Fungus and people stories again
John E. Peterson
Thursday, April 30, 2009
I DID one of these columns on the effects fungi have on people last October. You readers seemed to like it. I got several comments about it. So, I would tell more such fungal-people stories, if I had my way.
A few of you even told me something about fungi and people. Jack Melhorn, for example, gave me a small article he had found. It was titled “The Magic of Mushrooms” and discussed three healthy things eating mushrooms can do for us. They are rich in some chemicals that help safeguard us from some cancers. They supply us with some nutrients that are not common in our regular diets. And they help us cut down on our calories. Thank you, Jack.
Back in Medieval Europe a horrible disease known as “holy fire” was common. It was so named because it was blamed on God’s wrath. Actually, it was caused by a fungus. Here in America, we had the witches of Salem in the late 1600s. Several women were accused of being witches because of their wild actions and convulsions.
Both of these events — and others, too — were caused by a fungus. It has the common name of ergot, but its technical name is claviceps purpurea. It attacks rye and dark wheat. Instead of kernels of grain, a mass of the fungus takes the place of the kernel. It is dark purple in color, hence the “purpurea” name, and is somewhat bigger than the rye or wheat kernel.
What happens when ergot is in grain is that it is ground up as part of the flour. And then, of course, eaten when the flour is used in foods. We now know that these ergots contain a wide range of chemicals. Some of them are good for us, but others cause wild, unusual actions. One of these chemicals is lysergic acid. This is the LS part of LSD, the hallucinogenic drug we have dealt with.
So, the eating of ergot causes wild, hallucinogenic actions. That is what happened to the poor people who had holy fire in Europe and the women in Salem, Mass., who were condemned as witches. Fortunately, we now know how to stay away from that fungus.
Some fungi are so friendly to us humans that they trap worms for us. Many microscopic worms, called nematodes, feed on the roots of some of our plants. There are lots of others, but the one I shall mention is one which feeds on pineapple roots in Hawaii. It can absolutely wreck the plant and is a big problem.
There are some fungi, however, that can attack these nematodes and thus protect the plants. They are zoopagales, a term which actually means “animal eaters.” When the nematodes move through the soil and attack the plants, they produce a chemical which, in turn, stimulates certain zoopagales to produce special structures. These structures attract the nematodes, trap them and kill them.
Similar things happen with other nematodes and other plants. Such fungi are very beneficial to us in growing some of our crops. I would call them “friendly fungi,” if I had my way.
It is interesting that Anglo-Saxon people dislike eating mushrooms. They consider them to be slimy, poisonous, nasty. Most Americans felt that way about eating mushrooms, but we are changing now. Why was that the situation?
It was because holy men, kings, other aristocrats of long ago in Europe considered them to be “food for the Gods.” Therefore, they put a taboo on them so ordinary people would hate them and leave them alone. Then, they, the special people, could have them all to themselves.
Many people, then, were mycophobes. They feared mushrooms. Others were mycophiles. They were fungus lovers. Most of us Americans of European ancestry were mycophobes, but many of us now have changed to mycophiles.
The “fly mushroom” was so named because its juice would kill flies. If a person squeezed the mushroom juice into a dish of water, it would attract flies, the flies would drink and flop over dead. The name of the mushroom is amanita muscaria. The fly name is “musca.” Hence, the “muscaria” name for the fungus.
Well! If you watch the fly long enough, it will begin to move, stagger a bit and finally fly away. It has not been killed. It has been hallucinated. The fly mushroom is hallucenogenic, not only for flies, but for humans. Since that is the case, much use of it has been made by humans. It has long been a very special fungus to eat.
The above being said dictates that I should start telling stories about human use of the fly mushroom. There are lots of them and they are fascinating. I am out of space, however, so those stories must wait for another time. I shall try to remember to tell them.
There, then, you have a bit more about the fungal-human relationship. It is an important one, in my opinion. You would think so too, if I had my way.