Foraging Pittsburgh

One particular fungus really begins to shine this time of year when hardly a mushroom wishes to poke its fruiting body from the earth. I am referring to the aptly named Turkey Tail fungus (Trametes versicolor).

Turkey Tail is not difficult to locate, as it’s one of the most ubiquitous fungi found in our woodlands. Look around at the logs, stumps, and fallen branches in your neck of the woods – and you may eventually discover Turkey Tail. It’s not necessarily edible (too tough), though it sure is medicinal.

One particular study found that Turkey Tail can improve immune system status in immuno-compromised breast cancer patients following conventional cancer treatment (Torkelson et al., 2012). These findings are extremely important, as the study was not conducted on animals, nor in petri dishes, but rather on living human subjects.

A more recent human trial (again – not in animals, nor in petri dishes) found that a polysaccharide extracted from Turkey Tail mycelia displayed prebiotic effects in the human microbiome (stimulating the growth and maintenance of beneficial intestinal bacteria). In the same study, participants who were instead fed Amoxicillin (an antibiotic) demonstrated detrimental shifts towards more pathogenic bacteria in their microbiome, with effects lasting up to 42 days after their final antibiotic dose (Pallav et al., 2014).

Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in conventional medicine. According to the CDC, up to 50% of all antibiotics prescribed are not needed or not optimally effective. The threat of antibiotic overuse is massive, of which the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance is but one manifestation. Additionally, Clostridium difficile infections are on the rise due to overuse of antibiotics, leading to numerous preventable deaths.

A wise first-line strategy would be to optimize our intestinal flora as best we can, and it seems that Turkey Tail may be able to help. Its medicine is easy to acquire. Hot water decoctions can be created and sipped as a tea, or simmered in broth and consumed as a soup. Additionally, dual extractions can be created, first in alcohol, then in hot water, and finally combined.

Turkey Tail is a great mushroom to hunt in the late autumn and winter months. While there are look-alikes, most are benign. Happy fall foraging!

(Photo taken November 1st in western Pennsylvania)

Ah yes, I’m glad these woods carry honey mushrooms. And look, freshly stocked … no line either!

Well, maybe I shouldn’t consider it a “good” thing, as honey mushrooms are known to be some of the most aggressive mushrooms in nature, parasitizing trees and eventually causing their destruction. I’ll rephrase my opening statement to “It is what it is.”

Honey mushrooms are part of a species complex (Armillaria mellea complex), incorporating at least a dozen distinct species. They share characteristics, however, that can be used to tell them apart from other mushrooms in separate genera: Honey mushrooms have a veil (unless they’re ringless honey mushrooms … a separate species), they usually contain small dark hairs on the cap, they grow in clusters on wood – though the wood may be buried, and their spore print is white.

They’re a prized edible, somewhat resembling shiitake mushrooms (cooked, of course). They’re also quite medicinal. Research has shown that a water-soluble polysaccharide from the honey mushroom exhibits a potent tumor inhibitory effect on human lung cancer cells (Wu et al., 2012). The mycelia (the fungal “root-like” network) possesses an antibiotic compound, armillaric acid, that is effective against gram-positive bacteria and yeast (Obuchi et al., 1990). Honey mushrooms also contain the biologically active compounds tryptamine, L-tryptophan, and serotonin (Muszynska et al., 2011).

This is not generally considered a “beginner’s mushroom.” It may be confused with the deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata), which, as its name suggests, is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the forest (and was growing not too far from this spot). The deadly Galerina is more fragile than a honey mushroom, has a smoother cap, and produces rusty-brown spores. For positive identification, field guides are great, though trusted mycological identifiers are the best.

Long live the autumn mushroom season!