Last weekend while I was out on my hike, I came across two interesting looking, kidney shaped mushrooms. Unlike most mushrooms the stalk was on one side instead of in the center of the cap. One was a dark golden yellow, while the second was smaller and considerably lighter colored, but they were obviously the same species. They were growing at the base of an oak tree, but the tree was definitely still living and looked quite healthy (although looks can sometimes be deceiving with these oaks). The caps kind of looked like Trametes cubensis, which grows on dead wood and doesn’t have stalks. I had never seen something quite like this before, although I do not at all claim to know that much about fungi. A little research, though, revealed some interesting information.

It turns out that these are golden reishis (Ganoderma curtisii) which are also sometimes called artists brackets since they’re shaped like a painter’s pallet and are a type of bracket fungus. They’re pretty common in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico, especially during the summer months. They like to grow on deciduous hardwood trees especially oaks. They will grow on both decaying wood and on live trees, especially their roots. They aren’t toxic, but the flesh is considered by most people to be inedible due to it’s tough texture and bitter taste.

Even though these mushrooms are considered inedible, they have many uses in herbal medicine. They are traditionally used to treat infections, especially pulmonary infections, insomnia, fatigue, and stress. They are also used by some herbalists for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver or kidney disease, HIV, shingles pain, and influenza. There is also some evidence that they may be useful for immune support during chemotherapy. It is usually taken either as a tea or as an extract. There can be some side effects of taking reishi, so you should only do it under the supervision of a trained medical professional. It can also interact with many traditional medications and other supplements. I have no intentions of taking medicinal (or any other type) of mushroom, and certainly not one that I identified and harvested myself, but I did find it very interesting to learn about all the possible uses of these cool looking mushrooms.