Podcast:
BioEnergetics Beat
How Functional Fungi Fuel Healing and Wellness
With:
Heather Gray, FDN-P
April 2, 2025
In this conversation, we talked about my research on the rosy polypore and had some fun diving into the chemistry of mushroom compounds and solvent solubility. It was a great mix of scientific insight and fresh topics I haven’t explored much in previous podcasts—like using mushrooms for Lyme disease and chronic infections.
Conversation starters
[For awkward dinner parties, silent elevator rides, grocery store lines, and your favorite barista]
"I call that constituentism—just like a very reductionist view. I think molecules in plants and mushrooms work synergistically and it's important to consider that when using them."
"Mushrooms are such kind of community organisms—if you think of just how they are in the world, they're connecting really the entire world. Everything underneath us is really connected by mycelium."
Key Topics
[02:25] 🍄 Personal journey into mushroom medicine through family chronic illness experiences
[03:25] 🔬 Research at Bastyr University with lymphocytic leukemia cells
[10:05] 🧪 Rosy polypore (Fomitopsis cajanderi) laboratory research findings
[08:35] ⚗️ Water vs alcohol extraction methods and their different medicinal compounds
[12:00] 🌿 Constituentism and the importance of whole plant/mushroom medicine
[14:15] 💀 Cytotoxic mechanisms: how mushrooms interact with cancer cells through apoptosis
[17:12] 📊 Loading doses vs therapeutic doses and immune training protocols
[18:30] 🦠 Mushroom applications for Lyme disease and chronic infections
[20:35] 🧠 Lion's Mane for nervous system support and gut health benefits
[26:40] 💊 Lucidum Medicinals formulations and targeted body system support
Spores for Thought
"When I think about Lyme disease and chronic infectious disease generally, I really have a view about keeping and maintaining a strong terrain, tonifying the systems of the body."
Resources
Textbook of Natural Medicine (medicinal mushrooms chapter)
My paper in the Journal of Immunology on Rosy Polypore extracts and leukemia cells
Go Deeper
Medicinal Mushrooms – Going Viral (white paper)
Dosing principles for immune health (carousel)
Dosing Principles for Medicinal Mushrooms (blog post)
Lion’s Mane: a Psychosomatic Psychobiotic (blog post)
Shameless Plugs
IMMUNE — Contains reishi, turkey tail, and maitake for chronic viral infections and cancer support during chemotherapy.
BRAIN & NERVES — Features Lion's Mane, oyster mushroom, and tremella to increase gray matter volume and support nervous system health.
Find me on the internet
Join my mailing list
Stay up to date with all things mushrooms and medicine