The Mushroom Hour Podcast

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are honored to be joined by Else Vellinga.  In her career as a mycologist, Else has described 22 new mushroom species in California. Her most recent work is at the University and Jepson Herbaria at UC Berkeley, and at UCSF, on the Microfungi Collections Digitization project. She received her training at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, and earned her PhD at the University of Leiden (layden).  Additionally, Else is a researcher and professor with the Bruns Laboratory at UC Berkeley. The main motivation for her taxonomic work is that it lays the basis for efforts to include mushroom species in nature management and conservation plans.  She has proposed several species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global database of endangered species. She concentrates especially on Lepiotas, or Parasol mushrooms.  Else is an avid knitter and uses mushroom dyed yarn for her creations.   TOPICS COVERED:   Growing up in Netherlands Wilderness  What are Scientific Names Based On?  Importance of Physical Features   Impact of DNA Sequences on Taxonomy  ITS, Multiple Gene Sequence and Whole Genome Phylogenetic Information  Monophyletic vs Paraphyletic Genera  What is Sufficient Difference to Make a New Taxonomic Grouping?  Relationship Between Genera and Clades  How are Names Selected? Does There Need to be a Consensus?  Process of Naming a Species  Potential Taxonomic Shakeups  Fungal Conservation  Fungal Diversity Survey  Official State Mushrooms  Education, Outreach and Awareness Central to Conservation Efforts  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Else Vellinga ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Else-Vellinga  University and Jepson Herbaria: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/  National Herbarium of the Netherlands: https://plants.jstor.org/partner/NHN  Bruns Laboratory: https://nature.berkeley.edu/brunslab/  IUCN Fungi List: https://www.iucn.org/commissions/ssc-groups/plants-fungi/fungi  Global Fungal Redlist Initiative: http://iucn.ekoo.se/en/iucn/welcome  Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS): https://fundis.org/  Lepiota (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepiota  Entoloma (Fungal Genus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma.html  Cryptomarasmius (Fungal Genus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomarasmius  

All the information discussed in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only! We do not encourage the use of any illicit and/or regulated substance.   Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we have the honor of speaking with authors Virginia Haze and Dr. K. Mandrake. Dr. Mandrake is a proponent of psychedelics from both a scientific and personal growth perspective. His long and varied education has mostly centered on biology, toxicology and mycology, culminating in a PhD in microbiology, which greatly influenced his home mushroom growing methods. Virginia Haze is a prolific writer and photographer with many books under her belt. She’s a regular contributor to publications that focus on recreational drugs and her photography has appeared in many books. She learned to grow mushrooms under the tutelage of Dr. K. Mandrake, has co-authored two books on the growing and use of shrooms, and has since become a fierce proponent of psilocybin decriminalization and the dissemination of science-backed information relating to psychedelics. I’m excited to speak with these two myconauts today about the two works they’ve written together, “The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible” and “The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook”.    TOPICS COVERED:   Discovering Psilocybin - UK Prohibition & Thai Milkshakes  First Attempts at Cultivation  Impact of Local Climate on Cultivation  Precautions in Exploring Cultivation  Sourcing Spores  Cultivation Hardware & Equipment  Contending with Contamination  Cultivation Cycle  Substrate Recipes   Monotub & Different Teks  Strains & Testing of Psilocybe cubensis  Dehydration & Preparation Methods  Magic Mushroom Recipes  Impact of the Books  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Psilocybin Mushroom Bible IG: https://www.instagram.com/themushroombible/  The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible (Book): https://bookshop.org/books/the-psilocybin-mushroom-bible-the-definitive-guide-to-growing-and-using-magic-mushrooms/9781937866280  The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook (Book): https://bookshop.org/books/the-psilocybin-chef-cookbook/9781937866419  Shroomery: https://shroomery.org  Spore Works: http://sporeworks.com/  Alexander Shulgin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin  David Nutt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt  Flammulina velutipes (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enokitake

Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by freethinker, activist and mycologist Dr. Patricia Kaishian. Dr. Kaishian received a B.A in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies in 2013 from Wheaton College, MA. In August 2020, she defended her Ph.D. in Forest Pathology & Mycology from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. She is broadly trained in the taxonomy of macro and micro fungi, with considerable field experience in the Neotropics. Currently, she is working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Aime Lab at Purdue University where she is serving as curator of fungi at the Arthur Fungarium & Kriebel Herbarium. Beyond more traditional scientific work, Dr. Kaishian also works in the realms like the philosophy of science, feminist bioscience, ecofeminism and queer theory, exploring how mycology and other scientific disciplines are situated in and informed by our sociopolitical landscape. She is a founding member of the International Congress of Armenian Mycologists, a research organization comprised of ethnically Armenian mycologists who seek to simultaneously advance mycological science and Armenian sovereignty and liberation.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood Embracing Nature in NY State  Activism & Science Intertwined  The Practice of Science & the Institution of Science  Western Eurocentric Perspectives Embedding into Modern Institutions  Historical Dynamics Between Institutional Science, Institutional Christianity, Agriculture & Colonization  Agro-Heterosexuality  Queer Theory & Queer Ecology  Mycology as a Queer Science  Upliftment of Marginalized People & Organisms  Influence of Dr. Robin Kimmerer  Armenian Advocacy  Link Between Biodiversity & Indigenous Sovereignty  Dr. Kaishian’s Research on Laboulbeniales & Rust Fungi  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Dr. Kaishian Twitter: https://twitter.com/queendom_fungiDr. Kaishian ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patricia-Kaishian  "Mycology as a Queer Discipline" Paper: https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/view/33523  Dr. George Hudler “Magical Mushrooms Mischievous Molds”: https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mushrooms-Mischievous-George-Hudler/dp/0691070164  "Queer Ecologies": https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Ecologies-Nature-Politics-Desire/dp/0253222036  "The Mushroom at the End of the World": https://www.amazon.com/Mushroom-End-World-Possibility-Capitalist/dp/0691178321/  "Braiding Sweetgrass": https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567/  Tiokasin Ghosthorse: https://www.humansandnature.org/tiokasin-ghosthorseInternational Congress of Aremenian Mycologists: https://icarmenian-mycologists.github.io/  Entoloma salmoneum: https://www.mushroomexpert.com/entoloma_quadratum.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing Phil Ross of MycoWorks. A pioneer in cultivating living materials for art and design, Phil began using mycelium in the 1990s as a medium for sculpture. Almost three decades on, Phil and his team of artists are now complemented by engineers, biologists, production specialists and material scientists in bringing the first Fine Mycelium™ material, Reishi™, to the world. Anyone who sees his work or hears him speak, can’t help but have their mind set alight by a spark of inspiration. Phil is one of those unique individuals who can take something ancient, like fungi, and derive novel uses for it that not only shift how we see fungi, unlock new ideas and new fields of discovery, but really expand humanity’s entire “realm of the possible”. His lifetime of work with mycelium hints at the vast ocean of infinite opportunities that await humanity as we explore kingdom fungi.    TOPICS COVERED:   Cooking as a Primer on the Practicum of Biotechnology  Push and Pull of Tropisms  Fungi as a Cypher to Understand Nature  From Forests to Graffiti - Learning to “Read” the Environment  Polypore Inspirations for Reishi™ Fine Mycelium Leather Products  Indigenous Use of Mycelium Leather  Medicinal Qualities of Reishi Mushrooms  Cultural Responses to the Gross and the Grotesque  Fashion as a Means of Communication  How MycoWorks Creates Reishi™ Fine Mycelium Leather  Mycelium Sheet Polymer & Leathercraft Learning Curves  Scaling Up to the Future of MycoWorks  The Transformation of Phil Ross  Future of Mycelium Materials   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Mycoworks website: https://www.mycoworks.com/  Mycoworks IG: https://www.instagram.com/mycoworks/  Louis Pasteur: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur  Claude Levi-Strauss "The Raw and the Cooked": https://www.amazon.com/Raw-Cooked-Mythologiques-Claude-L%C3%A9vi-Strauss/dp/0226474879  Rudy Rucker "Ware Tetralogy": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_TetralogyCarl Woese: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Woese  Susan Oyama "Evolution's Eye": https://www.amazon.com/Evolutions-Eye-Systems-Biology-Culture-Cultural/dp/0822324725  Ganoderma lucidum (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoderma_lucidum   Lenzites betulina (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/lenzites_betulina.html

Today on the Mushroom Hour we are excited to have the chance to learn from Ja Schindler. Ja is a fungi researcher/ teacher/ activist/ farmer based in the Southeast Cascade Mountains of Oregon on traditional lands of the Kalapooya peoples. Motivated by desires to challenge issues of environmental injustice, Ja founded Fungi For the People in 2010, which serves as an outlet for collaboratively developing appropriate methods for cultivating and problem solving with people and fungi. As a hands-on cultivator and community organizer he is a focal point of the inspiring community science movement. I can’t wait to hear his take on the role community mycology can play in empowering people and helping us develop a more balanced relationship with our environment.   TOPICS COVERED:   Early Inspirations from the “Rebound Ecology” of Detroit   Moving West, Working with Applied Mycology   Community Evolution of Fungi for the People   Ecological Restoration & Mycoremediation   Impact of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae    Advantages of Site-Based Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi   Bioremediation Work in Contaminated Mining Sites   Advice on “Skilling Up” for Bioremediation Projects   Background on the EPA and How it Works   How EPA Regulates & Facilitates Environmental Cleanups   Engaging with Institutional & Regulatory Frameworks     Working with Ectomycorrhizal and Endomycorrhizal Fungi at Home   Decentralized Future of Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation   Impact and Upside of a Parkinson’s Diagnosis   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Fungi for the People Website: https://fungiforthepeople.org/   Fungi for the People FB: https://www.facebook.com/FungiForThePeople   Fungi for the People IG: https://www.instagram.com/fungiforthepeople/   EPA "CLU-IN" Resource: https://clu-in.org/   "Mycoremediation: Fungal Bioremediation" (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Mycoremediation-Fungal-Bioremediation-Harbhajan-Singh/dp/047175501X    Fomitopsis pinicola (Fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/fomitopsis_pinicola.html

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of speaking with Courtney Tyler. Courtney is the founder of Hips and Haws Wildcrafts, based in the Wicklow mountains of Ireland. Hips and Haws is a project all about wild food, fermentation, folk herbalism, fungi, foraging and wildcrafting- which is making food or medicine from plants and mushrooms sourced from the wild.  She is a keen forager and spends much time wandering the hedgerows and forests of Ireland, searching for wild edibles to preserve as food or medicine or to add to her collection of fermented food and drinks. She passes her knowledge on through her foraging walks and tours, workshops, crafting and recipes. Her passion, knowledge, and her clarity in explaining and sharing her excitement inspires us to re-kindle our connection to the wild around and within us.   TOPICS COVERED:   Modernity Fatigue, Seeking Connection & Escaping to Nature  Finding Solace in Herbalism & Natural Medicine  Developing a Connection to Ireland in the Wilds of Wicklow   Foraging as a Physical & Spiritual Practice   Forage Seasons in Ireland   Resurgence of Wild Food Appreciation   Forest Composition in Ireland   Sitka Spruce Plantations & Groves of Porcini   Amanita muscaria Culinary & Medicinal Uses   Destigmatizing Amanita muscaria   Woodland Wizard Fergus Drennan   Creative Preparations of Medicinal Plants & Mushrooms   Magic of Koji   Future Vanlife Adventures   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Hips & Haws Website: https://www.hipsandhaws.com/   H&H Wildcrafts IG: https://www.instagram.com/hipsandhawswildcrafts/   H&H Wildcrafts FB: https://www.facebook.com/hipsandhawswildcrafts/   Wicklow County Ireland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicklow   Amanita muscaria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria   Fomitopsis betulina (Birch Polypore): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomitopsis_betulina   Inonotus obliquus (Chaga): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inonotus_obliquus   Fergus Drennan: https://www.instagram.com/fergustheforager/   

Thea Chesney is a lifelong Sierra Nevada foothill resident and naturalist. She has had an interest in mushrooms (and plants, and the rest of the natural world) since early childhood, which gradually became an obsession. She holds a B.S. in forestry from UC Berkeley, with an emphasis in botany and natural sciences. During her time at Berkeley, she spent plenty of time working and hanging out in the Berkeley mycology labs and continues to return to campus to provide specimens for and aid in teaching their mushroom ID course. She worked on a mushroom survey crew for the U.S. Forest Service around Mt. Shasta for several seasons, which allowed her to become intimately familiar with the fungal inhabitants and ecology of the area. Since then, she has continued with the Forest Service as a botanist for a long-term California-wide meadow monitoring project. She teaches occasional workshops in mushroom and plant identification, both for work and independently. She has also been involved with the California Rare Fungi Working Group since its inception. Her fieldwork and her own studies of plants and fungi are centered in the Sierra Nevada and other mountains of California, and she is currently working on a field guide to mushrooms of these understudied regions with Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz.   TOPICS COVERED:   Mycology Lineage & Childhood Immersion in Nature  Underexplored Mountain Ranges of California  Diversity of Bioregions in Mountain Ranges  Mycorrhizal Mushrooms & Tree Hosts  Montane Water Cycles, Plant Ecology & Fungal Diversity  High Meadows Ecosystems & Their Mushrooms  California Rare Fungi Working Group  The Future of Documenting Fungal Diversity  Fire-Following Fungi  Morel Habitat & Ecology in California  Tips for Finding Morels  Thea’s Lifelong Connection to the Sierras  Klamath Mountains – The Most Biodiverse Pocket of California?!  Future Work with Christian Schwarz & Noah Siegel  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Thea Chesney iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/theachesney   Thea's Talk on Fire Fungi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9Irj0GtTE   Thea's Talk on Mycorrhizal Fungi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PISk9C6FAds   Prof. Ralph Emerson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Emerson_(botanist)   Klamath Mountains: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klamath_Mountains   Rare Fungi of CA National Forests: https://www.scribd.com/document/432145073/Rare-Fungi-of-California-National-Forests   William Bridge Cooke: https://www.mykoweb.com/articles/PDF/William%20Bridge%20Cooke,%201908-1991.pdf   Caloscypha fulgens (fungus): https://www.mushroomexpert.com/caloscypha_fulgens.html   Hygrophorus goetzii (fungus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygrophorus_goetzii

Get Your Tickets for the 1st Oakland Psychedelic Conference:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oakland-psychedelic-conference-tickets-169188460239?ref=eios   Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we are beyond blessed to be joined by three members of Oakland’s own Hyphae Labs, Ian Bollinger, Tomás Garret and Reggie who has joined us on the podcast previously. Inspired by early-life transformative experiences with psilocybin-containing mushrooms, Reggie has had a lifelong passion for mycology and now consults with the largest mushroom cultivators in the world. He is a also member of the Advisory Board for Decriminalize Nature and an avid activist for police reform and an ally of The Movement for Black LivesIan Bollinger is a dedicated researcher, scientist and host of the Understanding Entheogens Podcast.  Advising for harm reduction through education by working with the entheogen decriminalization movement in the SF Bay Area; Ian dedicates his time to churches, non-profits, and public benefit corporations to bring scientific insights from the growing entheogen space to the public through his writings, podcast, and outreachTomás is the head of operations for Hyphae Labs. His background is in analytical chemistry that began with food and drug testing in Wisconsin. He moved to California in 2018 and began pesticide and solvent testing for the cannabis industry.  Over the past few years he has become intertwined like mycelium with the vibrant Oakland psychedelic community.Formed by citizen scientists like these, Hyphae Labs works to connect cultivators and consumers to knowledge, data, and education that supports their community through harm reduction.  They are currently engaged with research around Tryptamine content in entheogenic organisms, providing lab and analytical support for the Psilocybin Cup. I am excited to learn more about their collective, their vision and the upcoming Oakland Psychedelic Conference.   TOPICS COVERED:   Hyphae Connection Between Ian, Tomás and Reggie Mission and Purpose of Hyphae LabsWhy is Testing Entheogenic Compounds Important?Testing Compounds in Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms Legality of Testing Entheogens in Oakland  Connection Between Testing & Decriminalization  Wading into the Chemistry of Tryptamines  MAOIs in Mushrooms  Effects of Compounds Other than Psilocybin  The Hyphae Potency Spectrum  Inspiration & Goals of the Oakland Psychedelic Conference  Featured Speakers at the Conference  Building Community & Embracing Diversity  Future of Hyphae Labs as Psychedelics Go Mainstream  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Tickets for Oakland Psychedelic Conference: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oakland-psychedelic-conference-tickets-169188460239?ref=eios  Oakland Hyphae: https://www.oaklandhyphae510.com/  Oakland Hyphae IG: https://www.instagram.com/oakland_hyphae/  Ian Bollinger IG: https://www.instagram.com/eyepsychonaut/  Understanding Entheogens with Ian Bollinger: https://www.critical.consulting/blog  Dictyonema (Fungus/Lichen): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictyonema

Today on the Mushroom Hour Podcast we have the distinct privilege of being joined by Dr. Andy Letcher. Dr. Letcher is a writer, performer and scholar of religion who began life as an ecologist, completing his D.Phil in Ecology at Oxford University. After a spell as an environmental activist during the 90s, especially during the anti-roads protests, he moved across to the humanities, completing a PhD at King Alfred’s College Winchester. He is an expert on contemporary alternative spiritualities, especially modern Paganism, neo-shamanism and psychedelic spiritualities. He is especially interested in the tangled and sometimes tortuous relationship between science and spirituality, and in so-called dark green religion. He has written papers on: the distribution of mammals across continents; fairies; mysticism; and psychedelic spirituality. Andy is also the author of the comprehensive work “Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom” that examines enthnomycological research, legends and myths surrounding humanity’s relationship with psychoactive fungi.    TOPICS COVERED:   Ecologies, Environmentalism and Cries to the MoonWhat is Spirituality?Sensory and Cultural Inputs Birthing Religious TraditionsDefining the SelfExploring “Semi-Permeable Self”, “Ecological Self”, “Community Self”Consciousness Fields, Panpsychism & AnimismSymbiosis and SympoiesisAre Psilocybe Mushrooms Guiding Human Culture?Are Psychedelics Going to Save Us from Ourselves?What does a Psychedelic-Informed and Ecologically Self-Aware Society Look Like?How Large a Role did Psychedelics Really Play in Ancient Cultures, Religions, Rites and Secret Societies?Are We Part of the Most Psychedelic and Mycologically Inspired Culture Ever?We are the Mushroom People   Psychedelics in Druidry and Other Future Research   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Andy Letcher Website: http://andy-letcher.blogspot.com/   Andy Letcher Writings: https://independent.academia.edu/AndyLetcher   "Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom": https://www.amazon.com/Shroom-Cultural-History-Magic-Mushroom/dp/0060828293  Schumacher College: https://campus.dartington.org/schumacher-college/   William Blake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake   Victor Turner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Turner   Terence McKenna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna   Carl Jung: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung   Donna Haraway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Haraway   Huston Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huston_Smith   

Today on Mushroom   Hour we are joined by internationally renowned herbalist Dr. Christopher Hobbs. Dr. Hobbs is a fourth-generation herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, herbal clinician, research scientist, consultant to the dietary supplement industry, expert witness, botanist and mycologist with over 35 years of experience. He is also a prolific writer and has authored or co-authored over 20 books, including the new “Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms, the Essential Guide.” Christopher has lectured on herbal medicine world-wide. He earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley with research and publication in evolutionary biology, biogeography, phylogenetics, plant chemistry, and ethnobotany. Time to dive deep into medicinal mushrooms!   TOPICS COVERED:   Embracing Generational Tradition of Herbalism in a World of Toxic Notions  Discovering Mushrooms in the 1970s  Herbalist World View  Elevating Consciousness  Allying with Plant & Mushroom Spirits  Importance of Spiritual Wellbeing  What is Medicine?  Chemistry of Medicinal Mushrooms and the Immune System  One of Medicinal Mushrooms Biggest Benefits - Fiber  Effects of Beta Glucans & Ancient Receptors in the Body  Secrets of Medicinal Mushroom Products  Starch Testing our Mushroom Powders  Healing Powers of Reishi  Why Do We Put Up With It?  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Christopher Hobbs' Website:  https://www.christopherhobbs.com/  Christopher Hobb's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchristopherhobbs/  Christopher Hobb's IG: https://www.instagram.com/christopherhobbs1/?hl=en  "Christopher Hobbs' Essential Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms": https://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Hobbss-Medicinal-Mushrooms-Consciousness/dp/1635861675/  "A Modern Herbal": https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Herbal-Complete-Margaret-Grieve/dp/1626542236/  "Back to Eden": https://www.amazon.com/Back-Eden-Jethro-Kloss/dp/0940985101/  Dr. Edward Shook: https://www.biblio.com/edward-e-shook/author/587245  Dr. John Christopher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christopher_(herbalist)  Dr. Michael Tierra: https://planetherbs.com/owners/dr-michael-tierra-l-ac-o-m-d/  Ed Smith: https://m.facebook.com/herbal.ed  Susun Weed: http://www.susunweed.com/  Rosemary Gladstar: https://scienceandartofherbalism.com/  Reishi (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_(mushroom)  Boletus edulis (mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis