Book Review: Mycellium Running

Mycellium Running by Paul Stamets. Ten Speed Press

When most people think of fungus they think of either mushrooms like the beloved (or in some unfortunate circumstances, hated) Portabella...or the stuff that grows on toenails.

Not so for the author Paul Stamets and his fellow mycologists. The fungal kingdom has a rich history (establishing early terrestrial dominance in the primordial world) and an essential role to this day. The early portions of the book are dedicated to a quite in depth discussion of the nature, taxonomic divisions, and niche relationships between fungal species. In spite of the depth, the material is still accessible for the layperson, thanks to an abundance of diagrams, photos, and microscopic images. Comparisons between the nature of mycellial mats, and cosmic nebulae, or
most striking, a diagram of the internet itself made it quite evident that these structures permeate every cubic micrometer of living soil in a self healing network. Soil structure itself is largely determined by the presence and type of fungal species.

The discussion continues to a more in depth exploration of the three primary types of fungus as defined by role. As a general note, the author's primary frame of reference is old growth forests in the pacific northwest, which is quite apt since the variety of flora in various states of life and decomposition provides the widest selection of fungal species for study. The drawback of course is that most of us can only drool at the photos, since local sources of some specific hardwood species are not available in all areas.

The primary focus of this book is the author's thesis that since fungus build the world, fungus can save the world, or at least that is the message I took away from it. Various strategies are discussed for using fungus species to sequester heavy metal pollution from soils, break down aromatic hydrocarbon pollution (petrol), remediate toxins (amazingly including VX and sarin nerve gas). Fungal applications for pesticide (as a focused narrow spectrum solution rather than an irresponsible scorched earth application), and possible use in biofuels are also included. The variety and effectiveness of the applications in trials was quite impressive.

Medicinal applications are also discussed, and the general impression left in the reader is the author's acceptance use and appreciation for ALL members of the mushroom kingdom as having medicinal properties...save for the fatally toxic. In fact, he goes so far as to document which species have properties which promote healing of various conditions. No extensive documentation of proof in trials in mentioned. However, given the author's disposition and profession as a scientist, I doubt the recommendations come without scientific basis. His mention of fungus as the starting point in the development of most modern antibiotics lends more credence to that supposition. Also included is a quite frank discussion of why psilocybe containing mushrooms do not deserve classification as an illicit drug, since they do not cause neurological damage, and the effects of repeated use discourage frequent habitual use. Despite my initial disregard of the matter (likely due in part to a very straight laced upbringing,) I am inclined now to agree.

All of the aforementioned is "big picture" stuff, which admittedly has little to do with my garden, and quest for a more self sufficiency right? Not so fast. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the cultivation of various fungal species, including a rather nice guide to identifying and propagating specific varieties from wild specimens. One area I wish was expanded upon was the role of fungus as companions in the garden. A discussion of mycorrhizal fungus was enough to confirm the results Malcolm Beck described in Lessons in Nature. More interesting still was the possible uses of some species of above ground fruiting edibles as companions to vegetable crops. I was disappointed that more research and thus more rec commendations were not included. Perhaps this will be forthcoming in another book, perhaps I need to experiment with this myself. I am curious as to the effectiveness of using antibacterial and antiviral properties of fungus grown in proximity to species of plants susceptible to infection. Geez, is that a perfect Phd project or what!?

Perhaps the biggest endorsement I can offer for this book is the brief but poignant name dropping of my favorite fiction author, the late Frank Herbert. Apparently a friend of Stamets and fellow mushroom cultivator (of MANY different varieties,) in a few brief paragraphs, the inspiration for many key elements in the Dune series became quite apparent.

My overall rating of this work is quite dependent on audience. This book should not be one of the first to purchase on your quest to natural living. There are prerequisite pieces of knowledge that are essential to fully appreciating this book. However, I now believe that any discussion of permaculture is incomplete without referring to the research covered in this book. In the college of natural farming, this is likely 300 level curriculum. This does not provide a full discussion of cultivation, though it provides more than what I would call an introduction to it. One could certainly begin growing their own mushrooms with only this book but it would not be a complete reference to it.

Overall I give it an A but with the above caveats. As I said, permaculture is incomplete without it. If you are just starting out, grab How to Grow more Vegetables... and Gaia's Garden then while you're sitting around watching the corn grow, read Dune. And once you are more comfortable with the principles of permaculture, read this book, twice.