When Alexander Fleming discovered the antibacterial power of a fungi, Penicillin, he revolutionised the world towards antibiotics. Today we have significantly conquered bacterial threats and walk about a lot more freely because of that fungus.
Let’s consider a scenario where the society would have rejected the very same fungus while wearing the goggles of myths and misconceptions- Ew, a fungus! No! It’s poisonous! That is not vegetarian mister, how could you have that! No!! They are dangerous! Would we have been where we stand today, fighting infections and nurturing the health of humankind? On contemplation, we can agree the answer would be a resounding NO!
It becomes more and more evident just how many blessings we uncork when we unite in a wise and unbiased manner with mother nature.
But unfortunately, we still have a lot of battles to win. There is another fungus available abundantly in nature, which has been misconceived, wrongly judged and underappreciated in the wonders that it can bring for not just mankind, but the entirety of nature itself!
What is this wonder that we talk about?
None other than… Mushrooms - a true wonder of nature!
Before we dive into how these miniature umbrella shaped fungi can nurture humanity and the environment in unimaginable ways, let us quickly get our basics right.
What are mushrooms?
As we mentioned above, mushrooms are fungi. They are neither plants, nor animals. However, when shopping for ingredients for your kitchen, you can consider them to happily get along with your vegetables - they are just that good!!
When we talk about 'mushrooms' at large, we usually refer to the fruiting body structure of the fungus. However the mushroom structure isn't a complete picture of fungi! Fungi also have a whole underground body called mycelium. Mycelium is a vast, ecological cellular network that spans nearly every corner of our planet. But, it's invisible to the eye!.
Fertility. Transformation. Bliss. Good health ! For many years people have been including mushrooms as part of their diet and delicacies. For many cultures who eat them, mushrooms symbolise fertility, transformation and good health.
NOT ALL mushrooms are poisonous! Saying that mushrooms are poisonous is equivalent to saying all people are bad. Which isn’t true, is it? In fact, studies suggest that there are some 1.5 million types of our fruity fungi friends, out of which barely 60 classify as truly poisonous. You can (and we suggest, should) eat a lot of them in various ways!
Now that we have the basics sorted out, allow us to blow your minds. Can you guess all the ways in which mushrooms can help humans as well as the environment? We bet you cannot!
Worry not, we’re here to help you out! Here’s a glimpse of just a few ways you can shelter under the mushroomy umbrella of goodness!
Supplement your supplements!
Those vitamin and mineral supplements you chase after in your shopping lists? Did you know they can all be given a rest (along with your pockets lol!) with just a couple of packets of mushrooms? Well it is true! White button and raw brown mushrooms are rich sources of the Vitamin B–complex, C and D, along with phosphorus, calcium, copper and potassium. Not to mention the abundance of proteins that some mushrooms contain, ranking them above even some vegetables! (Ola, our vegetarian/vegan amigos! Don’t forget, they make a wonderful substitution for meats because of the very same reason!)
Fun fact: Findings confirm that mushrooms were a cherished delicacy since ancient times, spanning from Rome, Greece and Chile up to China and India! An ancestral amazement, that we could surely inherit and enjoy!
With a low calorie count, abundant nutrition, fibre and water content, don’t they make the whole package?! And a miraculously tiny one at that too!
Your skincare buddy!
Could you imagine a mushroom being an essential part of your skincare routine? Well, it can! Mushrooms were originally used for their anti-tanning benefits, but, according to Penn State researchers have found, mushrooms contain a glorious amount of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (glutathione and ergothioneine) that reduce skin irritation and inflammation.
The doc that rocks! (Actually, a very few of them grow on rocks, pardon the painful pun)
Needless to say after having glimpsed so many benefits, mushrooms help boost our immune system gloriously! But that’s not all! Apart from helping us prevent diseases, antioxidants from mushrooms counter free-radical damage, which essentially contributes to everything from Alzheimers, to cancer!
Many mushrooms have been found to possess medicinal properties that help inhibit tumour and the development of AIDS. They also contain antiviral, anti-cholesterol and anti-diabetic properties.
Now would you be surprised when we mention that eastern medicine has promoted the medicinal use of mushrooms since centuries? Nuh-huh!
The tiny little environmentalists!
Fungi have always been known to help the environment and mushrooms sure do full justice to that - and more! Apart from their natural ecological symbiosis in nature, mushrooms actually help reduce environmental pollution caused by humans! (Yo! Where my climate warriors at?!) Are you wondering how? Here’s how -
No toxicity please!
Fungi have been found to help degrade various pollutants from plastics, petroleum based products, personal cosmetic products, pharmaceutical waste and oils. Some of the industrial and anthropological pollutants are in fact persistent toxins posing a great and long term threat to the environment. They can accumulate in humans via consumption of natural, organic products and in other species as well… leading to deleterious adverse effects on life as a whole. These fruiting fungi become our powerful tool against that by literally reducing the environmental pollution!
Green warriors!
Some of these species help restore the ecosystem by advancing reforestation in degraded soils and act as pest control for some pathogens that may impede the ecological green. They can flourish for years! (GIF to be inserted)
A farmer’s fairytale!
Edible mushrooms don’t depend on the conventional fertile soil and neither do they compete with other food crops for soil resources! They can be cultivated using agricultural WASTE!
Because of this, mushroom cultivation can reduce agro-waste and at the same time increase food supply, farmers’ income and clearly, new employment opportunities! So what we essentially obtain, is a cycle of symbiosis where they provide fertile soil and prosperity to the farmers and farmers provide them with agro-waste to flourish on!
The worldly wizards!
Not only the greenscape, but mushrooms help prosper other markets as well! Many unsustainable materials that possess a threat to our blue-green planet, like plastics and synthetic and animal-based products (clothing, leather, packaging sheets etc) are now being replaced by Mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms!
If you were to scroll through the internet right now, you’d be amazed to find mushroom based (or mycelium based) products that have already been thriving in the market, including sustainable leather, bio-friendly packaging, shoes clothes and skin care products with many others.
Amazed? Well you ought to be!
Mushrooms are not just simple delights to our pizza toppings(but they do make them better * drools *!). Neither are they a poisonous threat. Mushrooms pack a lot of wonders under that little belled roof that we - and the earth - can benefit from.
We, as a modern, revolutionising society possess the capability to understand the importance of healthy, natural practice of eating - and mushrooms are a delicious, easy and sure-short way to that! Perhaps then, we can fulfil what Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine meant when he said - “Let food be thy medicine”!
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