Head of the research center: mushrooms are not only for eating. They lend a helping hand in both medicine and forestry.

Whole generations have grown up knowing that the basis of life on Earth is Flora and Fauna. With expanded awareness, we now know there is a third big F in this list, Fungi, mushrooms. Why do mushrooms become a decisive actor in the future of humanity?

Don’t be afraid of mushrooms or fungi. Their existence depends on us and vice versa. Fungi provide food, medicine, produce and enrich the soil, influence the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere, enable a new beginning in areas devastated by environmental disasters, can be used as raw materials in the construction, fashion and cosmetics industries. The list of possibilities fungi create could go on.

Half of our Galaxy

The world has finally begun to realize the potential of mushrooms and fungi for the benefit of mankind. Most fungi do not live as traditional fungi as we are used to seeing them, but as a collection of branching, interlocking cells known as mycelium.

At a depth of 10 cm below the surface, the total length of the mycelial network on Earth is more than 450 thousand quadrillion kilometers, or in human language, almost half the width of our galaxy. Mycelium forms a life support system that can rightfully be considered one of the wonders of the living world.

The reason why fungi have only recently become superstars is simple. Accessible scientific methods just didn’t exist twenty years ago. DNA sequencing, i.e. determining heredity using biomolecular methods, is one of the success stories of today’s technology. This has given the opportunity to study fungi more closely and get an idea of their secrets. Mushrooms and fungi clearly connect the world. Today, we have only taken a glimpse of what effect mushrooms actually have on people and life around us. We are at the beginning of great discoveries

In partnership with mushrooms

By working together with mushrooms and learning more about their capabilities, humans can face increasing crises in healthcare and in the environment. Fungi are metabolic wizards and their chemical achievements have historically influenced human development, whether it’s making bread, cheese or soy sauce, not to mention Penicillium (penicillin). Fungi play a vital role in biodiversity. If we destroy the mushroom world, we are actually destroying ourselves.

The latest scientific discoveries speak unanimously about how it is possible to fight depression and anxiety with the help of medicinal mushrooms. It is also important not to oppose modern medicine. Mushrooms are binders and unifiers in nature, they can play a similar role in medical applications.

Last fall, we opened the first competence and research center in Tallinn, dedicated to mushroom research. Just as the world’s leading mushroom scientists agree – mushrooms must be studied more than before and more resources must be allocated for this purpose.

Today we recognize less than 10% of the fungi that actually exist in the world. It’s time to give mushrooms the attention they really deserve. Estonia could be a global leader in this field.

The third capital F

However, this requires a change in the current way of thinking. Mushrooms are not only for eating, but their potential is immense. Imagine the possibility of a carpet made of mushrooms giving a fresh start to an area devastated by wildfires or a desert land, creating new life.

Or how medicinal mushrooms are used to produce medicines helping millions of people overcoming depression. How today’s fashion industry, built on consumption, becomes more sustainable by using mushrooms as a material.

These applications are not utopian any more, but the reality we live in. However, if we currently recognize less than 10% of the fungi on Earth, just imagine what the next years and decades will bring with the support of science and technology. Fungi are the third big F, next to flora and fauna, that redefine history. We are clearly at the beginning of this journey.