131: Mushrooms could save the world? Yes, says Julian Mitchell.

Is there anything the humble mushroom cannot do? From repair damaged nerves, to fighting cancer proliferation, to improving focus or sleep… the resource is promising and building steadily. Add to that the incredible protein source they provide and their ability to grow from salvaged coffee grounds, and you have the makings for an excellent deep dive into the magic of mushrooms on today's show. I have the founder of Life Cykel Julian Mitchell on the show with me today and I know you'll love this conversation. Life Cykel is an evolutionary focused mycelium biotechnology company that engineers positive solutions to real world problems. Trust me, by the end of the chat, you'll know what that means. By harvesting the Circular Economy and using its valuable fuel in partnership with mushrooms, we are able to offer incredible products and services for our health and planetary harmony. Some of their best examples include the National Mushroom Network, Mushroom Honey and Beemunity, their product that supports the immunity of bees and boy do our beautiful bees need that, sadly! Julian and Ryan co-founded the company back in 2015. From there, it's quickly grown to become Australia's leading medicinal mushroom grower and still expanding rapidly, offering cutting-edge mushroom products and decentralised food security enablement packages (ie, hyper local food growing with their mushroom kits.) I hope you enjoy today's show as much as I did, and the show notes, low tox club details and sponsor offer can be found over at lowtoxlife.com/podcast Alexx x

Here's what I asked Julian?

• There are a few aspects to LifeCykel - circular economy coffee ground recouping for mushroom cultivation… education/school awareness…. bee activism and bee community healing through a mushroom extract… your mushroom extract range: Where the heck do we start, right?

• Let's start with the type of company you call yourself: mycelium biotechnology company - talk us through what you mean by that?

1. And how did you fund the growth… Lots of people get ideas but get scared they're not going to be able to grow / have enough cash to grow…
2. And you say something rather bold on your website: you believe mushrooms have the power to shape a new future ~ one in which we live in full harmony with our beautiful planet. Mushrooms hold the keys…. how are some of the ways mushrooms can play a role in regenerating the planet?
3. You cultivate mushrooms and grow them from spent coffee grounds but not just the type we're going to stir fry with a little butter and garlic… medicinal mushrooms so we'll get into talking about those in a bit, but first: How did you come to feel called to start a circular economy business centred around spent coffee grounds / mushrooms in the first place?
4. And how did you see this then becoming a fundraising and ag/waste education piece for schools?
5. As you learnt more and more about mushrooms - what drew you to cultivating medicinals?
6. Can you eat mushrooms / take medicinal mushrooms if you're suffering fungal related issues - candida/mold illness etc?
7. Let's talk medicinals… Reishi, Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Shitake… a bit about the magic of each one / what best used for. Any juicy studies you want to cite here would be great.
8. Why would we choose a powder and why an extract - difference?
9. And what does ‘double extract' refer to?
10. Can one overdo medicinal mushrooms?
11. Things are all going well with all of these exciting things you guys are doing - what's the BIG picture for you and what you want to achieve?
12. If you had to share a simple way people could have a big impact on their waste and start thinking more circular… what would it be?

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