Mushrooms and the Genius of Paul Stamets

1. Cleaning Polluted Earth -A forest’s health often hinges on the quantity and variety of mushrooms that are found in the area. The organisms help to provide nutrients and vitamins to trees, and their large mass has a unique ability to keep vegetation and soil together. Mushrooms are also a hydrocarbon factory, and because of their rapid rate of growth, they can quickly make carbohydrates from carbon that is in the surrounding environment;

2. Naturally Produced Insecticides-The network of mycelium that connects individual mushrooms has a natural ability to get rid of termites and carpenter ants. Because the product is usually transported back by individuals to a larger colony, there is no need to spread the insecticide around. Additionally, mushrooms can permanently repel future invaders after an initial infestation has been eliminated. The pesticide industry reports that this natural insecticide is one of the most powerful and effective solutions that has ever been encountered;

3. Medicine Potential -Mushrooms can also be used to develop new antibiotics. Since the organisms are prone to the same types of pathogens as humans, their natural response to stimuli has a practical benefit in the medical field. Mushrooms may offer protection from bacterial infections, and this could provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive prescription medications;

4. Self-Sustaining Ecosphere -As mushrooms senesce and begin to rot, they help to promote an ecosystem that is self sustaining. Various bacteria feed on the mushrooms and help to provide nourishment for future generations of trees and other organisms. At home, it is incredibly easy to spread around mushroom compost, and a simple cardboard box can be used to transport the product to a local garden or a community forest;

5. Restoring Habitat –Mushrooms provide a host of benefits to the plant life in a forest, and these same advantages are also transferred to insects. Spores in mature specimens attract bugs that lay eggs and thereby attract birds. After eating the insect larvae, birds can help to spread mushrooms spores to other areas, much in the same way that they help to move seeds around the planet. Mushrooms can even be used to help address the environmental issues that are associated withe modern industrial farming practices. With places that have an increased level of E. Coli or other bacteria in the soil, mushrooms can reduce the amount of harmful organisms in as little as 48 hours;

6. Producing Fuel – Since mushrooms are composed of cellulose, they can help to generate ethanol and provide the energy that is essential for today’s economy. By thriving off of debris and other natural materials, mushrooms are incredibly cost effective to grow, and this can help to reduce the total cost for energy. The fuel that is generated from mushrooms is completely renewable, and the product can easily be generated in any location to reduce the need for energy to transport fuel to consumers.

Paul Stamets offers a host of benefits with minimal capital investment and few risks, mushrooms are an ideal product that has not received the deserved recognition. The organisms can create antibiotics and other medicines, help to sustain forests, produce insecticides, and provide fuel for modern civilization. In addition, with new research in the field, mushrooms may even be able to provide energy on other planets because they have a special ability to transform radiation into usable fuel.