It is quite destructive - parasitic even - and you'll often find it on already fallen trees or in dying groves of birch trees. Sharpen Blades: Use the inner flesh of birch polypore to sharpen knives the same way you would use a sharpening stone (hence the name “Razor Strop”). Check out this photo and the video below from my favorite mushroom channel on YouTube! I expect everyone reading it to live to be 100 years old if not more. Cut up and dried, they can be used as a tea although it isn't that great tasting. Modern research confirms the health-promoting benefits of F. betulina. The Birch Polypore mushroom ( Fomitopsis betulina) is one of my favourite medicinals for a number of reasons.Firstly, it’s common in this area as we have many damaged and dead birch trees, which are the poypore’s only habitat. Picking them is fun and satisfying because they are easy to identify and find. Birch polypores are not known as being a culinary fungi however it can be used in a variety of ways. Biologically active compounds such as triterpenoids have been isolated. The bottom line is that the birch polypore can support a … White turning grey/brown with age. Birch Polypore contains polysaccharides, … Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Let’s all aim to be extra safe so we can annoy friends and relatives with stories about ‘the good old days’ of mushroom picking. Even if this tea tasted like soda, I don’t think I’d manage to drink all of it. I found seven mushrooms on a single tree while strolling in a scenic spot. Antiseptic. This common white bracket fungus has many uses and has been utilised by humans for thousands of years. Antiviral. The Birch Polypore contains the antibiotic piptamine which has been used to treat e-coli. They are white to brownish on top, white on the bottom and they are pure white inside when cut open. A bug-biting book-binging blogger bitten by the travel bug! Birch polypore can come in many different shapes and sizes, but they almost always grow on birch trees. I am new to mushroom foraging, however I think I have identified a Birch Polypore qhich looks old. Probably due to the curative properties, pieces of its fruiting body were carried by Ötzi the Iceman. First of all, it grows on birch trees that are either dead or damaged. In order to extract the maximum medicinal value out of these mushrooms, a small quantity (perhaps a tablespoon or two) should be simmered in a pan of a liter or two of water for several hours. Antifungal. The mushroom grows exclusively on Birch naturally but can be artificially introduced to other types of tree. Wild mushroom enthusiasts are either old or bold, both both. I could tell you more, or I can show you what it looks like. The brackets burst out from the bark of the tree, and these fruit bodies can last for more than a year. Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) is a bracket fungus found often on (here's a surprise here!) They have very firm bodies, even when they are younger. I harvested some Piptoporus betulinus and i wonder how much is the dosis I need to take and for how many days ? Birch Polypore Identification Birch polypores fruit exclusively on birch trees in semicircular or kidney-shaped forms. Betulenic acid and other chemicals in the fungi have been shown to cause apoptosis, the destruction of cancer cells while not affecting healthy cells. Pharmaceuticals are not the only thing that we can look to birch polypore for, though. The birch polypore mushroom is an incredibly easy to identify mushroom with some miraculous health properties. Once again, be careful when handling wild mushrooms and don’t take any chances! Your email address will not be published. The bug-biting blogger bitten by the travel bug. This was used to give the final finish to the cut throat razors that barbers used. People try to consume this mushroom in a less miserable way, so they make a tea with it. In tests extracts from the Birch Polypore blocked reproduction in HIV cells, attacked and incapacitated encepholitis infections and has proved positive in treating flu, yellow fever and West Nile flu.