Mushrooms as medicine: Uncovering the health secrets of fungi | Merlin Sheldrake & Prof. Tim Spector

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They’re not a plant or an animal - fungi are their very own kingdom of life. And their unique composition means they offer novel, often unbelievable, benefits to our health. Certain species of fungi are currently used to treat conditions ranging from cancer to depression.
The love of mushrooms (or mycophilia) has grown in recent years. And at the heart of this movement is biologist Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, author of the bestseller Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures.
In today’s episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan, Merlin, and ZOE Co-Founder Prof. Tim Spector ask: Why are mushrooms so special?
If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to zoe.com/podcast, and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program.
Follow ZOE on Instagram: / zoe
Timecodes:
00:00 - Introduction
01:40 - Quickfire round
04:25 - What are fungi?
10:13 - The connection between fungi, plants & gut health
16:38 - The human impact on fungi
23:14 - Mushrooms and mental health
32:13 - Fungi as medicine
40:13 - Why should we eat mushrooms
45:11 - How to introduce more mushrooms into your diet
51:33 - How often should you eat mushrooms
56:12 - Summary
60:46 - Outro
Mentioned in today’s episode:
Potential role of ergothioneine rich mushroom as anti-aging candidate through elimination of neuronal senescent cells from Brain Research www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Medicinal mushrooms in adjuvant cancer therapies: an approach to anticancer effects and presumed mechanisms of action from Nutrire
link.springer.com/article/10....
Immunomodulatory effect of mushrooms and their bioactive compounds in cancer: A comprehensive review from Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Books:
- Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake: amzn.to/4bXiaLp
- Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati: amzn.to/4blJsLg
- Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector: amzn.to/4amZinu
Episode transcripts are available here: joinzoe.com/learn/category/po...

[@EdwardGutierrez-gu6mj]

Mushrooms did wonders in my life. I was diagnosed with cptsd since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting cptsd. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. This is something that really need to be use globally to help people with similar health challenges.

[@AaronNelson-qt3qy]

Congrats on your recovery. Most persons never realizes psilocybin can be used as a miracle medication to save lives. Years back i wrote an entire essay about psychedelics. they saved you from death bud, lets be honest here

[@WilliamMark-yv6kl]

Can you help me with the reliable source. I'm 56 and have suffered for years with addiction, anxiety and severe ptsd, I got my panic attacks under control myself years ago and they have come back with a vengeance, I'm constantly trying to take full breaths but can't get the full satisfying breath out, it's absolutely crippling me, i live in Spain. I don't know much about these mushrooms. Really need a reliable source!! Can't wait to get them.

[@AlannaPhillips-fn3fd]

YES very sure of Dr.raymycology. I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.

[@brendanfisher9686]

Ive done shrooms last month in my house. It taught me how severely traumatized I was from alcohol. I healed from many mental traumas from my past and was able to forgive, let go. Shrooms to me is a remedy not a vice. I even felt more refreshed the morning after. So no hangovers. No depression mood for days. No anxiety.l now have a more calm mind

[@KimeCastro]

How do I reach out to him? Is he on insta

[@bernardoscott4964]

I have mostly been depressed but after taking shrooms few months ago, l feel much happier and highly motivated and my ADHD gone , lost a ton of anxiousness and had a few epiphanies about how I should live my life. I decided to buy an ounce for backup, but haven’t yet felt the need to take any more since then.

[@user-mt8nt6od4k]

I have autism, I was diagnosed with it when I was 15. I tried shrooms and it made me function so much better.

[@ingridsara213]

Eek I’m autistic too and might wanna try mushrooms. How do I go about it?

[@user-mt8nt6od4k]

Yeah doc.brenttt is your guide. Man is exceptional with anything psychedelics.

[@jamesharris3137]

Hello Can he be reached on IG?

[@user-mt8nt6od4k]

Yes doc.Brenttt

[@giulioperroni6543]

I am 75, and I could tell my memory was not what it used to be. I happened on an hour long video on mushrooms (Netflix?) and I'm like how come no one talks about this. I checked it out and found Lion's Mane is good for your brain. I tried a tsp a day and after less than 6 weeks there was a NOTICEABLE improvement in my recall and memory generally.

[@KishanthJavegar]

How do you consume it? In liquid form?

[@christmeis]

Same here! The brain fog that I had disappeared! I'm taking Lion's mane, Shiitake and Reishi in my coffee in the morning and definitely could tell a difference in my brain after a few months!

[@christmeis]

@@KishanthJavegar I personally take the powder. I take about half a teaspoon of each (Lion's mane, Shiitake, Reishi) and put it in my coffee.

[@mkim6017]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I need this for my mum. I hope I should be able to buy it from health stores. ❤️

[@bogdang.7627]

I became a beta tester of such natural supporting substances privately in my own home and I can confidently say that the combination of Lions-Mane Ginkgo Biloba, uridine and huperizine A gives great results. Additionally, Omega 3 supplementation. Urydine-lions mane-huperzine And even that is enough 👍 A teaspoon of organic lions mane works much stronger than the dose in capsules. My mind is just focused all the time. This can be seen, among other things, in the fact that I can see better with my eyes and I am short-sighted

[@drbettyschueler3235]

I have metastatic breast cancer. I take a variety of mushroom supplements plus the fresh and dried ones I use in the foods I prepare. I think the mushrooms have helped the various anti-caner medications, I've taken, work longer then they would have if it wasn't for the mushrooms. They have also probably been instrumental in keeping me alive through 30+ years of active, metastatic cancer.

[@ALFarrell-kv6ok]

That is remarkable and encouraging. Thanks for sharing.

[@mythtree6348]

you did see Paul Stamets syaing that normal edible mushrooms are carcinogenic ? but that the industry would punish him for spreading the story ?

[@lorraineh3889]

My husband has kidney cancer with liver metastasis and is taking turkey tail mushrooms to help contain it. More research needed as this could be a life changer.

[@cindyleastorch194]

​@@lorraineh3889Blessings to your husband and yourself. I'm sure you've researched until your head feels like it's going to explode but, I still want to suggest, don't limit to just turkey tail and check out half hill farm. The best to you both...

[@freespiritwithnature4384]

Eat44raw Portabello mushrooms can cause cancer is how I took that .

[@judyb1222]

Merlin Sheldrake, wow … the combination of passion, knowledge and engaging use of language and storytelling. Please have him back!

[@JelMain]

Ah, the last of the family surfaces! I first came across his brother, Cosmo, then his father, Rupert, and mother, Jill Purce, both on the more speculative side of psychiatry.

[@jnnx]

3 year account, no subscribers. Don’t forget hyperbole to sell a book!

[@integinteg9222]

@@jnnx ? Where is your head?

[@linngu2594]

No idea who Merlin Sheldrake is but he talks with huge knowledge & passion, charming & joy to listen too. Probably better than prof. S!

[@JelMain]

@@linngu2594 His mother and father are both psychiatrists of a somewhat Gaian orientation. His brother's an experimental musician.

[@Sean_Shaun_Shawn]

Another fantastic way to introduce mushrooms to your diet while getting rid of your Amazon packaging and/or clearing your garden is to buy a mycelium kit and grow some at home. Winecaps, Shitake's and Oysters are ridiculously easy to grow in the UK and once you have them established you can feed yourself for years.

[@simonfrost7094]

@@netcoms197 Did you even watch the video?

[@jazzyg530]

​@@netcoms197I think you are grossly misled. From a quick google search: "Mold is a microscopic fungi, but very different from the mushrooms we eat". There is so much evidence of their benefits (they are not created equally). Do yourself a favor and catch up with the knowledge we have in 2024. Because your statements are way off base.

[@DocksOfFoxes]

@@netcoms197 Do you care to explain why?

[@johnnylong1428]

@@netcoms197 Because the only reason to consume anything is amino acids and sources of energy. Both of which a mushroom is abundant in. They're also tasty. :o

[@SouthFloridaSunshine]

@@netcoms197What do you eat? No meat, dairy eggs or mushrooms, I am not being sarcastic I am honestly wondering what type of diet you follow?

[@JuicyLife3]

Mushrooms completely turned my life around my anxiety and panic attack disappeared and my personality changed into a much more generous and loving person

[@alpha-tj6jt]

All the problems that these compounds can help solve, and the potential for peace they have.

[@JuicyLife3]

​@@alpha-tj6jtMalachi_trippp

[@JuicyLife3]

He's on Instagram

[@greatestofalltime4125]

Certainly, he's an exceptional mycologist, and I highly recommend his expertise.

[@collinsparker6627]

It's genuinely remarkable how people can have completely distinct encounters with psychedelics.

[@bobaree1]

For a better selection of mushrooms, try a large Asian Grocery store. The one I frequent has close to twenty fresh varieties in addition to several dried varieties.

[@joyjones2376]

Thank you , deffo do that

[@wimereuxlisa5846]

I love how nerdy this is. I’m totally sold on eating more mushrooms! 🍄🍄

[@mythtree6348]

you did notice Paul Stamets saying normal edible mushrooms are carcinogenic .. but that its more than his life is worth to spread that bit of truth ?

[@user-lj2kl7nw8f]

What I like so much about this discussion, is they don´t interrupt each other, but have the discipline and respect to let the others finish their statements.

[@AaaaaBeeee]

Wow, Merlin Sheldrake! I am very excited for this. His book, 'Entangled Lives' is a masterpiece!

[@michaelstreeter3125]

He looks totally zonked! 😂

[@shaunahunter9757]

Totally. I'm so glad that Zoe has finally gotten onto this. Are you aware of the whole Sheldrake/ Purce family's work? Rupert S, Cosmo S and Jill Purce: fascinating and inspiring in their complementarity through differenciation

[@lynlawley8903]

Oh well p stamets convinced me to hp fight cancer with turkey tail

[@tracypalmer-wilson7022]

I enjoy mushrooms without any issues , but have true allergy to penicillin and a severe reaction to Quorn products I wonder what the links are .

[@lynlawley8903]

N turmaric brock sprouts ngreen tea also pomigranit and apple beetroot n red cabbage ginger n garlic kimche and some roast meats cabage n cellery for roughage just to heal and now no sugar n not to many carbs befor I was a sugar carb eater now trying to use less carbs n sugar but it's all hard as I love to eat ! Carbs n sugar

[@iainneilson1453]

Fungi are amazing. They are so diverse and their role in shaping ecosystems is profound. I have been interested in them since I was a teenager, especially the edible varieties, and always look forward to the different fruiting seasons. I am writing at the beginning of May, and today enjoyed a dish of lamb stew with St George's Mushroom, which was delicious. Later in the year, there will be Hen of the Woods, Chanterelle, Parasol, Penny Bun, Oyster, Velvet Shank, and a host of other, fabulous fungi to enjoy. Even the tough bracket fungi, such as Artist's Bracket, Birch Polypore and King Alfred's Cakes have their uses, as food, medicine, wound dressing, or tinder. Thanks for a wonderful session.

[@jerryflecther17]

Psychedelics are just an amazing discovery. It's quite fascinating how effective they are for depression and stress..saved my life.

[@Heisenberg-35]

Psychedelics definitely have potential to deal with health issues like anxiety and depression, I would like to try them but it's just hard to source out here.

[@mavisscott2057]

I'm feeling the same way too. I put so much on my plate and it definitelv affects mv stress and anxietv levels

[@phillipXx]

I was having this constant and unbearable anxiety because of university stress. Not until I came across Ted Winston, a very intelligent mycologist, He saved my life honestly.

[@ronalddavis9762]

He often interacts on insta, using the user below.

[@ronalddavis9762]

Ted_winston23

[@zardi9083]

What a lovely human being Merlin is!

[@graceghazaii4434]

yeah, he has a certain charisma, reminds me a bit of actor Michael Sheen.

[@maunasiliandergamba2387]

He looks like porcelain doll

[@bartram33]

Yeah, definitely a fun guy.

[@mygoogle1482]

This is one of the top programs on KZbin. How tragic that normal television has never been able to produce anything this informative, useful or able to fundamentally alter and save the life. Science turned into daily application turned into how can I alter my lifestyle without being a scientist. Simply put brilliant

[@Richard_FitPku]

Thank god for KZbin huh. I agree.

[@MS-rc6ii]

Always fascinated by his brilliant father and now his son turns out as brilliant. Thank you Sheldrakes😊

[@AdeebaZamaan]

@MS-rc6ii Me, too! Love them both! Also love mushrooms, both tripping ones and foraging ones such as morels, chanterelles, oyster, chicken of the woods, inky caps (but I'm not as good at recognizing inkies, so I need a second opinion on them).

[@sambarnes9610]

His mum is very cool too, practices sound healing and his brother Cosmo makes great music, wish they were my neighbours!

[@richardnorris7948]

The whole family is amazing. His brother’s name is Cosmo and he’s an avantgarde musician. You have to go and Google the family. their parents were very very interesting people and you can see how Merlin and Cosmo (I think the names say it all!) were influence in becoming who they are by their parents.

[@mkleng]

Interesting.. where did you read from?

[@richardnorris7948]

@@mkleng Probably Wikipedia or just Googling them. Reading about the parents give insight into the sons...

[@stxlkxrvxmpxre]

please do an episode on how spices affect the gut biome! and if paticular ones link to particular bacterium, conditions or responses

[@kittykivalo8312]

Loved the analogy of Merlin S, where he described his ordinary brain as a 'garden', that under the influence of the researchproject with LSD opened up so he experienced a much larger world outside that garden, that gave insight in the relativity of gardening (around minute 30). I had a similar breakthrough experience without LSD and without mushrooms. Once you are aware of this bigger picture you must integrate those bigger insights so others can see them, too. Thanks Merlin, for doing what you do. Also loved that Tim S described how the use of certain mushrooms helps in cancer treatment. Now presented as making chemo- therapy 50% more effective, it may effectively be the other around. Chemo kills some cancers effectively, but killing is not the way to heal. Mushroom may help dissolve cancer somehow. Big Pharma kills (the 'brain solution') whereas mushrooms may dissolve and heal (the wholistic, natural solution). Time will show, I guess...

[@poolfield2]

I’ve found mixed frozen mushrooms more cheaply than fresh variety packs, worth looking into the supermarket freezer section.

[@leagueaddict8357]

Lower quality, freezing mushrooms degrades them.

[@philmusson1265]

Buying fresh mushrooms from a local, preferably small scale grower, is going to guarantee you much better flavour, nutrition and satisfaction and support your local farmers 😀

[@dcfromthev]

Frozen produce is awful quality, including mushrooms. But if that is all you have access to, better than nothing!

[@GiftMary-lv1lf]

Psilocybin mushrooms and psychedelics, as a whole, have shown substantial promise as beneficial agents that can truly aid individuals grappling with mental health difficulties.

[@BobbyRussell-or3oh]

I totally agree! Psilocybin mushrooms and psychedelics in general have shown great potential in helping people with mental health issues. It's truly remarkable how effective they can be in treating depression and anxiety.

[@DiagoFrankly]

I can say dr.melvinshrooms is the man for you.

[@DiagoFrankly]

dr.melvinshrooms has pure psychedelics products-:

[@Jack-or9xb]

On instgram?

[@DiagoFrankly]

Yeah. He is dr.melvinshrooms

[@davida1606]

I am fascinated with Merlin's level of exuberance and enthusiasm regarding fungi and plant life. This is the guy our president relies on when our planet faces a global fungi problem, he's our real world Jeff Goldblum.

[@esperansaloughran693]

Just getting into the miraculous mushrooms, next...buying the book. I had some bella baby mushrooms and i noticed within 24 hrs that ...I slept better, and went to the bathroom 2X in 1 day! Seems like they cleaned me out. I am new to mushrooms...i am 72 yrs young, and feel great, its been a journey for my whole life, and now when i probably need something miraculous in my life, the Good Lord has put mushrooms in my life. Its been 2 days. And i intend to eat them everyday. Can't wait to order the book.

[@deepost2604]

I made a soup this week where the stock was dehydrated mushrooms cooked in chicken stock then pulverized with the immersion blender. Then fresh museums were sautéed and added sliced for texture. This was incredibly flavorful as compared to my version made with just fresh mushrooms.

[@bjohnson5835]

⁸

[@brigidlaffey7343]

Those sliced Museums’d be a bit musty…rather an interesting flavour profile 😊😊

[@catpod3872]

@@brigidlaffey7343I was going to try this recipe but my local Sainsbury was fresh out of museums 😊😋

[@Henry-fk7cq]

I eat mushrooms every day. I make a soup in a similar way to your method. I'm 73 & most people think i'm 50. My doctors concur with this. Besides, they are delicious.

[@AdeebaZamaan]

​@@brigidlaffey7343 😂😂 Good catch! Stupid AI!

[@pendejorojo]

I lived near a Belgian forest for several years and there was a "Mushroom Club" who held an annual mushroom hunt and who had experts at the hunt to help identify the ones we found in the woods. There were many big red shrooms in our forest. Turns out some will make you high but apparently some can make you dead. Always ask an expert.

[@MrDavil43]

As I was told long ago, "All fungi are edible, but some only once!"

[@lighthealerastrid1465]

I absolutely love Merlin Sheldrake, and his brilliant dad, Rupert. Both absolutely delightful personalities around those brains!

[@janel342]

Warning! There are people with serious mushroom allergies!!!!!!!!!!! I love the Sheldrakes and Jill Purce. But I’d be a hospital case with mushrooms.⛑️⛑️

[@rosafisher5717]

His surname almost sounds like a type of mushroom too!

[@dorothyharland9904]

Fascinating! It re-awoke a desire to buy a more diverse supply of mushrooms and to eat more each day. I will do this in the hope of helping my immune system fight against non curable follicular lymphoma currently whilst on 'watch and wait'.

[@kittykivalo8312]

@@dorothyharland9904 , non curable is a word that science uses when they don't see a drug or solution. I see those words as an invitation to find a new, strictly personal way back to health. I have seen many non-curable people do so. Maybe you are one go them, too😇

[@JelMain]

@@janel342 His brother Cosmo's quite a composer.

[@Dani-Innit]

I use a variety of mushrooms in my daily life for natural medicines. Im a completely different person than i used to be. Also my grown children and i microdose every few months. Cubensis has totally changed our lives for the better. ❤ My son (21) and I have no desire to use alcohol or other drugs - not even cannabis. We're also incredibly neurodivergent which can cause panic attacks and depression. But its alot easier to walk through life since finding the right medicine. 👍🏼

[@brushbros]

"Entangled Life" will change your view of life on this planet and everywhere else. Doctors Merlin (!) and father Rupert have changed my understanding of all that is natural more than any other authors in decades of study.

[@mythtree6348]

despite saying that vaccine skeptics were dangerous lunatics ?? (rupert that is). I found that so ironic.

[@XSD.1.]

Wow! What a great day to have this topic! I have been fascinated with fungi for so many years and a mushroom hunter through all seasons. I never tire of reading hearing about fungi. Paul Stamets is another inspirational and informative fun-golocist 🤣

[@freshorangina]

Currently eating a fabulous soup with salmon belly, fennel, sweet onion, bok choy, orange and yellow peppers, and foraged amber jelly fungus. It is a great starter forage as there are no toxic look a-likes and it grows throughout winter and is a great reason to go out for a walk. 😊

[@nickinurse6433]

Yummm

[@danielalopes5751]

Receipt please! Sounds delish!

[@mirellabria3637]

thank you it sounds delish recipe please

[@f1remandg]

I think that it would be good to point out that fungi that we can’t or don’t eat, are still so important to retain the natural cycle of life, people can easily comment or isolate them as harmful, they are not! They just serve another benefit to life in a different aspect!

[@aidanbyrne5561]

I read this young man's book and it was one of the best ever. Amazing to be able to listen to such a high quality programme

[@brucevair-turnbull8082]

A really fascinating discussion here. I must say the British are (still) comparative strangers to the joy of wild fungi. Even local pharmacies in rural France will happily take your collected forage and send them off to a laboratory for certain identity. At least we're now talking about the subject. A word to the wise: try to hunt down Wood Blewits (Lepista Nuda) which require cooking. They're hard to confuse with anything really nasty and even survive the frosts of winter. BUT ALWAYS make sure of identification of anything you intend to use in the kitchen.

[@doracsiky]

I am in the kitchen, making a delicious mushroom soup while listening to the podcast!

[@1050cc]

What a beautifully eloquent human being. Einstein said, if you can't explain it simply enough, you don't understand it well enough. Merlin Sheldrake clearly understands most intensely and can give this to us, no condescention, in beautifully clear language, live with highy illustrative metaphors, a massive understanding of fungal life !!!

[@barbminett9280]

I notice both Merlin and Tim mention kefir. Could you do a program on it? Benefits, how to make at home. Many thanks for today’s program!

[@wenjo2738]

I purchase my Kefir grains from Amazon and am making Goats milk Kefir, it’s really fantastic. They send the grains with all instructions as well.

[@andreaadac6128]

Here in Brazil , I can buy a ready-to-go culture, and so started my contact with Lion's Mane, Turk's Tail and Reishi. What a pleasant experience! My parents, both at 80's, seems to have more clarity of thinking, hapiness, less pain, and yet there are several things that these mushrooms promise to prevent in the future, so now we can't live without anymore. We produce our own alcoholic extract, I don't produce enough mushroom for consuming pure or even powder. Detail: I live in a small apartment 😅

[@RichardBenRichardBen-xf9vo]

I get my psychedelics and microdosing stuff from an online store where I got my own hi's on Instagram also on telegram with the below handle

[@RichardBenRichardBen-xf9vo]

*mycopete.**mycopete.**mycopete.*,,,,,,,,,,?????

[@SuperBookdragon]

Merlin you have such a wonderful mellifluous voice. Love this fascinating convo.

[@floridanaturalfarming3367]

Fungi the most fascinating kingdom of all, responsible for plant and animal kingdom health and are the primary drivers of functional farming systems and which should be the basis for functional medicine in order to achieve planetary and personal health for all🐸❤️excellent discussion❤️🐸thank you

[@carolinejackson9405]

Glad Merlin stood up for concentrated extracts, it is possible to get mixes of 5 or 6 mushrooms containing active ingredients. Easy to take these daily.

[@susanbloor8541]

I’ve just started a subscription with The Mushroom Barn. Great for getting a variety of mushrooms and fresher than supermarkets

[@susanbloor8541]

@@JohnHostetter-nm1jw Rude and nonsensical. Saying that you’re buy mushrooms by subscription says nothing whatsoever about health. It’s just alerting others who may like mushrooms for whatever reason where to get them.

[@susanbloor8541]

As I point Ted out, As I pointed out , I wasn’t trying to say any about health ( although I’ve a lot to say, but I doubt you’d cope! ) I was simply giving a steer as to a good place to buy for freshness and variety.

[@DrSam112]

Where do u find the mushroom barns?

[@timmoss8510]

Very lucky here in Singapore, there is a wide variety of mushrooms and they are plentiful and cheap. I love to dehydrate slices of King oyster and grill shiitake with 5 spice to make a filling for pancakes like peking duck

[@stevewahls8434]

A wonderful recovery from last week’s podcasts. A very useful and informative podcast on mushrooms and it looks like I need to purchase another book! Thanks for this info.

[@UlrikeFieglein]

Since I'm a kid, I have to throw up as soon as a mushroom gets to my stomach. I try it over and over again in my life. I tried all sorts of mushrooms. And I think the taste is very good. Any experts here. Why is that? I want to be able to eat mushrooms.

[@nancyblackett8777]

Zoe is just the best ever! 🙂

[@janeeni]

Utterly Fantastic🎉 Brilliant 🌟 Fascinating 🌟🌟🌟✨🙏🌟✨ Thankyou for getting these 2 together 🙏🌟✨

[@isa-manuelaalbrecht2951]

As a hp and mucotherapist I'm not at all enchanted by so called * psychedelic-ones* but I use Cordyceps militaris and others in combination with OM to go against psychic imbalances,incl. gut restaurings..Btw. mushypowders are considered as adaptogens, only the toughy extracts are known by ingredients that work in cancer and other sever sicknesses..I never would use ppowder alone in such circumstances..🎉😊

[@annitamossop609]

Fascinating! Merlin sounds like a really knowledgable, lovely guy.

[@HARRi81_UK]

Just bought Entangled Life! Thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. What a lovely bloke Merlin is.

[@jaxfl8945]

A man from Ohio ate mushroom from his yard and almost died. Just buy in the groceries. See Inside Edition story just this week 2-1-24

[@robertrobinson1554]

Another excellent and informative post!

[@janerainbow22]

One of my absolute favorites to add to sauces, gravies etc, is dried puffballs. Taste is very average fresh, but dried, the delicious umami aroma really adds something special to dishes. Derek Sarno is my favorite vegan mushroom chef. Really inventive and inspiring. Considering facilitating undoing the roadblocks in nutrition cycles human excess has produced, inserting our dietary needs into the saprophytic part of cycles seems like a good idea. Loved this podcast ❤

[@alexandrajones3905]

So excited to listen to this one!!

[@beantreats]

Love fungi and love zoe so looking forward to this one!

[@robharwood-stamper9857]

This is great. I really appreciate when people let the experts speak and simply prompt for more information. Massive admiration for Merlin I could listen to him talk so enthusiastically about mushrooms all day 😁

[@mrs_Mccoy]

I'd appreciate your comment

[@mrs_Mccoy]

I got some psilocybin mushrooms from an online store

[@mrs_Mccoy]

from tripwith_jeff

[@mrs_Mccoy]

in instagram.

[@GARYINLEEDS]

Aldous Huxley. Doors of Perception. Springs to mind. Thanks for sharing, shared.

[@lesleedaniel7597]

Thank you, I am slowly reading two of the links and making notes.

[@veganne6909]

So informative. Merlin is a joy to listen to.

[@amirabegum3823]

Wow wow wow ❤one of fav podcast Merlin and Tim so so so much knowledge

[@gladysfrantz]

I love your summaries! You’re amazing! Thank you!

[@MrLaking123]

found this really interesting

[@rawforyou5514]

Such a pleasant conversation and very interesting! Well done, please do more. Great quality!!!

[@eugeniustheodidactus8890]

♥ Merlin is so very intensely _present_ .... ! Wonderful interview.

[@chrisduffill5248]

Super , will be looking for more varieties every time I go and shop now … always loved mushrooms

[@marypatterson9710]

Very Informative and Interesting...

[@hdw5831]

This was a fantastic podcast. Great guests too! Very interesting. Well done!

[@RC-bl2pm]

I read this fellows book on fungi...absolutely riveting!

[@lilesosannaflower9956]

that was fantastic, plain simple language for what could be a very complex subject.

[@hotmouseful]

Could you please do a league table of the highest polyphenol foods in each category e.g. fruits, vegetables etc

[@alblee]

Great lovely cast, this. Hello and kudos from Manila!

[@kevinthorpe1107]

Wow! What a fantastic insight into how life actually works.

[@carolgates5297]

Ive a bs in soil science and love this interview. Thanks

[@juliehamel4518]

Thank You 💖 One of your best shows 🎉

[@andyroubik5760]

This was great thanks! I appreciated the recap at the end

[@paolocruz8392]

I always remember Dr. Paul Stamets from Star Trek Discovery which was based on the real Dr. Paul Stamets who, as far as I know, an expert in fungi whenever I see or hear the word mushroom.

[@remomoruzzi4449]

I am Italion , I’ve picked mushrooms all my life with my grandfather and farther .DONT NOT PICK WILD MUSHROOMS!unless you really know what you are doing . You also need a licence to pick mushrooms in certain areas.

[@2coryman]

I learned a lot from those questions, thank you ,excellent questions and answers ❤

[@Neema150]

Thank you for this program. I’m a vegan and I love and consume a ton of mushrooms. I will keep an eye out for Merlin’s book “Entangled lives.”❤

[@nicolaslade6733]

Most interesting edition. What an expert Merlin is

[@adinabrenner1142]

Delightfully instructive. Generous!

[@Ottny]

I love that he is playing in the bear, being a Calvin Klein model and on top of that he knows his Fungi! What a talent.

[@user-du8vp8km6l]

A very interesting session - Thank you! - I learnt a lot about fungi and the amazing benefits of eating mushrooms, that I was not aware of at all.

[@kmdale7041]

Wow its merlin..Read his book amazing

[@goldelinamarfori9720]

Excellent podcast about fungi. Thank you !

[@kar871]

Love love love this podcast so interesting can you do a videos about cooking. Mushroom and the recipe that they mentioned in this podcast?? Cooking with mushrooms & secrets about cooking them. Thank you ❤

[@williamfabuien1125]

Amazing results feeling happy again and a sense of peace and a desire to help others heal.

[@sonjawagner-ellger7655]

Thanks for the interesting information! I wonder why the two scientists didn't mention the enormous ability of fungus to detox the environment such as algues do in the oceans. Therefore wild growing mushroms have a higher amount of f.i. heavy metals and one should not eat them too often. Thats what I was told. Also, I use Reishi and Cordyceps Capsules filled with the grinded whole mushroms, hyphes, spores and mycels on a regular basis. I lost my severe hayfever, rheumatic issues and liver and kidneys recovered after a very dangerous sepsis. I adore fungis. Sorry for my spelling mistakes, I'm German.

[@claudiotta6905]

Hi, thanks for your comments, would you share the brands of these capsules please? 🙏🙏🙏 Danke

[@barb4645]

I’d love to have been in that trial!

[@jimcouch2348]

Love these Zoe podcasts. So informative. I’m surprised however that there was so little said about Lion’s Mane.

[@wilinja]

even with the immense versatility of such an amazing organism merlin has great skill in conveying precise fascinating information without overstating it

[@coldshot5555]

I added Kombucha to a big container of dried mixed mushrooms...They are really good and it made vinegar too!!!

[@ToniDJohns]

This is an amazing conversation !!! I love it.

[@jimowen1262]

Thank you MERLIN. Great talk. i REMEMBER YOUR FATHER FROM Shantivanum.

[@yvonnerees7589]

Thanks guys the show is brilliant 👏🏼

[@juliamira9621]

At almost 70, I've just discovered mushrooming as a pleasant hobby. Walk out in the woods a few days after a rain and see what you can find. Make spore prints! Dye a bit of yarn! Go with somebody who you trust to know about mushrooms, and maybe you'll be eating chanterelles, hedgehogs, or blewits for dinner. Mmmm!

[@nieczerwony]

In Poland (and easter Europe overall) mushroom picking has been done for ages. In autumn you can see whole families going to forests and pick mushrooms. They are also staple in many dishes. I know all eatable mushrooms from my heart. I also know poisonous ones and ones considered non-eatable like amanita muscaria which in fact is very good for you when dried properly and used in appropriate dosage. Apart from that my family was also collecting lot more stuff from forest. From bilberries (way better than blueberries), through wild strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries to different sort of herbs and plants.

[@rutharendse3917]

This was just amazing, thanks

[@JustinJan554]

Wonderful person, scientist

[@user-wl9pw5lv3j]

Great podcast, 👍Really helpful thanks.

[@tonytheantony]

.. I had a feeling Tim was going for the "...it's been fun... guys" at the end of the podcast....but alas no.🤣 Another highly informative and very enjoyable podcast from the ZOE team. 👍👍🙂🇬🇧

[@carolhorne4097]

Yes yes yes. About time allopathic medicine embraced holistic thinking and recognized the mutual benefits of engaging positively with non-human beings.

[@m.theresa1385]

Love that this dropped into my feed. Dunno how they knew but I’m on my second listen. Yes to the ‘shrooms! Put them in all of your sauces (now I know to cook them for my salads too :)) cheers!