Mushrooms Of Sikkim

A 5000-year-old mummified corpse found in 1991 in the Italian Apls known as the Iceman had a mushroom known commonly as the horse hoof fungus (fomes fomentarius) with him. This mushroom has been used for many things like making a fire (Firestarter), as an insect repellent, and even cauterization of various skin conditions and wounds. There are some records of this mushroom being used to make ‘mushroom leather’ in Central Asia and in particular caps were made from this mushroom leather. Human beings have been using mushrooms for thousands of years for a variety of purposes besides eating them.

 As the interest around mushrooms continues to build and studies become more common, we have found amazing potential in a lot of unexpected ways with fungi and mushrooms alike. So today we will look at some applications and the impact that mushrooms can bring about in the world.

1. Mushroom Leather: Mushrooms have been used to make mushroom leather for thousands of years. In recent times the rise of cruelty free clothing and shoes has built up an immense space where mushrooms can fit in. Mushroom leather or Vegan leather or synthetic leather as it is known to many has vast potential to replace all leather. Surprisingly such mushroom leather material can even be fabricated from the mycelium of oyster mushrooms which is probably the most eaten mushroom in the world. Mushroom leather has several advantages as compared to real leather, it is easily grown, cost effective, planet friendly and cruelty free. This growing industry will also provide a much-needed detour from tanning etc. which is a resource intense process using copious amounts of water and chemicals. There are so many mushrooms that can be used to make leather out of.  

2. Natural Dyes: Mushrooms can be used to create eco-friendly and natural dyes. The process of making dyes from mushrooms is quite simple and its something that can be done on a smaller as well as a much larger scale. You can use mushroom dyes from common mushrooms to liven up your art and craft projects. It is also a fun activity that can be taught to kids.

3. Mushroom Paper: The process of making paper from mushrooms is quite like the traditional way of making paper out of wood. It is a recently found application of mushrooms and it has the potential of becoming an environmentally friendlier means of manufacturing paper. The tougher wood-based mushrooms like Ganoderma (reishi), fomes fomentarius and Trametes versicolor are some excellent candidates for making paper out of. These hardy and robust mushrooms can be collected as well as cultivated with some effort. Mushrooms have the potential to dramatically affect our carbon footprint and the fact that they do not take up a lot of space in terms of cultivation also makes their case stronger.

4. Packaging Materials: Bio degradable packaging materials can be made from the mycelium of mushrooms. This alternative could be a game changer for this industry which is not only fast growing but also contributes significantly to our carbon footprint. Bio degradable plastic like materials have also been created out of mushrooms and could become our main weapon in the fight against plastic pollution and waste. Many big companies around the world have already transitioned to using myco-based packaging materials as this has quickly emerged as a more sustainable alternative.

These are just some of the amazing applications of mushrooms and we have only touched the tip of the iceberg here. The scope of their applications is limitless and we will continue to explore some of these possibilities in the next part of this series. When we started on our own journey into knowing more about the mycoverse we started to realize that mushrooms could help us in reclaiming our connection to the earth itself which we believe and understand, is vital to us preserving this beautiful planet for future generations.