly the preferred form of administration. Comments: See this page for more information about this fine mushroom.
	Chaga or Clinker Polypore (Inonotus obliquus) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor (cervical, uterine Ca), anti-viral, blood-sugar moderator, immuno-boosting, liver tonic Recommended form: Comments:
	Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-melanoma Recommended form: Comments:
	Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-hypertension, anti-Sarcoma, cardio-vascular, cholesterol reducer, nerve tonic Recommended form: Comments:
	Umbrella Polypore (Polyporus umbellatus) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor (liver, lung Ca, leukemia), anti-viral, immuno-boosting, liver tonic, lungs/respiratory Recommended form: Comments:
	Common Split-gill (Schizophyllum commune) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-Candida, anti-tumor (cervical, uterine, stomach Ca), anti-viral Recommended form: Comments:
	Turkey-tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) Habitat: Medicinal use: Anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor (cervical, uterine, breast, stomach, liver, lung, prostate Ca, leukemia), anti-viral, immuno-boosting, kidney tonic, liver tonic Recommended form: Comments:

To contact David Fischer or submit a mushroom photo
for identification assistance, "Like" the AmericanMushrooms.com
Facebook Page