The medicinal mushroom market is rife with fraudulently advertised products that contain little medicinal value due to certain growing methods and poor sourcing. Those dealing with cancer and other illnesses who are seeking to avail themselves of the many healing constituents these mushrooms contain are often deprived of receiving the extraordinary benefits found in properly sourced fungi. Enter Garrett Kopp, a learned and dedicated steward of the Adirondack forests in northern New York State whose heartfelt connection to that precious land enables him to hear what he calls, “the whisper in the wind.” He is a voice for Chaga sustainability and he speaks to the importance of sourcing wild-harvested medicinal mushrooms for their forest-given potency.

Birch Boys was launched by Garrett shortly after his 16th birthday. Today, Birch Boys offers teas, powders and tinctures of wild-harvested Chaga, Artist’s Conk, Reishi, Turkey Tail, and other medicinal fungi that can be trusted to deliver the goods. In the first hour Garrett talks about his introduction to Chaga at the age of 15 by his grandmother, whose spirit continues to support his efforts. He discusses the dynamic relationship between medicinal mushrooms and trees and why this makes forest-grown mushrooms far more medicinally potent than those grown on grain or sawdust in plastic bags. Garrett is also an ecologist and he shares on the issues we are facing regarding the eradication of yellow birch trees (Betula Alleghaniensis) on which Chaga is found. He also discusses the lesser known Artist’s Conk, making an illuminating comparison to Reishi, (Ganoderma Lucidum), its Chinese cousin.

The second hour focuses on Amanita Muscaria, the well recognized red and white-capped mushroom. I was eager to hear Garrett share his knowledge and experience there and he did not disappoint. He also touched on the absolute importance of knowing your mushrooms when wild-crafting, mushrooms that are the most pharmacologically active, anecdotal stories of beneficial effects, and more.

Garrett is a national treasure and I think you will very much appreciate what he shares in this episode.

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