The different survival uses of mushrooms make the plants incredibly important in wilderness survival. They are, in fact, among the earliest essentials of man’s survival. It was one of the things everyone couldn’t do without, and even dogs were trained to sniff these John Does out.

There are various types of mushrooms, which explains why they have varying uses. Out of them all, though, the Polypore remains most valuable to the bushcrafter, although we aren’t focusing on any specific species in this article. 

3 Different Survival Uses of Mushrooms

Edible Plants

 

The foremost importance of mushrooms to preppers has always been that they can be eaten, and they taste quite good too. They are fortunately very abundant — if you know where to look. Would you believe that mycology classifies some cultures as ‘mycophilic,’ which means ‘mushroom loving.’ One may wonder if these people love mushrooms that well because they’ve saved their forefathers from famine. 

I, in particular, have eaten a lot of mushrooms, ranging from Hen of the Woods, Chicken of the Woods to many more. They contain nutrients too, and so you can’t harm yourself due to excessive consumption. When I eat morel, I get replenished & energized. You have to be careful when eating mushrooms, though, as there are deadly species too.

For Medicinal Purposes

 

Mushrooms are becoming popular for their medicinal qualities in recent times, although they used to be too before modern medicine. Now, you need to pay extra attention to this use of mushrooms, as they help first-aid operations. 

Mushrooms possess excellent immune-boosting & antimicrobial abilities. Polypore, for example, has been proven to possess compounds that fight off pathogens & protect the immune system. They are a common ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine. Diseases like autoimmune issues, cancers, respiratory infections, lung ailments & systemic infections are all attended to using these mushrooms. 

You only need to take a trip to China to see how medicinally valuable mushrooms can be. There’s Lingzi, known as the longevity mushroom. There’s Reishi, which is believed to have so many functions. 

Building a Fire

 

Few things trump building a fire while out in the wild. To find out that these plants which you can eat & use for cure can help to build one, therefore, has to make you happy. They are just perfect for catching the spark when trying to make a fire using flint. They are also ideal for keeping your embers burning if you’re using the bow drill method to make your fire.

You could use Polypore as your tinder. All you need to do to transfer fire from a lump of coal to another is connect a Polypore between both coals. These little plants get lit & remain so easily. 

You can make charcoals from mushrooms too.

Do note here that the repeated mention of Polypore does not mean that other mushrooms are useless in this regard. I’m merely highlighting which works best.

Concluding the Different Survival Uses of Mushrooms

 

There are more to the different survival uses of mushrooms. They can be used to make fiber, too, although this process may require more than you have in the wild. You can clean your tools using mushrooms too. So many benefits to obtain from a plant you don’t even have to buy. Nature can be ‘mush’ kind.