By Logan Keister
The Oregon Reishi, Latin name: Ganoderma oregonense
How do you experience mushroom medicines? Specifically the polypores, conks, shelf mushrooms? Many years I’ve spent digging through the research trying to come to an understanding of what this medicine is. When I drink many cups of strong tea of Reishi or Red Ring Conk, I feel myself start drifting off into a waking lucid dream state. Coming across them in the wild. Remembering tales of the Chinese mystics wandering through the mountains and valleys, performing their sacred rituals to appease the Reishis of the wild. To honor the blessing to come across such a being. To ritualize the privilege of getting to imbue in its wild medicine. Understanding that the Reishi decides to reveal itself to you, you never find it.
When I read the research I am presented with a long list of anti’s. Anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, etc. These lists were not enough for me. Why was it antimicrobial? Does it have constituents that kill off all microbes, or maybe just some of them? Do these constituents target the not so good microflora while sparing the righteous? Or is it an increase in the host defense of the consumer, boosting their own immunological defenses against potential pathogenic microbes?
So I dug deeper. I learned of the many pathways activated by the various constituents. The triterpenes and their antioxidant properties. their bitter flavor profile The beta-glucans which increase the production of both pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines (cell signals), the immune-modulatory cytokines, the T regulatory cells, and so on.
Once I began to garner what all the functions of all these constituents and physiological pathways were, I decided to take a step back and decipher what it all meant to me. What is the big picture?
To me, I see this as a deep form of communication with one of our close yet very ancient ancestors. In our evolution, we all came from the same single-celled ancestor. Over millennia we diverged into our separate kingdoms. Early on the ancient ancestors that became plants engulfed another organism. This organism had the ability to harvest light and create sugar from the sun’s energy. So this ancient plant ancestor continued engulfing it as it took in its rich food. Over time this engulfing no longer became necessary and the 2 organisms became one. This was the origin of the chloroplast. This is what gives plants the ability to feed off of sunlight.
We of course cannot photosynthesize and neither can fungi. So we continued on our evolution together as the plants diverged from us. Eventually, we went our separate ways with the fungi. Claiming our own kingdom doth called Animalia and theirs a kingdom fungi.
Why is it then that when we consume the plant ally medicines that they imbue such a specific medicine? A well-targeted effect for the most part. Specific organ affinities, physiological actions, the energetics of temperature, moisture change, stimulation, and relaxation. We still contain many of the same receptor sites as our plant relatives and many of the same organelles. Maybe that is why when we consume plant medicines a communication occurs that is so ancient as to be specifically targeted. A far greater divergence evolved between us. A divergence into specific medicine, a concise communication, very ancient, yet not forgotten.
So now with fungi, mainly the polypores, their effects to me seem so well rounded. Seemingly touching on almost all areas of our being. Rather than specificity, they seem to imbue themselves into the major communication networks of the body. Speaking to our cells directly. Watching as our immune systems shift, altering the balance of our dynamic homeostasis. Bringing their consciousness into our own. A state of lucidity while dreaming awake. As if connected to another being like a tree and knowing that its decomposition will spell your own demise eventually. So why not take it slow? Sit back, relax, and eat with patience. Defending your throne while remaining in place, maintaining one's vital force. Sparing your energy, concocting potions of specialized metabolites within yourself. Rich immunity flowing through your being. Remaining vital and calm as you continue in your digestion in this temporary existence.
It is as if their medicine brings in the communication of an ancient ancestor. As we chose to move fast through the world, these relatives chose to move slowly. Their long term survival guaranteed, ours always in question. So our ancient relatives talk to our bodies. They remind us of where we came from. What we were like in our primordial forms. Learning again these ancient lessons of how vitality is built through stillness. Action being our gift and our great burden. What will one day spell our demise as the beings who move slowly seem immortal in their evolution to remain in this world. Spores drift through space, still viable. We are limited by our reproductive capabilities and need for resources. Remind us again great relatives of where we came from.
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