Weโre still discovering amazing new uses for fabulous fungi.
written by Barbara Twitchell
photo by Shea Evans
Itโs estimated that there are more than five million species of fungi in the world. Theyโve existed on Earth many millions of years, perhaps even a billion, predating us and almost every other living thing. Yet, despite this, we know so little about them and their amazing abilities and potential.
Sure, theyโre delicious culinary additions to our diets, but theyโre so much more than that. Mushrooms have strong medicinal powers: immune-boosting, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer properties. Theyโre increasingly being incorporated into scientific studies and conventional medical treatments, with encouraging results.
Penn State College of Medicine researchers recently analyzed data from 17 cancer studies involving more than 19,500 cancer patients. They determined that higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer. According to their findings, people who ate as little as one-eighth cup to one-quarter cup daily of any variety of mushrooms had a 45 percent lower risk of cancer than those who ate none.
Scientific and anecdotal information about the power of mushrooms has prompted much curiosity and interest in the subject. On the next few pages, we explore the milieu of culinary gourmet mushrooms with a local grower, and we delve into medicinal mushrooms with the young entrepreneurs who make ingesting fungal benefits easy and accessible. We even throw in a few good recipes and a bit of mushroom coffee. Enjoy!
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