Soma Like it Hot: The Science of Mushrooms

Fungi generally tend to evoke negative sentiments. But in reality, they have been some of the most game changing organisms for human civilisation. In this video we explore the trippy world of mushrooms.
Further reading
Mushrooms as a protein source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Mushrooms as a source of Vitamin D: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
How to cook mushrooms beautifully: www.washingtonpost.com/food/2...
Umami in Mushrooms: www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Mushroom Taxonomy: www.mushroomexpert.com/taxono...
KZbin (English): / @krishashok
KZbin (Tamil): / @masalalabtamil
Instagram: / _masalalab
Twitter: / krishashok
Masala Lab (Hardcover): www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Scie...
Masala Lab (Paperback): www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Scie...
Reference & Video Credits
1. Full details of mushroom structure - www.scitechnol.com/peer-revie...
2. ⁠Recent promising use in mental health - www.dl.begellhouse.com/journa...
3. Impact of Penicillin www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
4. ⁠Real story of Penicillin - www.pbs.org/newshour/health/t...
5. ⁠Useful molecules from fungi - www.nature.com/articles/ja201...
6. ⁠Insulin production from yeast - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Wood wide web Video clips
• WOOD WIDE WEB

[@kasimalikhan2540]

Sir big fan and has transformed the whole life through your wisdom this is a first comment please pin it

[@krishashok]

Sure!

[@aakhthuu]

Tranformed life still seeks pinned comment, thx for pinning🙏🏾

[@reneedebevits5518]

Amanita has 9 amino acids also only found in meat - it’s great for vegans !

[@reneedebevits5518]

Loved this video!

[@Rampracaash]

Mythology, chemistry, biology, physics, history all in one..

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@abhishekisworking]

Thank you for solving the eternal problem of 'so much to learn, so little time'. Your compact, information dense videos are so much fun to watch and learn from.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@arindamchatterjee5825]

I just cannot commend or praise you enough for writing such a beautiful script! Superb explanation. Amazing storytelling feel. Your dedication towards science is just incomparable! Penicillin always blows my mind, everytime! Thankyou Sir for existing. Keep up the good work.❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@Rahul-fk3bt]

In Bengali, mushrooms are known as 'Byanger Chhata', which literally means the umbrella of a frog. Most probably because mushrooms are often seen in the soggy time of monsoon which is also the mating season for the frogs. It is wonderful how languages shape the perception. Love your videos!

[@vitahavyakadalayil6635]

It is Chaatraka in Sanskrit. Forbidden by Manu.

[@amitmiki]

Damn. The video lasted only 15mins but the research behind this must have taken days together. Can't believe all this is free!

[@krishashok]

Hehe thank you!

[@user-dd6pw6bp7e]

Soma was found in the mountains of Hindu Kush and hence it's reference is limited in other Vedas. It is described as a leafless shrub. It is widely believed to be ephedra, which when put in boiling water infuses it with ephedrine. This leads to the heightened state of consciousness that the rishis wrote the Rg veda with.

[@philliasphog6689]

Amazing summary, the cooking recommendation I have never heard before and was brilliant.

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@chandrashekarr9390]

Thank you for the packaging of lovely info on mushrooms within 15 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt new info.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@sripriyahema]

I am based in US and enjoy your videos. I use a lot of mushrooms and vareities in my recipes like Lions mane, maitaki, champagne, chicken of the woods, Chagga, cordyceps etc. These are very good to build immunity and cancer prevention.

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@krishnanunnig2584]

Amazed at the consistently high quality content you deliver. The impeccable story telling makes it absolutely gripping. Thank You for enlightening us in an entertaining way 👍🏻😊

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@koorka]

Absolutely brilliant. What flow of information through various subjects that explain the wonders of mushroom. Truly the best KZbin channel in general and particularly on food and nutrition.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@aayushtanejaa]

The knowledge you have and share is priceless! Hats off to you sir. Keep creating such beautiful videos and sharing it to the community. Big fan!

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@LookingForAnotherPlanet]

Fantastic amount of information in so little time. Bravo!

[@minecraftsaurus5765]

In Tamil, mushroom is called dog's umbrella. In Hindi, it is called dog's urination organ (कुकुरमुत्ता). Sounds very similar.

[@AkhilaChandran]

I watched it eating an oyster mushroom toast, and my mind and tummy feels good about it!! Thanks Krish!

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@monalisabanerjee2400]

Amazing treasure trove of knowledge! Thank you for doing all you do and being!

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@vaishalihardikar6069]

Very interesting! I am always waiting to see what's coming up. Thanks for presenting the food science in such a fascinating way. 🙏🙏

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@rakesh8962]

Amazed at the amount of research that you do for a single video and practically free delivered. Thanks a lot Krish garu.

[@krishashok]

Thank yoU!

[@user-eh4qn7jx1x]

Ashok has brought a unique and most useful blog to internet. I am not much of a browser but listening to Ashok increases intellectual bandwidth so thanks a million Ashok and keep it up!!

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@susmitachowdhury542]

Excellent. Witty n very informative---- one of d best videos! Thank u.🎉

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@jishnuzz]

One of your best videos. Onward!

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@gbhaskar4703]

Wise and nice and all that exists in between. Simplyfying complex ideas is no mean task and you are doing it admirably.. Thanks for practical tips too. Keep them coming...

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@TruthT-d8w]

You are a repository of knowledge...and thanks for the revision..

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@punithaevangelin9501]

Beautiful. Thanks for including the tips for coming too

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@KaushikDatye]

Amazing. The use of Geo fiber was very creative. I've been cooking the mushrooms the wrong way. Now, got the perfect guidance. Thanks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@krishashok]

Welcome

[@kmsrajesh]

Very useful information and learning. Thanks 🙏

[@mandeepvarora2873]

Awesome info. Merci de vous 🎉

[@maneeshreddy9694]

Big fan of your content. A notification of you makes me to grab my headphones really quick. small rquest , please do a kick ass guide to increase good gut bacteria , with recipes. i saw few from you. but please do more . Ready to pay for it 🤧

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@NiramayGogateKSJC]

Man, amazing video. Enjoyed!

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@utkarshpathak8566]

You truly inspired and motivated me to deeply immerse myself in reading about food science.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@gopals9928]

great video, as usual . thanks.

[@deviraja9554]

Awesome info! Thank u.

[@krishashok]

Glad it was helpful!

[@louvinaandrade8704]

My Dad who recently passed away and was on insulin would have loved your story on the connection between mushrooms and insulin. He loved oyster mushrooms lightly fried with onions, tomatoes and pepper powder.

[@krishashok]

My condolences

[@ushashreedhar7016]

Very fascinating.. admire and appreciate the way you present facts

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@naveenj769]

Wow. Seriously. Learnt more in these few mins than in my lifetime. A lot of very interesting tid bits, lots of learning and some even mind opening stuff. Talking abt mind opening, erm which shop sells THOSE ones? 😂😂😂

[@459_nilavratbera4]

2:45 In Bengal we used to call it as " Frog's Umbrella".

[@krishashok]

Ah interesting!

[@vidyashastry6335]

Toadstool

[@littleresearch6664]

Wonderful video, makes me curious about Soma, the holy grail of health.

[@priyaa.r2527]

Wow.. never knew mushrooms were so important and full of nutrients.. thank you !

[@arunkumarkembhavi6503]

Wealth of information. You have a new follower.

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@Hopefulhuman96100]

You never cease to amaze me with your well-researched content, sir! I would kill to learn the art of writing essays/delivering content cohesively like you did! Could you teach me for my exam? 😬

[@krishashok]

Hehe thank you!

[@indu5788]

One of your best :)

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@harshrangrej8660]

Loved it... Thank you sir❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@piyushdodivadiya6222]

Well researched. More entertaining Good work ❤❤❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@vidyashastry6335]

Wonderful topic!

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@chitmengkhong4057]

Fascinating

[@HiSarvesh]

Krish ! You must be a mushroom connecting all science, mythology using your wood wide web !!

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@debatrayeesinha8229]

Fun fact in bengali mushrooms are called banger chhatta which translate to frog's umbrella. But the proportions can be quite relatable though. Kids book in begali when we were grwoing up during 90s often had this depiction of a frog sitting under a mushroom🍄 🐸

[@krishashok]

Heh

[@kcloyindie]

incredible!!

[@antonylazer]

Brilliant Krish, Superb information ❤

[@krishashok]

thank you!

[@none941]

I love shrooms. You're preaching to the choir. 😂

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@AmritAayu]

Nice compilation Krish... you must go through Sushrut Samhita for SOMA... where it's detailed description available. Soma is a creeper / climber.

[@angelinthanga6866]

Nice😊 Very Informative...

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@everyday___life]

In Hindi, it is called Kukur-mutta (Kukkur - Dog, Mutta - Urinated = Grew where dog urinated )

[@samirgawde]

I love mushrooms. Thanks for this knowledge. Just wanted to clarify a point - insulin injections would be beneficial for type 1 diabetics. Type 2 diabetics ( most suffering in India) would have enough insulin in them causing insulin resistant and further aggravating the problem. Would love a video on how lifestyle choices are making most Indians insulin resistant and suffering from metabolic disfunction causing many chronic disease. Keep sharing the knowledge. 🙏

[@Prithwirajt]

How do you collect these information? Fascinating !!

[@cosmicaug]

12:47 «Now let's get to cooking mushrooms. To master how to cook them, it's important to understand their structure. If you look at the cross-section of a mushroom, you will find a lot of gaps between cells that can absorb and hold any kind of fluid; so this is why it's best to not wash them for too long or they will absorb a lot of water and become soggy. This is also why it's better to heat them first in a dry pan for a little bit before adding a small amount of oil or butter. If you start with oil, then the mushroom will absorb all the oil and become greasy. Also, adding salt ahead will end up drying out the mushroom and they will become rubbery and chewy. So dry pan heat mushrooms, then add butter or oil, and then let them nicely brown; finally salt. That's it. You can then use them in your other dishes.» It should be noted that another school of thought exists that suggests almost the opposite approach: actually add water when you begin the cooking mushrooms. This ensures that when the structure of the mushrooms collapses, it does not do so while absorbing and then trapping fats. To get more details, search on KZbin for a video, "Why You Can't Overcook Mushrooms and The Science Behind Them", from the America's Test Kitchen KZbin channel.

[@louvinaandrade8704]

Very useful information as always. One way of keeping mushrooms nice and juicy is to blanch them in boiling hot water and then dunk it in cold water. We used to get a lot of mushrooms in the coffee estates, specially in October from under the coffee bush. When we settled in Mangalore, we cooked one huge mushroom. All of us had to go to hospital in the middle of the night for an injection. Fortunately we recovered in a day. For quite sometime we did not eat mushrooms. Button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms are available here, but the other varieties like portobello and shiitake are not so common. I love to eat raw button mushrooms.

[@krishashok]

Yes!

[@TEXAS2459]

SOMA : Science Of Mushroom Acquisition SOMA : Sound Of my Mom's Agitation

[@mandeepvarora2873]

😂

[@mandeepvarora2873]

As a mother, I can fairly understand what you say 😂

[@krishashok]

Hahaha

[@MohitKumar-qk7wm]

Beautiful!

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@devipriya9459]

Superb sir

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@sharma1237]

Amazing... ❤

[@krishashok]

Thanks 😊

[@devayanibhave7856]

Just loved it

[@krishashok]

thank you!

[@pramodkushwaha2878]

Nice information

[@abhibatchu940]

Soma is sometimes also identified with Ephedra. Some researchers also identify Somaras as a mixture of Ephedra and poppy

[@krishashok]

Yep. Multiple theories, which is why I stuck to “could be”

[@acmaan]

Loved the - “Newly found Cousins” joke. 😂😂😂

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@ayanita_phoenix_saha]

Huge huge fan...❤❤❤

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@santoshshenoy7284]

You are too good Krish!

[@krishashok]

Thank you!

[@gudiabhi]

amazing

[@debashisbarik4805]

Great work! Too bad you missed out on the wildly popular eastern Indian variety - paddy straw mushrooms! Do check out.

[@arunkumarpalanisamy9509]

I eat almost eat everything day and I get cravings for it. Big basket has only oyster and button mushrooms sadly. Happy to know the better cooking process.

[@krishashok]

Great

[@warthog_3433]

Blessings of Nature

[@krishashok]

And evolution

[@MitaRajeshTolia]

Thankyou so much.

[@krishashok]

welcome

[@raspreetsingh7409]

Super !!

[@krishashok]

thank you!

[@jayashreeselvam4383]

Another amazing content😅 Next we need about cruciferous😊

[@krishashok]

Yes, will do

[@tejaswineegore5261]

Wow.... Lots of information which was new to me... Have developed an urge to start trying other varieties of mushrooms... Also can you please tell how to store the mushrooms in refrigerator...

[@krishashok]

Regular compartment, but use quickly

[@sathishganesan9983]

Great video and info share as usual. "SOMA better than SCOTCH"

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@anetavaid5485]

Very interesting

[@krishashok]

thank you!

[@PranavGogwekar]

Amazing information. While a kind of mushrooms are used for soma in kerala by Brahmins for rituals, the Parsis use ephedra for their rituals and so did Oxus culture as found in BMAC archeological site. Soma has two contenders.

[@krishashok]

Fascinating. Yes. Soma’s identity is not quite settled yet

[@rl1900]

Ephedra is what produces ephedrine which is a pre curser for methamphetamine or meth.

[@appsb]

2:46 In Hindi it’s sometimes referred as ‘kukur mutta’ I.e., where dogs pee 😅 Love your contents ❤

[@hansalas]

Not ur standard shitty youtube video.. The level of research and analysis is simply mind-blowing

[@krishashok]

Thank you

[@manishrathi6436]

The thing that got me interested in Mycology was the movie by Miyazaki: "Nausicää of the valley of wind" Please watch it or better if you can read the whole book story

[@krishashok]

Beautiful film

[@navaneeth4u]

Why not add your content in podcast format? These are really awesome

[@krishashok]

I can, but the reliance on visuals is pretty important, so It requires a bit more work to make it audio fiendly

[@thefolksataz]

Are you a human LLM or what? Thoroughly enjoyed the information and the presentation!

[@krishashok]

Haha, aren't we all energy efficient wetware LLMs?

[@cosmicaug]

Do I spy with my little eye, Harold McGee's _On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen_ on the base of the rightmost book stack? I think I do!

[@cosmicaug]

That book is great and is foundational to understanding what is happening when we prepare foods.

[@krishashok]

Indeed!

[@ghastlybaker117]

Hi Ashok, I'm reading your book(it's super!).. could you please, please do a demo of the chapati dough method you suggested. Tried it multiple times but not sure where I'm going wrong. 😢

[@krishashok]

Just try it with slightly less water. Problem is that atta is different in different parts of India

[@sheguftahasnine4765]

I recently found out that they use protease enzymes in detergents, which is also made from fungi

[@krishashok]

Yep!

[@Deadpoolviraledit]

I would love to read the translation/understandable description of the verses where the hallucinogenic effects are described. In my experience Psilocybin is more psychedelic and Amanita has more of a dissociative effect. I have had high strength legally available Amanita gummies and the max I felt was sedation.

[@krishashok]

I think effects vary by person, and the term "hallucination" is probably used loosely in my video.

[@ancientwisdom108]

This is my first discovery of your channel. Ate you based in India? 🙏🌍🕊🕊

[@krishashok]

Yes

[@naureennaqvi8442]

always inspired by your knowledge,whenever i eat stir fried mushroom i feel nauseous and vomit later.But if i eat them properly cooked like a simple mushroom curry it’s ok with me.

[@krishashok]

Everyone reacts uniquely to foods so just eat what works for you without overthinking

[@ramyanic1]

Krish Ashok is the human mushroom- always blowing our minds

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@user-lm2rx7np9g]

Man, the more you know!

[@ragupathiganapathy9925]

Can we use something like this to ferment idly batter powder mix

[@krishashok]

No. Fungal fermentation produces alcohol. Idli uses bacteria

[@caesarcsgo]

Wood wide web is hilarious

[@krishashok]

Hehe

[@acmaan]

Also is for real.. and not just a pun!

[@kishoresriram7455]

Where do you get your T shirts by the way,? Please some deets..

[@yash_varma]

I want to find out which restaurant sells the 3K INR dish and then which store in Chennai stocks these varieties.

[@krishashok]

Hamsa in Gandhi nagar (although I need to check if they still do, since it’s not alwsys available)

[@Vineetrai-ts1oq]

in Hindi we also called Kukurmutta (Dog's Mushroom). In childhood we thing when dogs pee on tree it will grow that's why mutta at the end :)

[@krishashok]

Heh!

[@pranoykanojia3768]

Highly recommended - fantastical read on mushrooms and fungi - “The Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake.

[@krishashok]

One of my favourite books

[@manx4u]

2:40 Love how you said 'Tamizh' and not 'Tamil'!

[@krishashok]

Hehe why would I say it any other way ?

[@manx4u]

@@krishashok In a world where phool is called fool (in Hindi) among numerous such mispronunciations, it's refreshing (and actually pleasantly surprising) to see somebody giving words, and languages at large, their due respect!

[@pravieensridhar8099]

so "Nethiku penja mazhaila.." loses its punch and becomes a complement from now on :D Also the mushroom coffee(DXN) wasn't entirely a scam then .