The Fungus Among Us: Reishi Edition
Written by Erik Harris
Reishi mushrooms are one of my favorite mushrooms to forage for in the wild!
Every year they grow on dead hemlock trees near my house. They often come up on the same tree year after year. We have many hemlocks that are dead or dying in our area due to the hemlock woolly adelgid bug.
We are lucky to benefit from the medicine that comes out of the dying of the trees. We can tap into that connection with the cycles of life, death and rebirth. The mushrooms are here to help us transform.
Reishi are unmistakable for any other mushroom. They are a polypore mushroom that grows shelf-like on the trees. They grow from as small as your hand to as big as your torso!
They start off white and then grow into a red and orange layer on top and stay white on the bottom. In their maturity they turn crimson colored on top. In my neck of the woods the Reishi peak times for growing in the wild are from the middle of May to the middle of July.
It just so happens to be the same time of the fire element in Chinese medicine which represents early summer. Isn’t it cool that they kind of look like fire red and orange! I always like to sit and meditate with them before harvesting. They have so much wisdom. They look like they are from out of this world. And maybe they are from another dimension!
The best way to harvest them is to take a sharp knife and cut at the base. It can be a little tedious depending how big the mushroom is.
Be patient and move slowly to not harm the mycelium. The mycelium are the interconnected network of mushrooms underground. When you see the mushrooms those are actually the “flowers” of the larger fungal network.
I like to preserve the base so that they can continue to do what they are meant to do in nature. I have even seen a new reishi grow back in its place!
What are some of the things that Reishi is good for?
Reishi is an adaptogenic herb that has a very calming effect on the body. From a TCM perspective it can help to tonify the Shen which resides in our heart. The Shen is our spirit and when it is out of balance patterns of anxiety and depression are very common.
Reishi is an incredible herb for mental health. This is one of the #1 issues that past couple years and we all can continue to use support in this area. So isn’t that amazing that at a time with so much unrest and uncertainty with so many facets of life, Reishi grows in abundance so we can all utilize her medicine for healing? I certainly think so.
This is an excerpt from americandragon.com
"Some sources say that this herb strengthens the Middle Jiao, tonifies Jing, improves intelligence, detoxifies and removes accumulations.
This herb is called “the food of the immortals”.
Some sources classify this herb as a Qi Tonic.
One source states that this herb removes toxins.
This is a very woody fungus which needs to be sliced before cooking to extract the ingredients. It is also helpful to soak it in warm water before boiling.”
Jiao is what is known as the middle burner. Where the organs of liver, gallbladder & spleen and stomach. Jing is our original qi given to us from our mother and father and is housed in our kidneys. When they talk about accumulations that is referring to fibroids, tumors, and cysts. Another thing that it is good for is helping to purify blood and boost the blood cell counts.
I use this mushroom year round to help give me energy, keep me calm, boost the immune system, help with pain, and so much more…It really can help with so many things. I highly recommend adding this medicinal superfood into your health regimen.
For a limited time I am offering 15% off Reishi tinctures sale ends 6/21
For even more information, check out this video I made about how to prepare Reishi after harvesting.
https://youtu.be/PkE8aNeS6Ok
Written by Erik Harris
If you ever want to join me on a forage walk to learn how to forage for wild plants and mushrooms join my newsletter to stay up to date on my upcoming events.
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Contact erik@chiforhealing.com
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