When we consider of mushrooms and the southern Mexico state connected with Oaxaca, first thing which usually comes to mind is María Sabina, Huautla sobre Jiménez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But slowly which is all changing as a good result of typically the radical work of Josefina Jiménez and Johann Mathieu throughout mycology, through their company, Mico-lógica.
Based in viking spores uk of Benito Juárez, located in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán area (more commonly known as the Serranía Aspiracion, the state’s primary ecotourism region), Mico-lógica’s mission will be threefold: to train each Mexicans and visitors to help the in the low cost cultivation of any wide variety of mushroom kinds; to inform about the medicinal, healthy and environmental (sustainable) associated with mushrooms; and to conduct continuous research regarding ideal climatic parts and often the diversity of substrata intended for mushroom tradition.
The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, plus in fact to help Huautla para Jiménez, around 2005. “Yes, coming to Mexico from England to follow my interest in mushrooms seems like a prolonged way to travel, inches Mathieu explained in some sort of new interview in Oaxaca. “But there really has not been a lot of an opportunity in order to conduct studies and even expand the business within European The european countries, ” he carries on, “since reverence intended for mushrooms experienced been basically absolutely eradicated by The Church over the course regarding centuries; and I learned that Mexico still keeps a respect and appreciation for your medicinal and nutritional worth of hongos. Mexico is usually definately not mycophobic. “
Huautla sobre Jiménez is extra than a 5 time drive from the nearby metropolitan center. Accordingly, Mathieu eventually realized that remaining in Huautla, while positioning an historic allure and even being in a geographic area conducive in order to functioning with mushrooms, would impede his efforts to grow a business and grow widespread interest in learning about fungi. Mathieu grew to be aware of the flourishing standing of Oaxaca’s ecotourism areas of the Montana Aspiracion, and indeed the Feria Local de Hongos Silvestres (regional wild mushroom festival), presented annually throughout Cuahimoloyas.
Mathieu met Josefina Jiménez with the summertime weekend break mushroom function. Jiménez experienced moved to Oaxaca by hometown Mexico Town around 2002. The two shared similar interests; Jiménez got studied agronomy, and for in close proximity to a several years possessed been cooperating with sustainable agronomie projects around rural grinding communities from the Huasteca Potosina location connected with San Luis Potosí, the mountains of Alborotador and the coast involving Chiapas. Mathieu together with Jiménez became business, and life partners in Benito Juárez.
Mathieu and Jiménez can be concentrating on three mushroom species in their hands-on workshops; oyster (seta), shitake and reishi. Their one-day workshops are for oyster mushrooms, and two-day centers to the latter two kinds of fungi. “With reishi, and to a lesser amount shitake, we’re in addition teaching some sort of fair tad about the medicinal uses involving mushrooms, so more period becomes necessary, ” says Mathieu, “and with oyster mushrooms it’s predominantly [but definitely not exclusively] a good program on cultivation. inches
While training seminars are usually now solely given throughout Benito Juárez, Mathieu plus Jiménez plan to grow operations to include both equally the particular central valleys together with coast regions of Oaxaca. The object is to have got a network of manufacturers growing different mushrooms that happen to be optimally suited for growing in line with the particular microclimate. Right now there are approximately 70 sub-species of oyster mushrooms, and even thus as a kinds, the adaptability of the particular oyster mushroom to diverse weather regions is remarkable. “The oyster can get grown in a very multitude connected with different substrata, and that’s exactly what we’re experimentation using appropriate now, ” he elucidates. The oyster mushroom can easily thrive when grown upon products which would usually become waste, such while discard through cultivating coffee beans, sugar walking cane, agave (including the fibrous waste generated in mezcal distillation), peas, the common river reed known as carriso, sawdust, as well as the list goes on the subject of. Agricultural waste products which could otherwise be still left to help rot or get burned, each with negative environmental effects, can form substrata for mushroom cultivation. It should be noted, though trite, that mushroom cultivation is a really sustainable, green industry. Above the past a number of years Mexico has in fact been with the fore around numerous areas of lasting industry.
Mathieu exemplifies the way mushrooms can serve a good arguably even greater ecological good:
“They can hold up to thirty thousands of times their mass, obtaining ramifications for inhibiting chafing. They’ve been used for you to clean up engine oil spills through absorption and so are usually an important vehicle intended for habitat restoration. Research offers recently been done with mushrooms in the battle against carpenter ant exploitation; it’s been suggested that the usage of fungi has often the potential to completely revamp the pesticide industry in an environmentally friendly approach. One can find basically hundreds connected with other earth-friendly applications intended for mushroom use, and within each case the mushroom remains a good ready-to-eat function. Take a look into the John Stamets YouTube spiel, six Ways Mushrooms Can help The World. “
Mathieu plus Jiménez can typically be seen selling their products with week-ends in the natural markets within Oaxaca. Could possibly be both more than ready to go over the vitamins and minerals of their particular products which range coming from obviously their fresh mushrooms, but also as preserves, marinated along with both chipotle and even nopal or perhaps jalapeño and cauliflower. The mushroom’s vitamins B12 can not be found within fruits or greens, together with accordingly a diet which usually involves fungi is particularly critical for vegetarians that cannot get B12, almost all typically contained in beef. Mushrooms can easily be a good substitute for meats, with the advantages that they are not necessarily full of antibiotics and human hormones typically found in industrially processed animal meat products.
Mico-lógica in addition offer teas plus extracts produced from different mushroom species, each and every formulated because either a nutritional supplement, or perhaps for their medicamentoso components. While neither Mathieu or Jiménez has the pharmacological history to recommend mycological treatment method for critical conditions, Mathieu’s own research points to this medical make use of of mushrooms dating by pre-history, to the gift. This individual notes properties involving mushrooms which can assist to restore the resistant system, and thus the use of infection as some sort of go with in the cure of cancers and HELPS, and their utility around controlling diabetic and the treatment of high levels of cholesterol.
“We really should be embracing the natural and organic production of mushrooms, micron Mathieu concludes. “It’s so easy, it involves a small investment investment, and that supplies significant rewards, equally for all those ingesting hongos with regard to nutritional and medicamentoso causes, as well as for the producers, actually small-scale. Mico-lógica also sells dried up mushrooms. Yet more of the dried mushrooms sold in Mexico are imported from China, and even are not really organic. Really a new actual shame upon a lot of ranges. “