Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

"Mycelium Running" is an electrifying read that takes you on a wild journey into the magical world of fungi! Written by the master of mycology, Paul Stamets, this book is packed with mind-blowing information on how these tiny organisms can change the world. The book starts by diving deep into the mysterious underground network of mycelium, the foundation of the mushroom ecosystem. You'll learn how these tiny threads can break down dead plant matter and form partnerships with plants that will blow your mind! But the fun doesn't stop there, Stamets then takes you on a rollercoaster ride of discovery as he uncovers the many ways in which mushrooms and other fungi can be used to benefit the environment and human health. From their medicinal properties, like boosting the immune system and fighting cancer, to their role as a natural pest control in agriculture, to their ability to clean up environmental toxins, this book has got it all! But the best part is yet to come, Stamets emphasizes the importance of preserving biodiversity and the relationship between the health of the mycological realm and the planet. He encourages readers to embrace the fungal kingdom and explore its many wonders. So grab a seat, buckle up and get ready for an exhilarating ride into the world of fungi with "Mycelium Running"!

Highly recommend. The author is THE guy you’d want teaching you about mycelium. You won’t find a better book than this one.

Good book for “fun-guys” (AKA fungi) 😊 There are so many times we are so “busy” from hither to yon that we often miss the wee things passing by with no attention. And yet, if it wasn’t for the very grounds that we walk on with minds “occupied” by other digital matters. Good book. I appreciate that I got the plastic coated and spiral bound. Also, pictures and diagrams are very complementary to the text.

I am interested in learning about many ways to inexpensively conserve moisture in my garden. This book is well written, in that it has easy to understand parts for hands-on projects and more detailed text and data in tables and graphs for those who have a scientific background. There is a glossary for much of the terminology, and many photographs. The basic concept is that the reason compost works is that the mycelium, sometimes seen as a whitish webby layer in large compost heaps actually helps plants and trees use water more efficiently. There are greater implications in this discovery, among many of great benefits in heath and medicine, that toxic sites and polluted waters can be cleaned with certain forms of mycelium. I've composted for many years, and save all my leaves for much. Now I understand why that works, and have some new ideas to improve mulching. The larger scope of environments interconnectedness is very interesting. This is a good book on many levels of interests, but it is not an ID or cookbook or medical advice, it covers much broader potential that science is just learning.

This book is everything I hoped it would be and more. I read some reviews that seemed like people were wanting this book to teach them how to grow mushrooms and that was confusing to me because that’s not what this book is however there are many books on that subject. This book is exactly what it’s supposed to be. Which is not how to grow mushrooms but If you’re interested in mycology as a whole and how we can use it now and in the future to help mankind both in nature and medicine. I’m absolutely in love with this book

When one considers mushrooms, one often thinks of a salad topping or a hallucinogen, but rarely does one consider mushrooms as a means to save the world. In Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, mycologist Paul Stamets proposes that mushrooms can provide much more than a nutritious snack. Stamets is revered as a leader in the field of mushroom cultivation, having published five books on mushroom cultivation and use. By providing strategies by which mushrooms can improve both human and environmental health, cultivation techniques, and a species guide, Mycelium Running serves as an excellent addition to Stamets' other publications. Mycelium Running is divided into three parts: The Mycelial Mind, Mycorestoration, and Growing Mycelia and Mushrooms. The three different parts provide the reader with a better understanding of mycelial structure, four unique mycorestoration strategies, and a detailed guide on how to grow mushrooms. Information is provided on how one can implement some of the proposed restoration strategies. In the Mycelial Mind section, Stamets' passion for mushrooms shines through as he discusses the ubiquity of mushrooms, referred to as "mycomagicians," even claiming, "without fungi, all ecosystems would fail." The mycelium, which is a web of cells that fruits mushrooms, is "so pervasive that a single cubic inch of topsoil contains enough fungal cells to stretch more than 8 miles if placed end to end. I calculate that every footstep I take impacts more than 300 miles of mycelium." Stamets' introduction to fungi goes beyond standard textbook fare, while still providing introductory information on mycelia to any reader completely new to the topic. Stamets then goes on to discuss the medicinal applications of mycelium, including the role of mushrooms in fighting HIV. Other exciting mushroom applications presented in the text include mycorestoration and mycofiltration, where mycelium are used as a means to clean up contaminants, such as oil spills, and filter water. This book presents many exciting ideas to help clean the environment, prevent further contamination, and improve human health, and Stamets managed to convince me of the role mushrooms will play in saving the world. I would recommend Mycelium Running to anyone interested in mushrooms, biology, the environment, human health, or innovative scientific ideas.

Good information book

best book ive ever listened to. its the only book ive ever listened to buut still a must im tellin you.

An excellent handbook for everyone now taking an interest in a branch of life that has been shunned for far too long. Well-written, well-illustrated, and with many references for further reading, this is a book that takes readers way beyond the idea that mushrooms are merely useful as food. Introducing concepts of fungi as life-saving medicines, forestry protection (myco-forestry) and land reclamation (myco-remediation), it really gets you up out of your chair and experimenting at home or in your garden. Initially, I had bought this book as a guide to help me do a better job of growing-my-own. Now I have several species of mushrooms growing in various substrates, all ticking away nicely. And not all of them will be for food. Two are medicinal and one is for helping to restore part of my garden to health. Under the heading of myco-forestry, this book describes a better and far less exhausting way of handling problems with the Honey Fungus problem that affects so many trees & shrubs. (If you look up the RHS site for the way they propose you tackle this dreadful blight, you will see the outdated, potentially expensive, invasive, messy, and frankly body-wrecking technique of digging out a 2ft depth of soil in the area where an affected tree used to be - yeah, you try doing that here, with chunks of slate the size of paving slabs just a few inches under the soil surface! Paul Stamets' way of tackling this problem is much easier on the old joints, and all it takes is a bit of looking about either online or with a guide book when walking through the countryside. Myco-remediation is a real eye-opener of a chapter, where you can transform land that has been poisoned through anything from farm effluent run-off to industrial waste to oil spills. It also guides you through the process of restoring soil depth to exhausted and over-farmed land - his process taking a considerably shorter time than usual, as well as being cheaper and much more environmentally beneficial than buying in bags of compost. In fact, given the date this book was first written, I'm astonished that Forestry Authorities everywhere have not snapped up these common-sense concepts immediately to preserve the lands they have sadly depleted. (I live in an area surrounded by the aftermath of Forestry Commission activities, locals appalled by the condition the land is left in and the knowledge that it is only fit to be harvested 1 possibly 2 more times before it's completely useless for everything other than a little sheep farming. Hardly the legacy you want to leave to the next generation!) Mr Stamets includes a fair bit of science with the more practical side of things, but don't be afraid of that part. It's not beyond anyone's grasp and serves to give readers a better understanding of how the various types of fungi function and how you can better integrate it into your garden/ woodland /land/ smallholding/ farm. Although there is indepth instruction on how to raise mushrooms on a small or larger scale, there are many tempting mentions of Mr Stamets other book on Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, and I will probably purchase this on the strength of the quality of this book.I promise you, that after reading this one, you will not view your next wild-growing toadstool in the same way again.

Un libro a tener en cuenta. Me encanta como explica todo el mundo de los hongos y el suelo. En contras solo expresaría que se encuentra en ingles, y a veces el lenguaje empleado es un poco difícil de entender.

Top lesenswert. Die Ideen, sind umsetzbar. Auf in eine bessere Zukunft. Ich verstehe es. Auf deutsch korrekt übersetzt, DAS GROSSE NETZ, auch erhältlich.

Comprato come regalo per mia figlia biologa. Il dono è stato molto apprezzato, mia figlia dice che è davvero interessante, l’ha letto di un fiato

Must read for all fungi enthusiasts.