The Mushroom Show

The world is slowly realizing that everyone has the power to take their health back into their own hands. This is the vision that the founders of Umbo Mushrooms have, and on today’s episode of the Mushroom Show, we dive deep into how and why mushrooms of all kinds are the way of the future. We chat with Rashad and Del about the problems with psilocybin legalization, their respective journeys into the mushroom space, mushrooms for athletic recovery and performance, mycophobia, and so much more. This was a super interesting conversation and we’re grateful to be running alongside such high-integrity players in the mushroom space!
Tell us what you loved and what we missed in the comments below. Thanks for listening.
0:00 - Framing the Conversation
1:38 - Rashad's Journey Into Mushrooms (Brain Injuries, Life After a Fighting Career, Psychological Wellbeing)
6:43 - Tony's Experience with Lions Mane
8:01 - Del's Journey Into Mushrooms (Advocating for Plant Medicine, Law Reformation, Informing Top-Tier Researchers about Psilocybin)
13:26 - Are Many Athletes Using Psilocybin?
16:47 - Psilocybin Testing in Athletes (Getting Back What You Already Have)
19:40 - Issues with the Road to Psilocybin Legalization (The Opportunity to do Psychedelics Right)
29:10 - Mushrooms for Body, Mind, and Environment (Taking Health Back into Your Own Hands)
37:05 - Eradicating Mycophobia (UMBO's Vision)
44:23 - Final Remarks on the Mushroom Space
Bios:
Rashad Evans
UFC Champion. A former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Rashad knows a thing or two about the connection between mind and body, and the importance of having both in sync. He credits mushrooms for that one-two punch of focus + energy in training and competition, and then easing the transition from fighter to “just getting back to being me.” Rashad is passionate about transforming sports nutrition and transforming access to education so that others can have the same opportunities that he did.
Del Jolly
Advocate & Educator. Focused on shifting the cultural narrative, Del worked as part of Decriminalize Denver and Charlotte’s Web CBD before co-founding Unlimited Sciences, a psychedelic research nonprofit partnered with the likes of Johns Hopkins University. He believes functional mushrooms have just as much, if not more, potential than psychedelics and is committed to exploring and unearthing everything we can.
Find out more about Rashad and Del using the links below:
UMBO Mushrooms: https://getumbo.com/
Unlimited Sciences: https://unlimitedsciences.org/
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We are honored to have Dr. Toby Kiers here to enlighten us on the incredible fungal networks that span the globe, enriching our lives without ever being seen. Dr. Kiers is the co-founder and executive director of SPUN - the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, whose mission is to map mycorrhizal fungal networks and advocate for their protection. They propose that these vast networks that extend all over the world are analogous to clean air and water in terms of sustaining the planet.
In our conversation, we begin to connect the dots between plants and fungi, the role that fungi plays in soil and forests around the world, how these fungi have evolved to be "nutrient merchants", carbon sequestration, the incredible field work that Dr. Kiers and her team are conducting in Patagonia, and how to be a myconaut. Enjoy!
0:00 - Framing the Conversation
1:30 - Thinking About Soils Before Thinking About Fungi
3:50 - Mycorrhizal Fungal Networks - Arbuscular vs Ectomycorrhizal
11:11 - "Intelligent" Networks (Labelling Nutrients with Nanodots)
14:05 - Carbon Sequestering in Soil & Nutrient Systems
17:19 - SPUN - Mapping the Networks Around the World
22:21 - Field Work in Patagonia
24:00 - Conservation Efforts
26:25 - Upcoming Hotspots
32:26 - SPUN's Forging Connections with Local Communities (Anti-Helicopter Research)
33:29 - Threats Facing Fungal Networks
36:43 - Mindshift Towards Conserving Things We Cannot See
41:24 - Visualizing Nutrient Flows (Fungal Soundscapes)
42:00 - How People Can Get Involved - 3 F's Initiative
43:21 - How to be a Myconaut (Citizen Science)
47:47 - Where to Connect and Learn
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In this episode of the mushroom show, we talk to Kevin Feeney who is the author of Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology & Exploration. He is an expert on the iconic Amanita muscaria (the mushroom emoji, in case you don't know) and we delve into the fascinating facts and myths about this mushroom, including his personal experience with it's psychoactive effects.
Kevin Feeney, PhD, JD, is a cultural anthropologist and lawyer currently working as a Program Director and Senior Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies – Social Sciences at Central Washington University. His primary research interests include examining legal and regulatory issues surrounding the religious and cultural use of psychoactive substances, with an emphasis on peyote and ayahuasca, and exploring modern and traditional uses of Amanita muscaria, with a specific focus on medicinal use and preparation practices. His research has been published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Human Organization, and Curare, among other books and journals. He is a current member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants, and recently joined the Board of Advisors for Psyched Wellness, a Canadian health supplements company emphasizing medicinal mushrooms.
Timestamps:
0:00 Framing the Conversation
1:23 Being Drawn to the Mushroom
4:40 Writing the Book on Amanita Muscaria
8:37 Poisonous Non-Consumables for Sale (Why Amanitas Were Sold)
14:23 What Compounds Live in Amanita, and Why Are They Useful?
18:00 The Difference Between Muscimol & Ibotenic Acid
25:50 Methods of Preparing Amanita Muscaria
31:00 Differences Between Psychoactive Mushrooms (Psilocybe vs Amanita); Where they grow, what they grow on, what the effects are.
36:30 Mycophilia vs Mycophobia - The Reputation of The Amanita Genus
41:32 The Time-warping Experience of Taking Amanita
50:47 Potential Therapeutic Effects of Amanita
57:05 YouTube Community Question 1: Did Vikings Use Amanita Muscaria For Supernatural Strength During Battle?
1:02:00 YouTube Community Question 2: Can You Grow Amanita Muscaria?
1:05:03 YouTube Community Question 3: Is Repetitive Motion Syndrome a Feature of the Amanita Experience?
1:07:27 YouTube Community Question 4: Is the "Reindeer Thing" Legit?
1:11:40 Keep an Open Mind
Webpage: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kevin-Feeney
Amazon Page USA: https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Agaric-Compendium-Pharmacology-Exploration/dp/0578714426/
Amazon Page Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Fly-Agaric-Compendium-Pharmacology-Exploration/dp/0578714426/
Thank you for listening! Tell us in the comments what you loved about this interview, and who you would like to see on the Mushroom Show in future episodes.

Shelby Hartman is the CEO and Chief Editor of DoubleBlind Magazine, as well as a self-proclaimed lover of psychedelics; her rich experience in reporting on their history, policy, and recreational use made for an incredibly engaging & informative conversation. We dive into what's happening with the popularization of psychedelics, what the path towards legal psilocybin might look like, if synthetic psilocybin is the same as taking a whole mushroom, and so much more.

Functional mushrooms are getting more and more popular everyday. But it's not the mushrooms themselves that have people are flocking to these powerful fungi... it's the compounds inside!
Although beta-glucans and triterpenes are often considered the most important active compounds in mushrooms, there is another compound that is starting to get a lot more attention. It's called Ergothioneine, and some scientists argue that it is so critical to human health that it should be classified as a vitamin.
In this episode of The Mushroom Show, we are going over everything you need to know about this important compound, including an interview with Chief Medical Herbalist at Real Mushrooms, Lee Carroll.
We're also digging into a couple pieces of mushroom news- including a potential new way that mushrooms can be helpful for life in space and a way to combat mosquitoes with the power of mycelium.