Online Personal Training Blog

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

The medicinal mushroom Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) can live for 50 years or more, making it one of the longest living perennial mushrooms in the world. This is even more impressive in light of the fact that it starts growing on trees that are already old to begin with. In other words, Fomes officinalis can only survive in old growth forests.

Historical records indicate that Agarikon may have been the most important medicinal mushroom of ancient Europe. The earliest preserved record dates to 65 B.C., when it was listed by Greek physician Dioscorides in Materia Medica as a remedy for tuberculosis. [25]

It may be a species of a bygone era. Agarikon is practically extinct in Europe. [146] Most remaining Agarikon mushrooms are now found in the moist old growth rain forests of western North America. Fortunately, it can be cultivated, so there is no immediate risk of losing the genetic material. Paul Stamets business Fungi Perfecti based in Washington State grows it, as does the company Mushroom Harvest out of Ohio.

Historically, Fomes officinalis was used in the form of a poultice to treat skeletal pain and muscle pain, and as a tea for lung conditions such as pneumonia and tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

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]

But Europeans did by no means have exclusive knowledge of the healing benefits of Fomes officinalis. According to oral traditions of some Native American tribes, it was used as a remedy against smallpox and other diseases brought to the Americas by Europeans. One of these tribes was the Haida of the Pacific Northwest Coast, among whom a mythological reverence of the Agarikon mushroom also connects it with female sexuality and the female creator spirit known as Raven.

Two of the rare mentions of Fomes officinalis in modern scientific literature have reported that it does produce significant immune enhancement in test subjects. [148, 149]

Lastly, a brief word of caution: Agarikon (Fomes officinalis) may also be known in English as “Quinine Conk” or “Quinine Fungus,” but it does not contain the anti-malaria compound quinine and is not known to be effective against the malaria parasite.

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.

Dr. Markho Rafael, an avid mushroomer since childhood, has spent his entire professional career in the area of natural health. He currently specializes in medicinal mushrooms, working in particular with the certified organic line of Fungi Perfecti. For scientific references to this article, please visit the Fomes officinalis extract (Stamets) page and click on any number indicating a reference.