Christopher Hobbs's Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms

by Christopher Hobbs

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Christopher Hobbs's Medicinal Mushrooms is an interesting look at mushrooms and their uses by Dr. Christopher Hobbs. Due out 30th March 2021 from Storey, it's 272 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written and beautifully illustrated encyclopedic examination of mushrooms and their traditional uses in medicine throughout history (much of the emphasis is on Native American, Asian, and other traditions and medicines). The author is an expert forager with decades of experience (and a doctorate in phytochemistry). The layout is logical and easy to understand and navigate. The chapters are arranged thematically: a study of mushrooms and the phytochemical and biological basis for the ways they interact with the human body, recipes and tutorials for accessing the active chemical components in specific fungi, an herbal containing lists of medicinally important mushrooms, hallucinogens and their uses, and foraging/cultivation advice and tutorials.

Throughout the book, the author emphasizes the absolute necessity of caution and positive identification. I was surprised (and doubtful!) when I saw that psychoactive mushrooms were included, but admittedly was impressed with the balanced treatment and cautionary information the author provided. This is a science based book with an impressive lack of fuzzy and outlandish claims - no miracle cures or pseudo-scientific claims to be found here.

The book is exhaustively annotated with copious links and chapter notes as well as a thorough bibliography for further reading. The author has included resource suppliers as well a cross-referenced index.
Five stars. Lots and lots (and lots) of inspiration. Aesthetically an enjoyable read with a truly astounding amount of meticulous research and annotation. This would make a superlative selection for garden groups, community gardening, allotment/collective libraries, smallholders, foragers, and wildcrafters.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.