Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) – A Native American Miracle Mushroom?
The medicinal mushroom Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) can live for 50 years or more, making it one of the longest living perennial mushrooms in the world. This is even more impressive in light of the fact that it starts growing on trees that are already old to begin with. In other words, Fomes officinalis can only survive in old growth forests.
Fomes officinalis is first mentioned as a medicinal mushroom by Greek physician Dioscorides in the Materia Medica of 65 B.C. where it was listed as a remedy for tuberculosis. This makes it the oldest medicinal mushroom in Western literature. [25] Written records and oral traditions from Poland and other areas of Europe suggest that Fomes officinalis was in fact the principal medicinal mushroom of ancient Europe as a whole, not only Greece.
Unfortunately, Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) is no longer a European folk remedy. It may actually be extinct in Europe today, due to its requirement of old growth forests. In fact, it is mostly extinct in North America as well; except for Washington State’s last remaining old growth rain forests. Hopefully this last refuge will be preserved for future generations. If not, at least the precious genetic material of this potentially powerful medicinal mushroom can be saved through cultivation. Two U.S. companies that currently cultivate and sell Fomes officinalis are Mushroom Harvest out of Ohio and Paul Stamets’ Washington based business Fungi Perfecti.
The traditional therapeutic use of Fomes officinalis included pneumonia and, as previously mentioned, tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). It was also used for muscular and skeletal pain in the form of a poultice.
Supporting this information is a Polish article from 2001 by K. Grzywnowics titled Medicinal mushrooms in Polish folk medicine. While it was still common in Poland, Fomes officinalis was used to treat lung conditions like coughing and asthma, and skeletal conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, but also open bleeding and infected wounds. In Polish tradition, Fomes officinalis tea was considered a life prolonging elixir. [147]
But Europeans did by no means have exclusive knowledge of the healing benefits of Fomes officinalis. According to oral traditions of some Native American tribes, it was used as a remedy against smallpox and other diseases brought to the Americas by Europeans. One of these tribes was the Haida of the Pacific Northwest Coast, among whom a mythological reverence of the Agarikon mushroom also connects it with female sexuality and the female creator spirit known as Raven.
Although rarely researched by modern medicine, two studies did report a strong immune boosting effect in subjects who were given Fomes officinalis extract. [148, 149]
Finally, it should be noted that in spite of its common name synonyms “Quinine Fungus” or “Quinine Conk,” Agarikon does not contain the compound quinine and is not effective in the use against malaria.
Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.
Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.
Dr. Markho Rafael, an passionate mushroomer since youth, has worked for his entire professional career in the natural health field. He currently focuses on medicinal fungi, working in particular with the certified organic line of Fungi Perfecti. For scientific references to this article, please visit the Fomes officinalis extract (Stamets) page and click on any number indicating a reference.
