Ethnomycology: Past and Present

Ethnomycology, the cultural uses of mushrooms and fungi, is understudied and underpublished in our profession. Archaelogical evidence is difficult but not impossible with these soft-bodied organisms, and pre-historic evidence comes from "mushroom stones", iconography on cultural artifacts, and rock art. Chemical analytical methods have shown that mushroom compounds are found on stoneware, on dental artifacts, and occasionally on woody items found in archeological settings. Muchy of ethnomycology has been centered on ethnographic work around the world, especially focused on sacred mushrooms and psychoactive or neurotropic species. This session aims to update our Society on current methodologies, historical understandings, and new hyphae of research studies, given the recent mycophilic facination around the globe.