Paul Stamets of Fungi Perfecti is an expert on mushrooms. His research on Cordyceps Sinensis, which can improve physical stamina and fight viruses, attracted the military’s BioShield program.

But he and Jeff Chilton, who runs another mushroom supplement business, disagree on what constitutes a mushroom; their ongoing disagreement threatens to alter our perceptions of these beloved fungi.

Nutritional Benefits

Paul Stamets is an internationally acclaimed mycologist whose focus is to push the limits of mushroom cultivation and bioremediation. He has written the best-selling mycelial running book Mycelium Running as well as lectured all around the globe on this subject matter. Additionally, Paul launched Fungi Perfecti to produce mushroom products under his supervision – such as Mycelia RunningTM!

As sustainability has become an ever-increasing priority, natural healing properties of mushrooms are increasingly in demand. From cancer treatment and mental health support to oil spill cleanup and replacing unsustainable protein sources – no other organism compares. Mushrooms seem capable of doing it all!

However, while mushrooms offer many health and environmental advantages, much remains unknown about these microscopic creatures. As such, it’s vital that before taking any supplement from mushrooms-sourced mycologists with experience working with this field of knowledge in order to prevent potential side effects from taking these supplements.

Reishi mushrooms have been shown to provide immune-enhancing effects and fight inflammation within the body, while chaga mushrooms have been proven to enhance cognitive performance for those suffering from cancer and chronic fatigue.

turkey tail mushrooms possess anti-inflammatory properties and have been proven to treat digestive ailments like Crohn’s disease and ulcers, while maitake mushrooms have proven their anti-oxidant and cholesterol lowering abilities.

Immune Boosting Effects

Medicinal mushrooms such as turkey tail and lion’s mane mushrooms have long been touted for their immune-enhancing effects. Packed full of polysaccharides, peptides, and protein compounds that modulate white blood cell activity while helping activate natural killer cells – the immune system’s primary tumor-hunting and cell defense mechanism.

Stamets sells his gourmet and medicinal mushrooms through online and retail shops; however, he still hosts seminars for those interested in cultivating gourmet and medicinal mushrooms at home. Participants in his courses receive cultures of seven varieties to take home with their course materials and have reported having successful harvests within two or three sessions.

Stamets has an eponymous starship named in his honor and regularly hosts sold-out keynote speeches worldwide. According to him, mushrooms’ recent surge in popularity signifies a tipping point; people have now become acquainted enough with their superpowers to see beyond marketing hype about fungi and understand its potential benefits for wellbeing.

Chilton, who sports a clean-shaven look and wears rectangular glasses, founded mushroom distributor Nammex in 1989. An avid trout fisherman himself, Chilton has dedicated much of his free time and resources to exposing what he considers widespread mislabeling of mushroom supplements and has taken an aggressive stance against any potential misrepresentations in marketing practices for more than a decade – specifically any fraudulent claims of “sham supplements”. He believes he has successfully demonstrated these misleading practices through Nammex distribution channels since then.

At every corner of the market, adaptogenic mushrooms can be found. From tea bags and tea parties, to adding chaga to cappuccino or scattering reishi on toast – adaptogenic mushrooms can be found everywhere! From sublingual drops for use under your tongue or powders you can sprinkle into smoothies and acai juice drinks; there are even gummies in different flavors including orange (shiitake), green (chaga), purple (huckleberry-reishi) or even mixed blend varieties!

However, not everyone agrees with Stamets and Chilton; an increasing number of experts are beginning to challenge the claims made for mycelium products. One researcher from University of California San Diego who works closely with Stamets on new research noted that mycelium grown on rice substrate lacks beta-glucans which possess immune-enhancing properties and therefore could reduce immune stimulation.

Memory Enhancing Effects

Neuroplasticity and conscious self-expansion have never been more popular, prompting many people to search for substances that nourish the brain, protect against neurodegeneration, and increase learning ability. Some molecules are synthesized in labs while others exist naturally – for example a recent study discovered a compound from Hericium erinaceus mushrooms commonly known as Lion’s Mane Mushroom that improves nerve growth while improving memory performance during preclinical trials; researchers believe it can also help combat age-related decline in cognitive function while protecting against Alzheimer’s disease.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms not only enhance cognition, but they also support healthy myelin sheaths that protect and strengthen neurons. Studies have also indicated they stimulate Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), two molecules responsible for stimulating new neuron growth as well as reinforcing existing ones – essential components in maintaining an intact nervous system that contribute to focus and memory loss caused by shrinking neurons and myelin breakdown with age.

Stamets has long held that mushrooms can save the world, which he has presented and discussed at various presentations and podcasts (such as his 2008 TED Talk “6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World”). Additionally, he founded Fungi Perfecti — a family-owned business located in Olympia, Washington that cultivates gourmet mushrooms — which sells mushroom supplements featuring mycelium grown on rice substrate as its base material and fruiting bodies grown alongside it as a supplement product line.

Stamets has become an icon in mycopreneurship due to his vast knowledge of mushrooms and their effects on human bodies. An autodidact mycologist, Paul has written two influential books: The Mushroom Cultivator and Growing Gourmet Mushrooms which are considered cultivation bibles for mushrooms. Paul also hosts podcasts featuring Deepak Chopra, Joe Rogan and best-selling author Michael Pollan and speaks at conferences all around the world about the healing powers of mushrooms – his work has helped mainstream awareness about their power – making him an integral part of this movement!

Psychedelic Effects

Mushrooms have emerged as a new superfood, appearing in drinks, gummies and recipes as well as being at the center of an expanding movement toward psychedelic mushrooms. Reishi chai, lion’s mane matcha and microdosing with psilocybin are all staples of wellness culture – yet when it comes to mushroom supplements driving this trend into mainstream media coverage there remains a profound rift between two leaders who have spent decades pushing their individual visions of this kingdom of fungi.

One is Paul Stamets, an internationally-recognized mycologist who first made waves in the early ’80s after publishing “The Mushroom Cultivator.” Since then, over 5,000 copies per year have been sold yearly – and Stamets continues to promote his ideas through TedTalks and podcast interviews.

He has created “Fungi Perfecti,” a mushroom product line made up of both cultivated and wild varieties he believes contain powerful medicinal benefits, which is currently selling well at Whole Foods and Target stores.

But disagreement over how best to utilize the mushroom kingdom has caused a heated war of words within the industry, endangering its credibility. Stamets and Chilton had long been friendly before the dispute over fundamental issues surfaced and led them down diverging paths; ultimately deciding who is correct will dictate its course in mushroom supplement industry.

Stamets has engaged in an argument with Chilton regarding how best to utilize mushrooms as both nutritional and medicinal substances. According to Stamets, mycelial material from mushrooms such as Reishi, Turkey Tail and Cordyceps has more medical value than their fruiting bodies sold as nootropic stacks for cognitive enhancement. Stamets uses these nootropic mushrooms along with Psilocybin to promote epigenetic neurogenesis – turning genes on or off in the brain – with his protocol

He has developed and patented a method of extracting mycelial material compounds and selling them as products, drawing criticism from mycologists for this approach. As mushroom consumption becomes mainstream, it will be interesting to observe whether such differences lead to consumer trust erosion and create divisions in wellness communities.