Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) - A Native American Miracle Mushroom?

By Dr. Markho Rafael

Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) is one of the largest and longest living mushrooms in the world, some individual specimens known to be as old as 50 years. This needs to be seen in perspective of the fact that Agarikon starts out growing on already mature trees. It requires old growth forests to survive.

The earliest written record of any mushroom used medicinally can be found in the Materia Medica from 65 B.C., where Fomes officinalis was listed by Greek physician Dioscorides as a tuberculosis remedy. [25] Other oral and written traditions from Poland and elsewhere in Europe indicate that Fomes officinalis was the most important medicinal mushroom in ancient Europe.

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.

There is little modern research on the medicinal use of Agarikon extract but traditional use of this medicinal mushroom included tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and pneumonia (Bacillus pneumoniae and others). It's also been used topically as a poultice to relieve muscle and skeletal pain.

In 2002, an article by K. Grzywnowics was published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms supporting this information. Titled Medicinal mushrooms in Polish folk medicine, it states that Fomes officinalis was indeed used to treat lung conditions, including asthma and coughing, as well as painful skeletal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Polish healers considered it an elixir for long life. In addition to lung and musculoskeletal conditions, it was also used to treat infected wounds and open bleeding. [147]

Native Americans were also aware of the medicinal properties of Fomes officinalis. Oral traditions among certain tribes hold that it was used as a remedy against diseases brought by the Europeans, including smallpox. One such tribe was the Haida of the American Northwest, who even incorporated Agarikon into their spirituality where it was associated with the female creator spirit Raven, and by extension to female sexuality and fertility.

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, a word of caution: Two of the common name synonyms for Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) are "Quinine Conk" and "Quinine Fungus," due to the quinine-like bitter taste of the mushroom. However, Fomes officinalis does not actually contain the compound quinine and is not known to be effective 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: Thank you to Paul Stamets for source material. - 17273

About the Author:

Dr. Markho Rafael, an passionate mushroomer since youth, has worked for his entire professional career in the area of natural health. He currently focuses on medicinal fungi, working in particular with the certified organic line of Paul Stamets Fungi Perfecti. For scientific references to this article, please visit the Fomes officinalis extract page. Click on the numbers that indicate references.