Dive into the mysteries of Lichens with this Keynote Address from ethnobotanist Patricia Armstrong from the 2022 Mycelium Mysteries Women's Mushroom Conference. Lichens are two plants living as one: are they a mutualistic symbiosis or a controlled parasitism? There are many conflicting theories about lichens. They are both old and young, long-lived yet extremely sensitive to air pollution.

Join us for A Journey through the National Geographic Herbal, where Mimi introduces nine beloved plants—Peach Leaf, Prickly Pear, Sumac, Sunflower, Self-heal, Kudzu, Saw Palmetto, Damiana, and Rooibos. Explore their sensations, uses in kitchen and apothecary, garden allies, forest traditions, and global histories in a captivating celebration of herbal wisdom.

Delve into the fascinating realm of medicinal foods and herbs where vibrant colors represent a cornucopia of bioactive constituents. We'll explore the remarkable actions of these plant pigments, from their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to their broad-spectrum bioprotective effects and their unique role as cell growth normalizers.

In this talk, Sarah will take us on a meander through the world of wild mushrooms, with an eye towards the intricate relationships mushrooms have with a surprising array of wildlife, including, ourselves. Using this lens of ecological awareness, we’ll challenge ourselves as foragers to examine our own role as active stewards of biodiversity, recognizing that natural areas everywhere are in crisis.

In today’s world of rapid technology and unending stimulation, shifting cultures of herbalism compound the difficulty of balancing life's demands in a big loud world. In the face of all this noise, how do we maintain our true connection with the plants themselves? Come reflect on many of the issues facing us today while also honoring the simplicities that make us herbalists.

Because we are passionate about fungi and believe they make our world better it can be difficult to equate a fungus like the Golden Oyster with harm. But the truth is Golden Oysters are invasive and may be damaging the forests we love. I’ll unpack the colonized thinking that continues to dominate our discussions of local biodiversity and talk about how to safeguard our native species

This talk seeks to share what is known, what is knowable, and what is unknowable about the psychoactive properties of Psilocybe species.

We can learn from the rich story of the ancient Sumerian Goddess Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, and her underworld sister Ereshkigal. Their story of power struggle, liberation, and forgiveness requires trust, a bit of grace, and a whole lot of compassion. How might we see these two Goddesses within ourselves? What is possible when we learn to let ourselves off the hook?

In this talk, we'll delve into the sadly short list of ladies who helped advance the science of mycology prior to 1900. We'll learn who they were, what they did, and give them some long overdue thanks!"

What is the story we are weaving for our granddaughters? All of our granddaughters? Will they want to cultivate what we are seeding, in their lives, in the soil, in the world? Sit with Venice Williams as she shares the stories of her ancestral grandmothers, and invites us to explore, more fully, what we are, and may not be, sowing for the women who will follow us.

Barbora will share her personal journey into the fascinating world of mushrooms, highlighting the significance of ethnomycology as a vital field that connects culture, ecology, and culinary heritage. You’ll learn about the historical context of mushroom foraging in Czech society, culturally significant mushroom species, old mushroom legends, and the culinary heritage through traditional Czech mushroom recipes.

Katherine MacLean will trace the development of psilocybin mushroom medicine from its underground, secret, humble beginnings in the hills of what is now called Oaxaca, Mexico through the halls of academia and the social lives of modern Americans, and finally, to its current lofty status as an alleged treasure of the Western corporate pharmacopeia.

Mushrooms could hold the key to humans having a future on this planet. Fungi were some of the first life forms to make land habitable and they’ve already survived five mass extinctions and will most likely survive several more. Could a deeper understanding of Mycelium change our own brains? Perhaps it could change our current way of thinking and help alter our disastrous and self‐destructive trajectory.

Truffle-forming fungi, cryptic, charismatic, and living right here in the Midwest. This includes genera like the genus Tuber with its rich culinary legacy as well as many, many other truffle-forming fungal species with fascinating and important ecological histories. This presentation will explore and introduce you to the diverse fungi which produce truffles and can be found in the Midwest region of North America.

Indigenous peoples enhanced the food and medicinal plant bearing capacity of every region in the Americas. Drawing from her doctoral research, Lyla June will discuss the nature of these food systems, why their stories were never told, and how humanity can bring them back. Please see the file with this lesson for complete recording description and Lyla June's full bio.