Ep. 154: Medicinal Mushrooms, Fungal Microbiomes & Alberta's Fungal Diversity (feat. Martin Osis)

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by the magnanimous Martin Osis. Martin is passionate about wild mushrooms! He loves to look at them, touch them, smell them, taste them, and talk about them. For decades he has been educating and entertaining people and groups about mushrooms by talks, forays, workshops, identification courses and just going on and on and on about mushrooms to pretty much anyone who will listen! His enthusiasm about mushrooms makes him a sought-after speaker at many functions. Although he is an amateur mycologist, he is generally regarded as one of Alberta’s experts in mushroom field identification, constantly studying emerging scientific papers on mycology, as well as scouring the diverse habitats to see what species might be growing in Alberta. His particular interest in medicinal mushrooms comes from a strong desire to help people get and stay healthy by natural means. Other interests include fungal biodiversity, DNA sequencing of fungi, mushroom photography, and of course, edible fungi. As one of the founding members of the Alberta Mycological Society, he has been a major contributor to AMS, and has created several projects including the ever-popular Great Alberta Mushroom Foray, held in a different location annually in Alberta. He also was the driver in the formation of the Medicinal Mushroom committee at NAMA. Martin is currently on the Advisory Board of “My Fungi”, an Alberta mushroom company developing expertise in psilocybin production for research, mushroom grow kits and mycoremediation.   

TOPICS COVERED:    

• Nature & Theology   
• Alberta Fungal Biodiversity Hotspot   
• The Russula Edibility Riddle   
• Leccinum Mysteries    
• Cataloging Fungal Diversity   
• What Does Fungal Biodiversity Tell Us?   
• Mushrooms in Eastern Medicine   
• Oyster Mushrooms, Statins and Your Heart   
• Observational Experience    
• Topical Applications of Medicinal Mushrooms    
• Fungal Microbiomes & Complex Relationships with Bacteria   
• The Rise of Tremella    
• Medicinal Mushroom Compounds   
• Future Projects with My Fungi, New Books and More    

EPISODE RESOURCES:   

• Alberta Mycological Society: https://www.albertamushrooms.ca/   
• MyFungi: https://myfungi.ca/   
• Russula (genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russula   
• Leccinum (genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leccinum   
• Leccinum vulpinum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leccinum_vulpinum   
• Lyophyllum shimeji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyophyllum_shimeji   
• Tremella fuciformis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremella_fuciformis