Mushrooms have been eaten as food and used as a healing aid since prehistory starting
in the Neolithic period. They were first found in in the prehistoric lake dwellings in
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Truffles were found in Greece and Rome where
they cultivated the small Agrocybe aegerita on pieces of poplar trunks. In China and
Japan, shitake mushrooms were grown on rotting logs. In 1678, a French botanist
demonstrated the cultivation of mushrooms by transplanting their mycelia.
While mushrooms enjoyed a long history in Europe and Asia, they did not become
popular as a fad food in America until the late 19th century, though they were used in
recipes for making condiments and sauces up until then. The advancement in
cultivating and identifying mushrooms was the catalyst for the growing interest just
before the turn of the century. Mycological clubs began forming and members would
forage and identify the mushrooms in their area.
Mushrooms are a member of the Fungi Kingdom in the Eumycota division, which
means true fungi, with many sub-classifications. Of this division, there are many
groups depending on the structure of their fruiting bodies and the various macro and
microscopic characteristics.
In nature, cordyceps mushroom grows on, or rather in, insects. An unlucky bug eats a
cordyceps spore, which then germinates and eventually the mushroom bursts out of the
insect. Aren’t you glad this doesn’t happen to us? These days, most commercial cordyceps
is grown on blue corn, so no fear about insect bits being in your cordyceps powder.
Cordyceps is easily available commercially as powder, in capsules, and as liquid extracts.
Just a few grams of cordyceps mushroom powder daily was enough to lower blood sugar
levels in a study, and this may be through effects on insulin.
On a related note, cordyceps is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a kidney tonic.
Kidneys are a major site of damage from high blood sugar levels.
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DIY MUSHROOM MEDICINA
These days, it’s easy to find lots of mushroom medicines available for sale online. If
you go this route, make sure you order from a reliable source.
You also have the option of making your own mushroom medicine. It takes a little
time, but it’s not that difficult—and you’ll likely find it a little easier on the wallet.
There are some basic recipes included here to get you started.
Even if you make your own medicine, you’ll still need mushrooms. You can forage for
mushrooms yourself, or you can order them online, buy them at a local farmers market
(also check your city’s Chinatown or Asian markets), or grow your own—and then
make your own medicine from there.
It can be convenient to buy your own mushroom medicine, and it’s nice to have that
option available to us now. But it’s always empowering to take charge of your own
health, and you might find it more rewarding to spend time making your own healing
medicine.
Cortesía de Mushrooms of medicine, page 42.
De:Basmati.
Gracias