The weather has gone cooler, and autumn is approaching.
After a few days of rain followed by sunshine, I was expecting to see some fungi sprouting!
With an excited anticipation, I walked along the path into the woodland. A pile of ashwood trunks had a few attractive, bright orange growths on top.
I looked closer. I realised they were enormous mushrooms, which I identified as the Shaggy bracket, scientific name Inonotis hispidus
Some were young, and you can see the colour spreads on the bark.
A mature one and huge! About 24 inches long. This fungus is annual; it only survives for a single year, unlike other bracket fungus that grows over multiple years.
This one was bigger than my head.
The edges were light, almost glowing.
It stands out well with a shimmery cap when the sunlight hits it.
The cap was furry and shaggy, hence the name.
The underside had pores. I touched it and turned dark, see my thumb mark?
When I pressed it, it was spongy and soaked with water.
This one has an underside with pores that were even dripping.
According to this research, Inonotus hispidus is a well-known medicinal fungus in China, used in the treatment of cancer. Studies have found that this fungus contains about 30 compounds that may act on well known cancer pathways and could block signals that cancer cells need to grow and survive . This researchsuggests the shaggy bracket contains compounds that may affect or inhibit breast cancer cells. So this fungus is scientifically interesting and really worth studying.
I harvested one of the small ones, just to dry and preserve. This fungus doesn’t appear often in this area, and it may come in handy at some point.
It is not toxic but inedible due to its rubbery and bitter taste.
After the fungi hunt, I walked to the local cafe with my basket full of mushrooms and herbal yarrow flowers and had some cheesy chips and tea! ;)
At home, I sliced the mushrooms. I was impressed that they looked like steaks in both colour and texture. It makes sense as it is related to the Beefsteak fungus, both belong to the order Hymenochaetales, so there are similarities in structure and ecological traits. The only difference is that the beefsteak fungus is not furry, is redder, and is actually delicious. I wish I had found the beefsteak fungus, but I’m still very pleased with what I got.
I put them in the dryer on low temperature to preserve the potent compounds.
I’ve jarred them up for now. Since they contain interesting bioactive compounds, like polysaccharides, which are soothing and hydrating for the skin, as well as powerful antioxidants and antibacterial properties, I may be able to include them in my formulation, perhaps for skincare, shampoo, or even a medicinal use.
I am looking forward to learn more about it!
My share in @fungifriday by @ewkaw.
Have a lovely day, everyone.
Mariah :)
This post has been shared on Reddit by @theworldaroundme through the HivePosh initiative.
!discovery 30
Many thanks:)
It looks like steak or ham at first glance haha.
The inunutos hiptudos you have are beautiful and big.
Thank you, yes they are huge and meaty. :)
Wow it's so big and it seems a steak! I would have said it was poisonous
Haha, I actually tasted a piece and it isn’t so bad, a little rubbery, like meat but very mushroomy. I think they need to review its edibility. No, it isn’t poisonous. But I woke up with a bite on my cheek, so maybe that made me sweet! Lol.
#hive #posh
Sending you some Ecency curation votes!
Thank you. :)
I've only found it once, kind of have a vegetable taste to them.
Aww, I’m pleased you tasted it too, as I did. I actually found it quite nice, to be honest, but labeling it as inedible makes me lose a bit of confidence. Still, I haven’t seen any mention of toxic compounds in it, though I need to research more. Thank you. :)
It kind of reminded me of a beet. I've read they have some trace toxins sometimes mainly hydrazine but if you cook them that compound usually escapes and its only really toxic if you eat them all the time. And for beefsteak mushroom the levels are only trace compared to other mushrooms like the false morel that has quite a bit of it. Still people in Europe eat the false morel after boiling them then throwing away the water. So you're not likely to ever get poisoned by beefsteak mushrooms.
Thank you, I have not come across research showing hydrazine in polypores yet as they are mainly composed of polyphenols, polysaccharides, terpenoids, and sometimes oxalates, which in excess can be irritating and is also present in some superfoods like quinoa and beets. But yes, false morels contain hydrazine and are toxic even in small amounts. As you said, some people are confident in preparing and consuming them. I think it’s because they get used to it, similar to how we eat cassava roots and tops, which contain cyanogenic compounds but, with proper preparation, are edible and delicious. :)
That’s also what i thought when i saw the picture 🤣 Maybe i am just hungry hahahaha
I was thinking the same thing when I was slicing it, it actually tempted me to taste it. Thank you. :)
Hard to believe something like that is just growing out in the woods. The science behind its healing potential makes it much more cooler, you took good sharp shots too. To be honest I would have thought it's one of the poisonous mushrooms
Thank you, nature always has amazing surprises and most of what we need, it can provide. Its vibrant look may make it seem poisonous, but that’s probably nature grabbing our attention because it has something to give us. :)
It's a really cool way to grab our attention though 🥰😂
That moment when the pores bruised dark under your thumb really sold the ID for me, and the spongy, dripping flesh says it had a serious drink. Your spot on about it being inedible yet fascinating for extracts. Drying low keeps more of what matters. If this shaggy bracket ends up in a gentle balm, I wouldn’t be shocked, those po;res practically screamed hydration < even if the taste is a hard pass.
Fab, thank you :)
This post was shared and voted inside the discord by the curators team of discovery-it
Join our Community and follow our Curation Trail
Discovery-it is also a Witness, vote for us here
Delegate to us for passive income. Check our 80% fee-back Program
Congratulations @theworldaroundme! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 3500 comments.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP