Do you know some legendary anecdotes about edible fungi, or the process of being discovered to be edible? Sorry to bother you!

Our country is one of the ancient civilizations in the world. In its long history, it has created a richer mushroom culture. It has written a glorious chapter for the history of human mushroom culture. According to Mr. Guo Moruo's account in "Chinese History Manuscripts", our ancestors foraged mushrooms as early as 6,000-7,000 years ago during the Yangshao Culture period. Of course, we can also push back the time when humans collected edible mushrooms in nature even further. Many ancient books indicate that ancient Chinese not only had the habit of eating mushrooms, but also pioneered the artificial cultivation method of shiitake mushrooms in the world, which was nearly a thousand years earlier than France, which first cultivated Agaricus bisporus. There is also a saying that "Purple Zhizhi is grown like beans", indicating that Ganoderma lucidum has been cultivated in my country for a long time. This fully shows that China has a long history of mushroom culture.

1. Wu Sangong (1130-1208), the founder of shiitake mushrooms

Originally named Wu Yu. A native of Longyan Village, Baishan Zuxiang, Qingyuan County, Southern Song Dynasty, he was the founder of the world's "flower cutting method" artificial cultivation technology of shiitake mushrooms. Because he was the third oldest, later generations respectfully called him "Wu Sangong". When he was young, he often went to the county town to carry salt. When he passed by the foot of Fengyang Mountain, he found that the elm trees in the broad-leaved forest were covered with umbrella-shaped mushrooms, which were very fresh and cute. He picked some and brought them home to make soup. They were delicious and fragrant. It was so tangy that he gave it a nice name: "Shiitake Mushroom" and led the villagers to the mountains to pick mushrooms. If they couldn't finish eating, they would be dried over charcoal fire and eaten again in the coming year. Once, he had an ax to cut down the dead branches of an elm tree that were full of mushrooms. Soon he found that the mushrooms grew particularly prosperously in the place where he had chopped them. There were also tree trunks that he had shaken, and the mushrooms grew better. So from this long-term labor practice, he invented the "flower cutting" and "fungus" mushroom growing methods, and passed them on to the world. There is a folk saying: "The emperor Zhu Qin granted Long Qingjing a title, and the imperial master asked him to make shiitake mushrooms." This means that during the Hongwu period, Chuzhou's shiitake mushrooms were paid tribute and were listed as high-quality products by the court. The imperial master Liu Bowen paid tribute to Emperor Zhu and said that Long Qingjing of Chuzhou was three The people of the county are in dire straits, and the court must provide more support. Emperor Zhu granted the patent rights for the production of shiitake mushrooms to the people of the three counties of Longqingjing and granted Wu Sangong the title of "Gongshi Duke". In the third year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor also named him "Xianggong of the Prefecture". Later generations of mushroom people regarded Wu Sangong as the "Mushroom God" and built a large-scale Fengyang Temple to hold the position of the Mushroom God and offer sacrifices every year. Wu Sangong is just a legend. Longquan and Qingyuan have not found any conclusive historical data to prove his existence. Both places only use folklore to prove the existence of history. Perhaps this is a common phenomenon in Chinese farming culture.

2. The Gushan Shrine

It is a place where the mushroom people worship the mushroom god in Guliao when they go up the mountain. Most of these mushroom gods are carved from wood or made from clay, and are 40-50 centimeters long. Brought from his hometown by the master of Yiliao, he had to worship devoutly every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month while working in Gushan. The god is located in the center of the mushroom shed, facing the east door. Couplets are posted on the left and right sides of the altar and above it. The content is roughly as follows: The long strip in the middle is the throne of the emperor who was granted the title of Five Appearance Spiritual Officials. Take this as the center. The first one from the left: Wu Sangong of the Western Ancestral Palace. The first one from the right: Qingtian Liu Bowen, the national teacher. The second left: Benshan Fude, the righteous god of the land. The second right: The seventh and fifth kings of the Southern Dynasty Shangdian. The third left: the left general, the clairvoyant master. The third right: the left general, Master Shunfeng'er. The fourth left: Nian. The boy who attracts wealth in the moon, fourth from the right: When the time comes, Baolangjun will come in. There are usually couplets and banners at the entrance of these mushroom houses. Most of the couplets are: "The hero who makes trouble in the capital is the first, the filial piety and righteousness that shakes the earth are unparalleled", and the banner is: "Mighty in the south". The couplets may include "Mushrooms are good materials and produce hundreds of treasures, and the mushroom god sits here to impart magical skills", "The mushrooms are in the green mountains, and the mushrooms are placed in the factory to grow one after another", etc.

3. Ancient Taoist health-preserving Ganoderma lucidum grass

Ganoderma lucidum is a famous medicinal fungus. In many beautiful and moving folklores in ancient my country, Ganoderma lucidum is called "fairy grass". "Ganoderma lucidum" is a "miracle medicine" and auspicious thing for resurrecting the dead. Ganoderma lucidum has long been a household name among the people. According to the "Book of Mountains and Seas": Ganoderma lucidum was formed from the spirit of Emperor Yan's young daughter, and was deified into "immortal grass" and "magic grass". In the Shennong's Materia Medica, the earliest extant pharmacological monograph in my country, it is discussed that "all top-grade medicines are effective and non-toxic", Ganoderma lucidum is classified as top-grade and classified.

The great medical work "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Ganoderma lucidum is bitter in nature and flavor, flat, non-toxic, and beneficial to the heart. It enters the heart and congests blood, helps the heart and meridians, soothes the mind and lungs, nourishes the heart, increases wisdom, improves color, benefits joints, and activates blood circulation. , strengthen muscles and bones, eliminate phlegm and strengthen the stomach." It elaborates on the effects of Ganoderma lucidum on replenishing vital energy, calming the mind and beautifying, increasing intelligence and activating blood circulation. Ganoderma lucidum has long been known as the "supreme medicine" with its noble image and efficacious effects deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. There is a sentence in Ban Gu's "Xidu Fu" that "spiritual grass flourishes in winter".

Peng Zu is the great-great-grandson of Zhuan Xu, a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. Because he often took Wuyi Mountain's "Ganoderma lucidum", he still looked like a child and did not age after living for 760 years. Later generations described his health-preserving method as "Runzhi, drinking waterfalls, and staying in hiding to maintain health." Wuyishan Ganoderma lucidum is also famous all over the world.

The legend of "Leifeng Pagoda" by Fang Chengpei of the Qing Dynasty. Monk Fahai of Jinshan Temple was jealous of the happy marriage between Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen, and warned Xu Xian that Bai had been transformed by a snake demon. On the Dragon Boat Festival, Xu Xian listened to Fahai's advice and advised Bai to drink realgar wine. Bai showed his original shape, and Xu Xian died of fright. Bai sneaked into the Kunlun Mountains and stole Ganoderma lucidum, but was stopped by the crane and deer immortals. Bai Suzhen was defeated. At this time, the Antarctic immortal gave Xu Xian the Ganoderma lucidum out of sympathy and saved Xu Xian.

The Eight Immortals crossed the sea and collected herbs from the East China Sea. The fairy grass was found, and the Eight Immortals used it to make elixirs to save all living beings. The plague was eliminated, and the world returned to normal. Zhang Guo was also allowed to return to the sun for his meritorious service in helping the Eight Immortals, but Yancai left Xiangzi forever in a sweet dream. The Eight Immortals are officially ranked among the Immortals, and they are responsible for their good deeds in helping the world.

4. Shaman Totem-Mushroom God (Mama Senche)

The Shaman Totem Forest has 15 totem poles in a row, and the gods carved on them have different shapes. , because shamanism is a primitive polytheism and a polytheistic worship formed under the concept of "animism". The gods represented by shaman totems are: the Lord of Changbai Mountain (Manchu pronunciation Chaoha Zhanye), the goddess of directions (Heshuohhe), the father god (Wushen Kuomafa), the mother god (Mother Buddha), the mushroom god (Sen) Che mother), many-breasted mother (Nadanhuxun mother), snow god (Mangni Nduli), embroidery goddess (Ilhagege), golden god (Aixin Nduli), as well as the Tangzi god, the snake god, Eagle God, Leopard God, etc.

5. How can a mushroom become a god?

According to an investigation by an American scientist, "Soma", one of the ancient Indian gods, is actually the totem of the mushroom, the clam. In the first century AD, King Claudius of Rome and his successor Nero were poisoned to death by their political opponents because they were greedy for delicious clams. Some historians tremble with fear when mentioning this matter, calling Clam the "ghost of the Roman court."

Clam is a wild plant that grows in forests or roadsides. It is also known as muscaria and belongs to the genus Amanita in taxonomy. There is a kind of white amanita with scale handle called "the angel of destruction", which shows its poisonous power.

Although clam clams are poisonous and will kill you if you eat too much, they taste particularly delicious because their bacteria contain ibotenic acid, a strong umami-promoting substance. Perhaps because of its absorbing power, it lured the greedy Roman king to his death.

There are also some mushrooms that can neither cook delicacies nor kill people. However, they have an extraordinary magical power and can lead people into magical illusions. This is what some drug addicts in Europe and America talk about. "Magic Mushroom", or simply "Magic Mushroom" or "Charm Mushroom".

American scholar Heimu once discovered records of hallucinogenic mushrooms in the ancient Mayan civilization in Mexico. Later, stone sculptures worshiping mushrooms were discovered in Mayan ruins in Guatemala. It turns out that as early as 3,000 years ago, the Mayans living in the jungles of South America had a mysterious reverence for this mushroom with special hallucinogenic effects, believing that it can lead people's souls to heaven and has boundless magical powers. The "holy object" of mana is respectfully called the "flesh of God".

Many foreign scholars have successively conducted research on hallucinogenic mushrooms. They have discovered that in ancient times when science was not yet developed, certain ethnic groups in Peru, Borneo, India, Guinea, Siberia and Europe were holding religious ceremonies. During ceremonies, the "charm" of hallucinogenic mushrooms is often used to add a mysterious atmosphere to religious ceremonies.

After taking the fly fungus, strange hallucinations will occur in the eyes of the user, all images will be magnified, and an ordinary person will turn into a huge behemoth in an instant. It is said that if a cat eats this hallucinogenic fungus, it will be frightened by the huge body of the mouse and lose the courage to hunt. This is medically called "macroscopic hallucination".

On the contrary, people who eat the gorgeous boletus or the small American boletus will suffer from a kind of "microscopic hallucination". In their eyes, everyone around them becomes insignificant.

The hallucinogenic effect of brown scales and gray growth is another story. All kinds of weird people will appear in front of users: some have slender bodies, or some are ferocious and terrifying. Afterwards, the poisoned person becomes confused and drowsy.

Poisoned patients with macrospora will lose the sense of time and have color hallucinations in front of them. Sometimes they feel that the surroundings are filled with green mist, which makes people spin dizzy; sometimes they feel that they are trapped in a sea of ??fire and strange lights shine.

There are records about mushrooms in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics in Africa. The history that can be tested is the human rock art with the theme of "mushroom" discovered in northern Algeria before 3500 BC. It is located in Tassili-n-Ajjer (Tassili-n-Ajjer), south of the Mediterranean in the Sahara Desert. Cave rock art There are portraits of shamans wearing bee headdresses and dancing with mushrooms in their hands (Figure 1). Changes in the climate there at that time may have made the soil quite fertile.

It is speculated that the ancestors of the Americas began to collect and eat mushrooms before 10,000 BC. Archaeologists have discovered prehistoric stone tools from about 1000-300 BC on the Guatemala Plateau. They are shaped like mushrooms and are 12cm-17.5cm high. They are called mushroom stones. There are eight of them, each representing the moon. Gods such as goddesses, tigers, birds, apes, rabbits, and snakes may have the function of protecting the owner from harm, indicating the boundaries of the territory, and praying to the gods for rain, which fully expresses the mushroom worship of the Mayan culture.

In 1998, due to the melting of glaciers, people discovered a mummy in the Alps that was more than 5,000 years old (Figure 3). It is the oldest mummy at present. Fragments of three kinds of mushrooms were found in its waist bag.

The earliest pottery with mushrooms on it was found in Vera Cruz, more than 2,000 years ago, and shows people praying to mushrooms (Heim 1967). Pottery found in Colimo from about AD 100-300 shows people dancing around magic mushrooms (Furst 1974). The earliest mushroom murals were found in central Mexico and were painted around AD 300 (Wasson 1980).

6. "Jesus" is not a human name, but a sacred, poisonous, and medicinal mushroom.

In recent years, the most famous work using mythology to explain the Christian faith is Ah Sacred Mushrooms and Crosses by Allegro. ...Using primitive religion and the common phenomenon of primitive people’s survival, we deeply explore the mushroom worship of primitive peoples. The early people longed to become one with the source of life and sought the power of life in nature. Based on their own experiences of childbirth, they inferred the world and the universe. Humans are born from parents, and all things must have supreme parents. The early people regarded heaven and earth as the parents of all things. The heavenly father opened the sky to send rain, and the earth mother opened her belly to receive the heavenly father's semen, and all things came into being. Among all living things, mushrooms are the most primitive, simplest and most revealing. There were thunder and lightning, wind and rain, and the early people regarded it as a holy word sent from heaven. Immediately after the rain, the sky cleared, and new mushrooms appeared suddenly amidst the thunder and lightning. The early people thought that this was the holy word of God, that is, thunder and lightning, born in the image of a mushroom (Verbumcarofactum).

This sudden red-topped mushroom is poisonous and will knock anyone who eats it unconscious for a long time. However, its toxicity can also cure diseases, so it is also regarded as a miracle doctor from heaven. According to Allegro's research, the word "Jesus" has been the title of "healer" since the earliest Suma and Babylonian times. At that time, doctors referred to poisonous and healing mushrooms. "Jesus" was not a personal name, but a sacred, poisonous and healing mushroom.

Eating and drinking the body blood of "Jesus" means eating mushroom meat and drinking mushroom juice. After being poisoned and falling into a coma, you will die together with "Jesus". To be resurrected is to be resurrected with "Jesus". To take communion in a group is to pray and sing during the first meal, and then eat sacred poisonous mushrooms. After eating, they all fell into coma and died together. The poison disappears, each one is resurrected, and then they are resurrected together. The union of heaven and man means that after eating a mushroom, one becomes unconscious and becomes one with the word of God, because the mushroom is the incarnation of the word. A person eats the holy word of God, becomes pregnant with the Son of God, becomes one with the Father in Heaven and the Mother on Earth, and lives forever between heaven and earth. This is the Kingdom of Heaven.

According to textual research, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome ate wild mushrooms thousands of years ago, and regarded mushrooms that are rich in nutrients, delicious and delicious as "gods", and gradually formed the ancient Egyptian , the ancient mushroom culture of ancient Greece and Rome. There are many cultural relics unearthed in Mexico and descriptions of traditional customs that are still preserved among the people. As early as 3,000 years ago, the Indians living there had the custom of eating local wild poisonous mushrooms. They used the hallucinogenic effects and neurotoxic reactions produced by the toxins in festival celebrations, thus forming the Indian national mushroom culture. The Tungus and Yakut people in Siberia, Russia, look for food in the forest whenever the Amanita mushroom grows in summer, and use the poisoning to produce a morphine-like reaction as a special enjoyment of the traditional "mushroom festival". They are very aware of the virulence of this poisonous fungus, and they especially control how much they eat. In the struggle for power in the Roman palace, Amanita was even used to poison the emperor and the pope.