The Mycelium Network: One + One Interview with Erwin Carl about Mushrooms!

When we look beneath the surface of wellness, we find that nature has already built the exact systems of connectivity and resilience we strive for. Mushrooms sit right at the intersection of ecosystem intelligence, medicinal plant wisdom, and cellular health.

We sat down with Catskills herbalist and wild gatherer Erwin Karl to discuss finding native functional adaptogens in the wild, how underground fungal networks communicate, and the surprising role of fungi in the human gut.

Watch the full 1+1 video interview on YouTube.

From Wild Foraging to Medicine Making

Long before modern wellness trends, traditional gatherers relied on local biodiversity for daily nourishment and herbal tinctures.

Konstanze: What inspired you to know so much about mushrooms?

Erwin: I’ve been gathering wild plants to eat or use as medicine since I was a kid and I was spending so much time in the woods doing a lot of hiking. I always saw a mushroom. So it was probably 10 years ago I just got curious and so I started working with other people and having them point out the different characteristics of the mushrooms... Probably five or six years ago I also started making tinctures which I had been doing with herbs. Research the different methods of taking wild mushrooms that are common in the Catskills and making medicines out of them.

Discovering Wild Functional Adaptogens: Reishi & Maitake

In the mountain forests of New York, wild adaptogenic fungi grow natively among hemlock, spruce, and oak groves.

Konstanze: Do you find your mushrooms when you go on hikes mainly around the area where you’re staying?

Erwin: I’m in a really good area. The farm I’m on is 23 acres. But it’s almost completely surrounded by city-owned land which is basically public land that you’re allowed to hike on... I really discovered a lot of native species of mushroom that are really abundant growing at the base of those pines. And some of the mushrooms that have a relationship with the trees only grow near certain types of trees... Going a little further up the mountain I found all kinds of Reishi, Maitake. Oyster mushrooms are always, you know, common almost anywhere.

Underground Networks: How Fungi Transmit Information

Beneath the soil, mycelium acts as an biological internet, sharing nutrients and warning surrounding plant life of impending environmental threats.

Erwin: You know, we’ve been talking about... from a human health standpoint how beneficial the mushrooms are to consume whether as a culinary, you know, enjoyment or medicinally. But, you know, when you study mushrooms, there is also a lot of research coming out on the ecological role... The fungi are actually working with the microbes of various types of bacteria and other, you know, usually single-cell organisms. But they’re not just breaking down decaying wood to make soil. They’re actually helping trees and other plants uptake nutrients and water and some of that research has really shown some amazing effects where the underground mat of mushroom mycelium along with the bacteria are transmitting nutrients and, in a sense, are transmitting information. So if a plant gets invaded with a pest, another plant that might be... it could be a tree, it could be a shrub hundreds of feet away might get some chemical impulses through the soil that actually warn the plant that the pests are invading.

The Fungal Microbiome: Mushrooms Inside the Human Body

Just as fungal networks collaborate with bacterial microbes in forest soil, they perform a similar supportive function inside our own digestive terrain.

Erwin: If you look at the human system, they’ve identified that at least 260 species of mushrooms on and inside the human body. So, you know, some of them... a lot of them are in the family of yeast and they might be on our skin, in our hair but in the digestive tract, you’ll also find different species of mushrooms that we believe they are playing some role cooperating essentially with the bacteria that live within our digestive tract. And when those fungi and microbes in our system are balanced properly, they’re essential to good health.

Empowered Science & DIY Mycology

A new wave of independent researchers and educators are making mycology accessible to everyone through home labs and community education.

Erwin: There’s a lot of do it yourself type mushroom people who are doing research. They’re setting up labs in their houses. I have a little microscope lab which helps me study the mushrooms... There’s people like William Padilla-Brown, Peter McCoy are two prominent people who are both cultivating but they’re also doing research and educating other people in inexpensive and fairly easy ways that you can harness the power of mushrooms for yourself.

Connect & Learn More

• Guided Mushroom Walks with Erwin Karl: Reach out via email at eakarl@yahoo.com
• Tinctures, Walks & Workshops: Catskill Fungi
• Spawn & Cultivation Resources: Sugar Shack Mushrooms
• Independent Mycology Researchers: William Padilla-Brown, Peter McCoy, Tradd Cotter

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW

 

FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This post and interview are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new herbal or mushroom supplement routine.