Mycologist of the Month: Jason Scott

Who are you and how is your work influenced by nature?

My work isn’t just influenced by nature, it is nature. It is guided by nature, inspired by nature. It is closely entwined with the elements that give rise to all of life and all that we know. My work, my path, is guided by the light of nature.

By trade, I am an herbalist, mycologist, and spagyricist trained in various different traditional modalities and wisdom, from Western Herbalism to Ayurveda and Hermetic Alchemy. Each system depends on the rhythms and patterns inherent in nature to see, understand, and influence the work, whether that be with an individual client or the medicine I am engaging in the extraction process. 

What was your first memory with mushrooms?

I grew up in the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest and spent plenty of time roaming the woods, playing in streams, and getting my feet in the mud. Mushrooms have always been present in my reality as they paint the Northwest forest scape in abundance. They have always just been there, a part of my reality, and pushed their way more prominently into my awareness as I grew and could see them through a more clear vision.

How do you regularly interact with mushrooms?

I run a business, Feral Fungi, making various types of mushroom extracts with a focus on Spagyric Tinctures. My day-to-day reality is literally inseparably entwined with the fungi on multiple different levels.

If I am not working with and extracting mushrooms in the lab, I am dreaming about them, researching them, learning from their immutable wisdom. I am making recommendations on which mushrooms and extracts would be suited to different individuals based on their constitution and disposition.

When I have the opportunity I am out in the forest foraging for choice edibles and medicinal mushrooms to extract. I am exploring the landscapes in which they thrive, and learning more about them by meeting them there. 

I write about them, I experiment with them. I help to produce host events like the Radical Mycology Convergence and the Fungi Film Fest that revere them.

What mushrooms are you the most inspired by?

I often compare this question to a parent being asked who their favorite child is. It’s really a nuanced response, and I could shine a light on things that I revere each of the fungi I work with for.

One of my favorite allies that are often overlooked is the Red Belted Polypore. Formerly Fomitopsis Pinicola, which has now been split into various species under the Fomitopsis genus. The Red Belted Polypore (RBP) is unmatched in its use to support the body against inflammation, specifically digestive inflammation. I have used this mushroom to successfully address digestive issues that have plagued people for years, to no avail. Beyond that, it is just so universally present in most places and habitats around the world. It’s like finding a familiar friend everywhere you go.

I have also been exploring Oyster mushrooms for their use and application as a natural supplement where they are often overlooked. I get these really wild crystallizations out of the alcohol extracts that make me swoon over this mushroom, and desire to get to know it even more.

I could go on almost indefinitely about each mushroom I work with, I do write-ups and share cool pictures about my work with them on my Instagram @feralfungi and my websites Feralfungi.com & Alchemycology.com

My body, mind, and soul are most connected when…

When I am present with my thoughts, my work, my passion. When I am following the fungi. When I am wholly integrated into the forests, the water, the stars.