Recently, I came across a YouTube touting the benefits of five different mushrooms. Entertaining enough, using the term "extract" immediately makes me suspicious. There is a lot of 'snake oil' out there. So I thought to search NIH. Source: Hericium erinaceus: an edible mushroom with medicinal values - PubMed Mushrooms are considered as nutritionally functional foods and source of physiologically beneficial medicines. Hericium erinaceus, also known as Lion's Mane Mushroom or Hedgehog Mushroom, is an edible fungus, which has a long history of usage in traditional Chinese medicine. This mushroom is rich in some physiologically important components, especially β-glucan polysaccharides, which are responsible for anti-cancer, immuno-modulating, hypolipidemic, antioxidant and neuro-protective activities of this mushroom. H. erinaceus has also been reported to have anti-microbial, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, wound healing properties among other therapeutic potentials. This review article has overviewed the recent advances in the research and study on H. erinaceus and discussed the potential health beneficial activities of this mushroom, with the recognition of bioactive compounds responsible for these medicinal properties. This paper is behind a $45 paywall but does not read like a rigorous test of this mushroom. The multiple maladies addressed make me wonder about side effects. For example, it eaten for a year, does the liver fail? Now I have two of the maladies cited in the abstract and know how to do an A-B-A test on myself. But I remain cautious about side effects. Any suggestions? Yes, I am 73 years old so maybe side effects don't matter but I'm also taking modern meds and they too have side effects ... documented and manageable ones. Bob Wilson
Edible should mean it is as safe to eat as the generic white mushroom found at the supermarket, but then, you can overdose on vitamins. It's review paper. The authors didn't do any original research for it. They went through multiple published papers that did such research, and consolidated those results in this paper; a review of others' work.
Mushrooms make me nervous, although I’m comfortable with store bought. My daughter wanted to grow some on a log in the woods, i told mrs b not to put any in my salad
We bought a bag of Chaga (from YouTuber “My Self Reliance”: you make a tea with it, steep about an hour, or more. Supposedly lots of vitamins; appearance like thin coffee, and vaguely similar taste.
This is a highly diverse group containing many species some of which are harmful or fatal. Appearances can be deceptive, so avoid in general unless you have access to adequate knowledge. There are species range extensions that make 'location' a weaker predictor of safety than it had been. A problem for immigrants among continents who can encounter something that by appearance was perfectly safe at old home. But lookalike at new home can kill.
The death cap story was interesting as it appears there might never have been a North America native species, but a European transplant that managed to make friends with native plants root systems.
I don't mind toadstools on a salad or a pizza, but I will happily limit my relationship with them. There are easier things to hunt grow or gather.
