Bourbon Mushrooms, Retail Psychedelics and Anti Aging!
Fungi Fridays - December 9th, 2022 - Issue #60
Fungi Friday fam,
Guess what? It’s that time of the week again — Happy Fungi Friday! Would you believe that after today we are officially three Friday’s away from 2023? My how quick a year goes. Feels like just yesterday I was writing issue #10 for you all and 2022 was just beginning. And now, we’ve gone through an entire growing season. Made all the mistakes in the book. Hopefully learned a bunch for next year, and are in that phase where it’s all about preparation for 2023.
The fungi world doesn’t stop with the weather though, and neither will we. We’ll be here each and every week to bring you the biggest stories in fungi, keeping you up to date on all of the interesting things going on around the world. So let’s jump into it!
The Wait Outside Portland’s Unlicensed Psychedelic Mushroom Store Is Over Two Hours Long
Each week, I scan the internet for the most interesting stories related to mushrooms, fungi and psilocybin, and this story by far was the most covered this week. And for good reason, as it seems business is booming at the Shroom House on West Burnside, in Portland Oregon. What’s all the hype about, you ask? Well, it’s a cash only storefront that while not technically legal yet, is selling psychedelic mushrooms to anyone willing to part with $40 and show their driver’s license.
Being that it’s not legal to sell to retail consumers without a license, which for those unaware, have not begun to get approved by the Oregon Health Authority yet, it’s only a matter of time before this tiny storefront gets shut down. For now, however, they have sometimes up to two hour lines of consumers waiting for their chance to be served.
Although Oregonians voted to legalize the sale of psychedelic mushrooms in 2020, the licensing system has yet to get off the ground. Applications open in one month. And while the police are aware of the allegations of what is happening here, at least as of my writing this, it seems they’re still open for business. Who know’s, guess we’ll have to update you next week as to whether that is still the case.
Researchers developing way to grow 'bourbon mushrooms' from spent bourbon grains
If you know me, you know that I love a good bourbon… and because of that, feature number two of the week is right up my alley! You see, researchers in Kentucky are taking leftover, spent bourbon grains and using them to grow gourmet mushrooms. They're growing mushrooms oyster, lion's mane and shitake, and they’re solving a problem for the distillery while they do it.
The problem that they’re solving is for every one gallon of bourbon produced, a distiller is left with 10 gallons of stillage, which is pretty much the leftover of the fermentation and distillation process. This stillage is good grain, but it's not something that you can easily just dump on the ground and thus its tough to repurpose elsewhere, at least until now.
And while I know you’re probably wondering, unfortunately no… there's no alcohol in the mushrooms. But that’s alright. If the end goal is to teach local distilleries how to grow the mushrooms on their own, I’d still say that’s a win!
Study supports anti-ageing, neuro-protective properties of mushroom extracts
Our final feature this week breaks down a study looking at the effects of mushroom extract on lifespan. Specifically, it examines extracts from Maitake and Lion’s Mane, showing that these mushrooms may exert anti-aging effects in yeast to maximize lifespans. The study, out of Italy, found that these mushrooms contained a mixture of beta-glucans, amino acids, fatty acids, ergosterol and ergothioneine. The ergothioneine, when used on yeast cells, resulted in extending lifespan of the cells by three to five times their normal life.
All in all, the study came to the conclusion that taken together as functional food, these mushrooms may be able to slow aging and prevent age related disorders, support the brain-health, which I think is safe to say would be a win for all of humanity!
Want even more? Here are some other interesting, mushroom focused reads of the week:
How to Grow Hydroponic Mushrooms: Setup, Temperature, and Other Requirements
Project seeks to learn how to grow super mushrooms, with termites as teachers
I Tried Microdosing Mushrooms For My Anxiety — Here's What Happened
Study suggests psilocybin increases mindfulness, especially when accompanied by mystical experiences
As always, thank you for reading this weeks edition of Fungi Friday’s! We are especially thankful for all of you who spend your Friday lunch with us, learning about all things Fungi. If you enjoyed what you found, please feel free to forward to friends also interested in the Fungi Community!
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