BBC: Medicine or myth?

Do the names, 'Lion's Mane', or, 'Turkey Tail', mean anything to you, Neil?

Lion's Mane and Turkey Tail? Sounds like things you might find in the zoo!

Ha, good guess! But they're actually the names of mushrooms. Lion's Mane is a white hairy mushroom found across Asia, and Turkey Tail is a brown fan-shaped fungus which looks a bit like...well, a turkey's tail! But if you haven't already heard these names you probably willl soon, because these mushrooms are becoming popular as medicine. 

Throughout history our ancestors used mushrooms as food, but also as medicine for physical problems and mental illnesses like depression. In the 21st century, this medicine is being rediscovered and marketed. Today, mushrooms are being business. In 2021, the global medicinal muchroom market was valued at 26 billion dollars and growing. 

But how real are the supposed health benefits of mushrooms? In this programme we'll be finding out, along with some useful new vocabulary.

But first, I have a question for you, Beth. Neither plant, nor animal, mushrooms are mysterious and amazing things. But which of the following statements about mushrooms is actually true?

a) Most mushrooms are poisonous  b) Some mushrooms can fly  or  c) Some mushrooms glow in the dark?

I think some mushrooms glow in the dark. 

OK, Beth, we'll find out if that's true at the end of the programme. Scientific researcher, Dr Emily Leeming, has been studying the medical properties of mushrooms for King's College, London. She shared her discoveries with, Sheila Dilon, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, The Food Chain:

So, I think these mushrooms are very much having a moment right now, they're kind of labelled as 'super brain drugs'. so things are gonna potentially help with lessening anxiety, improving potentially depression. It's very much about these mind benefits that we're seeing the labels on the claims getting put out there. 

What do you think of those claims?

I think that at the moment they seem to be quite overblown. We don't have as much evidence on humans at all, it's very limited. 

Dr Leeming says that right now medicinal mushrooms are having a moment. If something is having a moment, it's very popular or fashionable at a particular time. 

Mushrooms are popular due to the claims about what they can do, for example, reduce depression. A claim is a statement that something is true, although it cannot be proved and others might not believe it. Dr Leeming thinks some of the claims made about mushrooms are overblown, exaggerated to seem more significant than they really are. 

The probblem is that to sell something as medicine, you need scientific proof of its benefits. You might feel less stressed after drinking chamomile tea, but that doesn't  mean you can legally call chamomile a 'medicine', even though it's been used for centuries to help people relax. 

However, that hasn't discouraged many from experimenting, especially young people. Emma Clifford works for food research organization, Mintel. Here she discusses young people's attitude towards mushrooms for BBC Radio 4 programme, The Food Chain: