[14], "Chemical composition and biological activity of extracts from fruiting bodies and mycelial cultures of, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fomitopsis_betulina&oldid=977756066, Taxonbars with automatically added basionyms, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 10 September 2020, at 19:49. This allows the white mycelium of the fungus to grow out of the surface of the wood. Like the Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius), the fibrous and sere mass of the Birch fungus was used with a spark producing implement to start a fire at a new campsite. [16] It is only found on birch trees, including Betula pendula, B. pubescens, B. papyrifera, and B. It is also frequently called Polyporus betulinus. The global reach and ubiquity of the birch polypore did not go unnoticed by indigenous peoples of its native habitats. The bottom line is that the birch polypore … [6] Common names for the fungus include birch bracket,[7] birch polypore, and razorstrop fungus. Birch polypore also protects monocytes, white blood cells made in the bone marrow. These may be broadly described as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor and anti-viral. The decay process is of the brown rot variety in that the fungus consumes the wood’s white cellulose and leaves the brown lignin behind, a distinct aroma of green apples is often conveyed. It is postulated that he used it as a medicine, as an autopsy revealed that he suffered from parasitic intestinal whipworms (Trichuris trichiura) that cause stomach pain and diarrhea. If more than one individual dikaryon is present, lines of intraspecific antagonism form as the two individual mycelia interact and repel each other. [5], The specific epithet betulina refers to the genus of the host plant (Betula). It is fortunate that this fact was determined while he was still frozen, as thawing would have resulted in the deliquescence and putrefaction of his flesh. The birch polypore grows from a single lateral attachment point on birch trees, being subglobose at first, then expanding to a bracket measuring approximately 10-20 cm across. Among the artifacts found with Ötzi were two pieces of Birch Polypore threaded on a thong around his neck. The ice man provided inconvertible proof that the Birch Polypore was a well known commodity at the dawn of civilization. Chaga is also known by other names, such as black mass, clinker polypore, birch canker polypore, cinder conk and the sterile conk trunk rot (of birch). (Photographs of Oetzi and tinder fungus are from The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology). These fungal "individuals" can sometimes be seen if a slice of brown-rotted birch wood is incubated in a plastic bag for several days. The cap or pileus of the fruiting body has a hard, leathery upper surface. Common Name: Birch Polypore. Birch bracket, Birch conk, Razor-strop fungus, Iceman fungus, Kanbatake (Japanese) – The name reflects the characteristic habitat as the birch polypore grows only on birch trees. The fruit body has a rubbery texture, becoming corky with age. Stamets filed a patent on the extract on 6 January, 2004 (Pat. This surface can be peeled off in strips and was used in this form as a strop for sharpening razors and also as a natural emery cloth for polishing metal to achieve an ornamental sheen. Over the millennia, trail and error experimentation has resulted in the fungus being used in a number of interesting practical applications. Birch polypores are not known as being a culinary fungi however it can be used in a variety of ways. 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