Foraging Pittsburgh

January 30, 2015
by Adam Leave a comment

Late Fall Oyster (Panellus Serotinus) – Winter Food And Medicine

On your next walk through the winter forest, say hello to Panellus serotinus – the late fall oyster mushroom.

“Hello, what are you doing under there?” I ask.

No response.

It’s a seemingly shy mushroom – never razzle dazzle in appearance. Sure, it has some color – a splash of orange, a hint of green, though it typically puts on a show no larger than that (unlike its fellow forested fungal friends, the Amanitas and Hygrocybes, though they’ve been reduced to mycelia by now).

You might want to take some Panellus serotinus home. “It would be my pleasure,” the mushroom says. Panellus serotinus is edible of course, though in order to really make a dish out of it, prolonged cooking methods are suggested.

And hey, not that you asked for it, but Panellus serotinus will be sure to throw in a dash of immuno-modulating and anti-tumor oomph, because … well … that’s what it has been shown to do (Kim et al., 2012).

Look for the late fall oyster mushroom today in western Pennsylvania (this photograph was taken in Moraine State Park). Even in the snow covered forest, even in these frigid temperatures … the best that the universe has to offer is out there – always wild, always free.

January 19, 2015
by Adam Leave a comment

Homemade Jelly From Winter Crabapples In Western Pennsylvania

The winter season is no time to forgo foraging. Plenty of food can be harvested from the winter landscape – for example, these crabapples (Malus sp.).

Sure, they may not look as exquisite as they once did a few moons ago, nor are they as large and unblemished as the variants of Malus we find in the grocery store. These, however, have character – a disposition uniquely carved by wind, ice, and snow.

To enjoy these fruits, I decided to create a crabapple jelly. Cinnamon, cardamom, and a splash of maple syrup were all that I added to the recipe, and the natural pectin was enough to produce the desired thickness.

Beyond edibility, crabapples are packed with nutrition and medicine. The deep red and purple pigments found within their fruits, leaves, and flowers owe their colors to antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Necessary for the plant’s survival, these antioxidants are essential for optimal functioning within our bodies as well.

Quercetin, a flavonoid in crabapples, has been shown to possess anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and muscle-relaxing properties (Jan et al., 2010). Additionally, pectin – the gelling polysaccharide – has been shown to demonstrate cholesterol and triglyceride lowering activities (Boyer et al., 2004).

No need to lament the changing season … enjoy the winter harvest for all that is offered! Crabapples and other fruits can still be gathered this time of year in western Pennsylvania, offering – in addition to their nutrition and medicine – tenacity and resilience built from their wild environments.

January 12, 2015
by Adam 1 Comment

Medicine From The Forest – Extracting The Chaga Fungus

If you don’t implement your own medicinal strategy, you’ll be prescribed someone else’s … and theirs most likely won’t be anywhere near as effective as a preventative plan chosen by you with intention and care.

The chaga fungus (Inonotus obliquus) constitutes a large portion of my medicinal strategy. Used for centuries in traditional Siberian medicine, it has been gaining a lot of popularity in the Western world. Scientific research repeatedly reveals that chaga possesses anti-tumor, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory activities. Because of this, and because it grows in the birch forests of Pennsylvania, I have made wild-harvested chaga a medicinal staple.

This is a photograph of an alcoholic extraction of chaga, created on November 22nd and pulled 6 weeks later on the January full moon. Included in the extraction are fresh vanilla beans for enhanced flavor.

Remember, there’s more to health than the food we eat and the exercise we get. And although we most likely were never taught this in the high school health education classroom, a personalized medicinal strategy is also imperative for optimal health.

January 10, 2015
by Adam Leave a comment

Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) – Winter Medicine In Pennsylvania

It’s not too difficult to find a member of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) in the grocery store (kale, broccoli, radish, canola oil, horseradish, etc.). It’s not too difficult to find one in lawns, parks, woods, swamps, farmlands, meadows, and backyards either.

Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) is one of those cruciferous vegetables we can find with ease in Pennsylvania … even this time of the year. True to its name, the stems, petioles, and upper surfaces of its leaves are sparsely hairy (look closely, you’ll see it).

Many cruciferous organisms provide a nice kick to the palate when eaten. This bitter taste (very apparent in the wild mustards) is created by certain sulfur-containing chemicals within the plants themselves, known as glucosinolates.

These compounds, along with their metabolites, help to facilitate detoxification within our bodies, especially in the processing and removal of xenobiotics (chemicals that are foreign to our bodies). Glucosinolates and their metabolites also act as anti-tumor agents (Johnson 2002).

Members of the Brassicaceae family are ubiquitous in nature (over 3,000 species worldwide). It may be a wise strategy to include some of these edible and medicinal allies into our diets, as studies have shown that increased intakes of cruciferous vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer (Kolonel et al., 2000), colon cancer (Voorrips et al., 2000), lung cancer (Feskanich et al., 2000), and breast cancer (Terry et al., 2001).

And of course, studies routinely show that wild plants generally contain higher levels of nutritional and medicinal compounds than cultivated plants.

Meaning, in addition to kale and broccoli, get out there and harvest bittercress and other wild mustards!

In a world with 84,000+ synthetic chemicals released into the atmosphere since 1975; in a world where the risk of a man and woman developing cancer in their lifetime is 1 in 2 and 1 in 3 respectively (stop and think about that for a moment)…

…it is the wild crucifer who acts as protector.

January 7, 2015
by Adam 1 Comment

Medicinal Mushrooms For Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

They don’t call them “medicinal mushrooms” for nothing…

In a very recent study using human participants, all 3 of these – reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), turkey tail (Trametes versicolor), and chicken mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) – aided in clearance of oral human papillomavirus (HPV).

After 2 months of treatment, the combination of reishi and turkey tail was much more effective (displaying 88% clearance of the virus), compared to chicken mushroom alone (5% clearance). While there are numerous strains of this sexually transmitted virus, these mushrooms (i.e. allies, companions, friends) were tested against the strains that cause cancers in 70% of all cases. And they were effective … not in petri dishes, but in humans (International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2014).

Turkey tail is one of the most ubiquitous fungi inhabiting our woodlands in Pennsylvania. It overwinters, meaning you can harvest it today. The chicken mushroom, while not nearly as effective as the others against HPV, is fairly common and can be harvested early summer through autumn. Experts contend over whether the true reishi mushroom (G. lucidum) grows in North America, and it seems that perhaps this fungus is part of a species complex. Several closely related fungi (i.e. G. tsugae) are common in the American forests, especially in western Pennsylvania.

Meaning … the medicine is all around us, not just for HPV, but for well-balanced optimal health. The question is, how bad do you want it?

For more information on the anti-cancer properties of medicinal mushrooms, please check out an article I wrote for my wild food nutrition blog (Wild Foodism), entitled 3 New Studies Demonstrate The Anti-Tumor Efffects Of 3 Medicinal Mushrooms.

January 4, 2015
by Adam Leave a comment

Stinging Nettles – Wild Winter Food In Western Pennsylvania

Fresh edible greens in January … yes it’s true in Pennsylvania.

Among other wild greens, stinging nettles (Urtica sp.) can be found growing close to the ground this early into the year – providing a nice boost of chlorophyll to my diet as winter manifests.

Furthermore, to extend their usefulness into February and March, I harvest and dry the leaves (earlier in the year), and enjoy late-winter stinging nettle infusions.

This organism is quite unlike some of the highly-domesticated greens found in the grocery store. Nettles have been extensively researched and shown to treat, among other conditions, benign prostatic hyperplasia (using the root; you can harvest that now, too), type 2 diabetes, and allergies.

But wait, there’s more. A brand new study published in Pharmaceutical Biology (2014) found that a protein fraction from the stinging nettle aerial portion displayed potent antioxidant and anti-mutagenic activities, which the researchers stated could potentially be useful in chemoprevention.

And to think, this powerful plant – full of nutrition and medicine (and no cost) – may live not too far from your home …

To learn more health benefits derived from the use of this incredible entity, please check out a piece I recently created over at my wild food nutrition blog (Wild Foodism), entitled 6 Double-Blind Human Studies Revealing The Health Benefits Of Stinging Nettle.

January 2, 2015
by Adam Leave a comment

New Winter Foraging Video Coming Soon!

I spent New Year’s Eve shooting a brand new video on the benefits of foraging for food … specifically in the winter months. Sure, it may be cold and blustery in western Pennsylvania during this season, though in this video I outline 3 reasons why we may want to reconsider hanging up the foraging basket.

If you’d like to be among the first to view this video, please sign up for the Foraging Pittsburgh newsletter, where I occasionally send out information regarding wild food nutrition, recipes, resources, walks in the Pittsburgh area, and more.

Look for the video next week!

You can sign up for the newsletter here (though of course you’re free to do as you choose!):

December 30, 2014
by Adam Leave a comment

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom (Panellus serotinus) – An Edible Winter Fungus

panellusserotinus2

Scarcity is only a perception, one that I find is eradicated easily by stepping into the forest. Regardless of what the holiday marketers tell you, abundance is all around us … and this abundance requires no down payment. This is what the late fall oyster mushroom has taught me.

No matter the season, no matter the weather … local food is available. Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.

It’s December and fairly cold here in Pittsburgh, and local food is just a fallen tree away.

The late fall oyster mushroom (Panellus serotinus) is a cold-weather fungus traditionally eaten in Japan, where it is known as Mukitake. It has a wide distribution in the United States, and is very common in Pennsylvania. It’s a tough mushroom, one that requires slow, long cooking for best texture and flavor. Still, to get wild nutrition and medicine into your body, the late fall oyster mushroom can easily satisfy that need.

Speaking of medicine, research has shown that Panellus serotinus possesses anti-tumor and immuno-modulating activities, like many medicinal mushrooms (Kim et al., 2012). This is primarily due to its concentration of beta-glucans, which can easily be extracted through prolonged hot water decoctions (teas, soups). The late fall oyster mushroom, as shown in animal studies, also displays protection against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia (Inoue et al., 2013).

Not bad for a log-decomposer who doesn’t ask for much.

Look for this mushroom on dead hardwood logs and branches, and though its season is slowly dwindling, fruiting bodies are still plentiful this time of year. Colors vary – I’ve seen blends of grey, orange, yellow, and green. Look-alikes include the mock oyster (Phyllotopsis nidulans), though its cap is mostly orange, and its smell is rather unpleasant. Panellus serotinus also resembles the classic oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), though the latter rarely contains shades of yellow/orange, can be much bigger, and is a choice edible anyway.

Keep an eye out for late fall oyster mushrooms on your next trek through the woods. And tell them Adam sent ya…

December 29, 2014
by Adam Leave a comment

Rose Hips And Cardiovascular Disease

High blood pressure? Elevated cholesterol? Are you consuming rose hips? If you answered Yes, Yes, and No … read on.

Research from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2012) analyzed the effects of rose hip consumption on cardiovascular risk markers. Compared to the control group (no treatment), the participants who received ground rose hips as part of a drink demonstrated significant reductions in plasma levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). Systolic blood pressure (the top number) was also significantly lower than that in the control group. Overall, and this is a key takeaway … the data demonstrated a significant reduction in 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease.

To receive these particular benefits of rose hips at home, here are some important pieces of information taken from the study. 80 grams of rose hips were used, which is approximately 3 ounces, and blended into a drink that was consumed daily for 6 weeks. Rosa canina, the dog rose, was the species chosen for this study (this image is the multiflora rose, or Rosa multiflora). Seeds were removed and discarded, and the remaining flesh was ground to a powder.

The last bit of information is important, as the study’s researchers attributed both the cholesterol and blood pressure lowering effects primarily to the fiber content of rose hips, which is preserved in the ground powder. Teas and tinctures, while still immensely valuable, will not contain the same fiber content (if any at all) as that found in the flesh itself.

Autumn and winter are great seasons to harvest rose hips (meaning right now), and they are quite visible amongst the naked branches and snow-covered vegetation. It goes without mention that they’re free in the wild, and sometimes in your backyard (I’ve never seen a free prescription drug in either of these places).

Of course, there is no replacement for high-quality diet and lifestyle habits, and rose hip powder alone may not save the world from cardiovascular disease. However, as part of an intentional and deliberate strategy to improve cholesterol and blood pressure levels, roses may be just the thing you’re looking for (yes, I did end this sentence with a preposition).

Thanks for reading this far!

(Photo taken in Allison Park, Pennsylvania)

December 19, 2014
by Adam Leave a comment

Clavaric Acid, An Anti-Cancer Compound Found In Pennsylvania’s Mushrooms

Let mushrooms be your medicine …

Club coral (Clavariadelphus truncatus, left) and brick caps (Hypholoma sublateritium, right) are two mushrooms that inhabit western Pennsylvania. And both mushrooms share a unique and remarkable trait: possession of the anti-cancer, anti-tumor compound – clavaric acid (not an illegal act in the forests apparently).

Within our bodies, there are genes (“ras” genes) which code for numerous proteins that function in cell growth and differentiation. This is normal. Mutations in these genes, however, can code for proteins that essentially become “stuck” in the growth signal transmission state – leading to uncontrollable growth … which could eventually result in cancerous conditions.

Ras proteins require enzymes known as FPTases for both normal and cancerous activities. An inhibitor of these enzymes, research suggests, may be an effective way to impede cancerous proliferation. And what do ya know … the compound isolated from these mushrooms – clavaric acid – has been shown to be an effective FPTase inhibitor. Research also suggests that these inhibitors may be effective cancer-prevention tools, particularly against colorectal, pancreatic, and lung cancers (Kelloff et al., 1997).

I don’t know too many people who own laboratories, so it may be difficult for us to isolate clavaric acid ourselves. These mushrooms are edible though, and perhaps we are consuming minuscule levels of this compound with every bite. And perhaps these minuscule levels aren’t for naught … maybe they really do add up. And maybe they’re absolutely necessary – all these myco and phytochemicals – for us to thrive today in a world teeming with at least 84,000 synthetically-derived chemicals (released into the environment since 1975, according to the TSCA Chemical Substance Inventory).

Club coral (left) can be found among coniferous woods in late summer and fall (a bit too late for them now … this picture was taken in late August). Brick caps (right) can be harvested throughout autumn, sometimes into the early winter months. Everything we need (yes, everything) is all around us … not necessarily at the mall, not necessarily in the supermarket … but surely in nature.