Wild Edible and Medicinal Mushroom Class

A new class at the Herbal Bear School! -

Wild Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms

Date & Time:
Saturday, October 3, 2009;
10am - 5:45pm

Location:
The Herbal Bear House
11 Old Ferris Farm Road,
Grand Gorge NY 12434

Cost: $175.00 (includes lunch)
Register Here

Learn the skills needed to utilize wild edible and medicinal mushrooms! Spend an exciting day at the Herbal Bear Catskill Cabin with our instructor Bob Beyfus, learning about wild mushrooms and their many uses.
The course provides an introduction to wild mushroom identification. Emphasis is on basic identification skills of wild mushrooms, including edible mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms and their poisonous look-alikes. Students will learn how to use a key to identify mushrooms and the terminology used to distinguish common mushrooms and relatives. Basic fungal biology and ecology will be discussed.
The class covers mushroom foraging fundamentals, including:
· Where to look for different species: habitat preferences
· When to harvest different species: seasonal growth patterns
· Non-edible look-alikes and poisonous mushrooms to avoid
· Mushroom cultivation
· Storing and preserving wild mushrooms
· A review of useful resources: books and websites on mushrooms
The course begins with a slide show presentation that explains how to identify a wide variety of mushrooms found in the Northeast. The course continues with a mushroom foraging hike. The afternoon is spent practicing identification skills with the mushrooms gathered on the foraging hike, learning mushroom cultivation techniques, and ends with a presentation on the use of medicinal mushrooms. Hand-outs are provided with resources for further learning.



Each Student must have:
A copy of the Audubon Field Guide to mushrooms.
A hand magnifying glass.
Hiking shoes suitable for walking in the woods.
Rain gear - in case on inclement weather.
You may bring your own copy of or purchase one at the time of registration for this class. Your purchased copy will be given to you at the class.



Each student will receive a mushroom kit that they can take home and grow their very own mushrooms. Tuition includes lunch. Supper is served after the class lecture and is available to students for an additional $20.00.





Lodging is not included. If you wish to stay in the area – we can recommend several local motels or inns.



Register Here
The registration fee will include a non-refundable $35.00 fee that can not be applied to any other class. No refunds will be made for missed classes or cancellations that are made less than two weeks before the class begins. We will not make refunds or offer make-up sessions for classes missed by the student.
NOTE: All students must be pre-enrolled and paid in order to attend the classes.We will not accept walk ins.

The Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms

By Ursula Basch
Herbal Bear School of Botanical Medicine

Spring and Fall are wonderful times for hunting mushrooms. The cooler weather together with increased rain provides the perfect growing conditions. Most people are familiar with the common white button mushroom that is sold in supermarkets. But did you know that mushrooms have a long history in the Orient for their medicinal uses? There are many mushrooms that are used medicinally. Some are commonly used in culinary preparations, others are not as common. Studies have shown that many mushroom may have numerous beneficial actions including: anti-tumor activity, antiviral activity and anti-inflammatory actions.



Here are a few mushrooms and their medicinal actions.

Shiitake
(Lentinula edodes)
Used medicinally for diseases involving depressed immune function-including cancer. A vast amount of research into shiitake's medicinal properties has been completed and shows that it has the ability to fight tumors and viruses and enhance the immune system. It has also shown cholesterol lowering properties.



Maitake
Grifola frondosa
Maitake means "dancing mushroom'' in Japanese. They also are known as hen-of-the-woods because the mass of mushrooms looks like a hen with ruffled feathers. Used in traditional Asian medicine for immune function enhancement, consumption of the mushroom was thought to prevent high blood pressure and cancer. There is currently a study being conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on the use of Maitake for breast cancer patients.

Reishi
Ganoderma lucidum
The Latin word lucidum means shiny'' and refers to the surface of reishi's cap, which is reddish orange to black and is shiny - appearing almost varnished. Used medicinally for diseases involving depressed immune function and for cancer treatment. Research into shiitake's medicinal properties has shown that it has the ability to fight tumors and viruses and enhance the immune system. It has also shown cholesterol lowering properties.

Would you like more information about herbs and herbal medicine? Visit our website at www.herbalbear.com