Like some of you, we became acquainted with the name of Paul Stamets, via the new Netflix reboot of Star Trek, where the Chief Science Officer was given this name, specifically in homage to this writer who wrote Mycelium Running. In Star Trek, Stamets creates the mycelium drive, so, doing a bit of digging it lead to this book, which we thought would be interesting to read and review. The original Paul Stamets is a bit of a legend in the mushroom world, you can buy the book Mycelium Running here. 

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World , Paul Stamets, reviewed

We also came across the author of this book in the great book by Merlin Sheldrake ‘Entangled Life’ which we reviewed last autumn, where Stamet’s influence still looms strongly fifteen years after this book was published. In many ways this is definitely a book that calls for a second edition, as you wonder how much has evolved and changed since this edition was written.

Stamets outlines some potentially ground breaking use cases for fungi to deal with and breakdown extremely toxic materials, invariably created by mankind, but with no good way, yet, to dispose of them. This is only one of the interesting lines of thought that Stamets explores in this book, but certainly potentially one of the most positive. The book is heavily illustrated, which works well, breaks up the text, and really helps to illustrate the ideas and specific species he is talking about.

Enjoy this Video: Trekking deep into the old growth forests of the Olympics in Washington State, Paul and Dr. Pam discover a gorgeous cauliflower mushroom, Sparassis radicata, a delicious edible and choice species. #fungi #foraginghttps://t.co/zBIlmw0ohr pic.twitter.com/piAD6pZ2Rb

— Paul Stamets (@PaulStamets) October 2, 2021

The more you read and learn about fungi, the more they are fascinating, amazing, and also challenging to our concepts of plants, animals, and what lies in between. Stamets is clearly a deep enthusiast and thinker in this area, but the book remains accessible and, for us at least, understandable. It is not certain that a mycelium drive will ever come to be, but you can see why the creators of the Star Trek series were inspired to name their character after him.

More about the book

Mycelium Running is a manual for the mycological rescue of the planet. That’s right: growing more mushrooms may be the best thing we can do to save the environment, and in this groundbreaking text from mushroom expert Paul Stamets, you’ll find out how.

The basic science goes like this: Microscopic cells called “mycelium”–the fruit of which are mushrooms–recycle carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements as they break down plant and animal debris in the creation of rich new soil. What Stamets has discovered is that we can capitalize on mycelium’s digestive power and target it to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce silt from streambeds and pathogens from agricultural watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and generally enhance the health of our forests and gardens (mycoforestry and myco-gardening).

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find chapters detailing each of these four exciting branches of what Stamets has coined “mycorestoration,” as well as chapters on the medicinal and nutritional properties of mushrooms, inoculation methods, log and stump culture, and species selection for various environmental purposes. Heavily referenced and beautifully illustrated, this book is destined to be a classic reference for bemushroomed generations to come.

More about the author

About Paul Stamets

See more reviews here.