Ötzi the Iceman (~5,300 years ago) carried two pieces of birch fungus on leather thongs. The birch polypore shows antiparasitic, antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties — ancient pharmacology! 🍄💊
Iceman mummy carried birch polypore mushroom 5,000 years ago for medicinal use
Key facts
- Iceman discovered with two mushrooms approximately 5,000 years ago
- One mushroom used as tinder for fire-starting
- Birch polypore carried for antiparasitic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties
- Birch polypore can be stripped and used as antibacterial plaster
- Evidence suggests ancient understanding of mushroom medicinal applications
Sources
Ötzi the Iceman Reveals 5300-Year-Old Secretsacs.org
A 5300-year-old iceman was preserved in a glacier. Scientists have used chemistry and DNA analysis to recreate his last moments.
The birch fungus that Ötzi the iceman found 5,300 years agotheplanet.substack.com
... years ago. Researchers found two leather thongs in his possessions that each had a small, doughnut-shaped piece of birch fungus attached.
Ötzi | The mummy in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeologyiceman.it
Ötzi is a wet mummy that was mummified naturally in the glacier ice. Due to the length of time it lay in the snow and ice, the body dehydrated.
Fomitopsis betulina (formerly Piptoporus betulinus) - PMC - NIHpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The fungus has a long tradition of being applied in folk medicine as an antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory agent.
An essential piece of traveller's kit - earthstarearthstar.blog
Archaeologists speculate that Ötzi was carrying the bracket fungus for medicinal reasons – this was his first aid kit. Birch polypore is known ...
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