I was out for a walk this morning along the Humber River and came across this beautiful Ganoderma. I couldn’t tell what kind of dead tree it was growing on so I’m not sure if it is a Ganoderma tsugae (grows on hemlock) or Ganoderma lucidum (grows on hardwoods). The ganodermas are said to have medicinal properties. Some people make tea from them as a general tonic and for all kinds of specific uses from lowering blood sugar to fighting cancer. I don’t know the degree to which the benefits of taking this stuff have been proven, nor if they have any detrimental effects – I’m not recommending people ingest these mushrooms in any form, as I simply do not know enough about them.
27th Street 
But now I want to know all about them! I love finding out about close-to-the-earth medicinal traditions, even if I don’t wildly go trying them all. I do use Cordyceps mushroom which is supposed to be an immune booster, and I have to say, in the last ten or so years I have been pretty much contagion-impervious. Shrooms have secrets, as if I have to tell you.