Fungus Amongus

Wild Mushrooms (Image by Dan Woje)

Without the decomposers, the circle of life would be a pyramid scheme. Perhaps no kingdom better exemplifies the grand mystery of life than the fungus. 

If the trees of a forest are the lungs of the world, then the fungus and microbes are the digestive system. In the big equation of molecular recycling, it is what happens after life which is of vital importance. Leaving behind the hierarchy of the animal kingdom, we remember the weirdness of the web and our degree of interconnection. 

The utility of fungus faces a stigmatic uphill climb. Many fear fungus as we fear death itself, or we readily marginalize the kingdom to drug culture and spoiled food. In spite of our denial, conventional culture is infested with mushroom influences from the mystic origins of traditional religion, to network design and the fruits of our most creative individuals.

There are some that link the very evolution and growth of the human brain to the early consumption of nootropic psychedelic mushrooms (Stoned ape hypothesis). Seemingly absurd, this theory holds more weight the longer it is digested, and we own the influence of our environment and surrounding species on human development. 

I have been inspired by the work of Paul Stamets, a modern mushroom Moses, since I first heard him speak on the Ted stage roughly a decade ago. Certain species of fungus may critically and uniquely hold the key to global climate issues such as the long-term health of bees, and efficient/sustainable remediation of chemical contamination. For our own personal health, commercially available species of fungus like Lions Mane and Reishi have been shown to be anti-carcinogens, and specific to Lions Mane, promote neurogenesis, a key to fighting memory loss and degenerative brain disease like Alzheimers. In a relatively ‘explored’ world, the world of fungus is frontier territory from a scientific perspective, blooming with potential new applications and breakthroughs. 

For the health of the planet and ourselves, let us respect the Fungus among us. The circle that surrounds our species and connects our world in mysterious ways.