The Third Kingdom

The third kingdom sounds like a religious or mythical prophecy or a political project. It is nothing of the sort, but something much more powerful. A form of life which might very well be the most successful on earth, while at the same time being a precondition for all higher life.

Living organisms are usually divided into the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom. This is just a human-made classification; there is no reason to consider it absolute. Say that we remove a large group of species from the plants and define a third kingdom for them: fungi. There can be good reasons for making this distinction; fungi differ from plants in a number of fundamental ways. Not only do they not use photosynthesis; they feed on organic matter, which plants normally do not. As a matter of fact, most mycologists already treat them as a separate kingdom.

Fungi live as parasites (on living organisms) or saprophytes (on dead organic matter), and together with bacteria they facilitate decomposition. Without them, elements from dead organisms would never return to the system, there would be no circulation of organic matter, and thus no life.

Decomposition is essential for the oxygen-carbon-dioxide as well. Animals (consuming oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide) and plants (consuming carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen) do not balance each other well. The animal contribution of carbon dioxide is far from sufficient. (The effect of human pollution is disregarded here.) Decomposition provides for the need of most of the plants and can cover all of it.

On the whole, animal life is superfluous. Plants and fungi would manage excellently on their own. We, as animals, however, would not be able to live at all without them; we need both plants and fungi in our environment. So perhaps we should not treat even mould with contempt, but with due respect for another form of life, at that one upon which our own existence depends.

What you see of a mushroom or a toadstool is a fruit. The real organism is below the ground and consists of a network of threads. It can be large and live very long: several decades at the very least, and in some cases even a thousand years.

The fruits are there to spread spores which are produced in huge amounts. They can be counted in the thousands of millions from one single mushroom.

Fungi come in different sizes and shapes. Mushrooms and toadstools are relatively large, while others are microscopic.

The spores possess phenomenal resistance to environmental conditions. Heat does not destroy them, unless they are kept boiling for an extended time; cold hardly harms them, unless going below -200°C; and they can be dehydrated and last for years, centuries, maybe millennia, yet grow if conditions become favourable.

Some fungi, e.g. most mushrooms, live in symbiosis with a tree. Simplified: they take sugar from the tree's roots while providing it with minerals in return. There are similar symbiotic relationships with many other plants, a specific species of fungus with a specific plant. In addition to the nutritional exchange, the fungus protects the plant from harmful organisms that could otherwise damage or kill it.

Algae and fungi in symbiosis constitute a whole group of cryptogams: lichen. Various species grow on rocks and trees.

On the other hand, parasitic fungi can attack other organisms, plants or animals, and cause damage, disease, or death. Some are troublesome for agriculture, others are harmful for humans. On skin and mucous membranes they can be hard to get rid of; and internal mycotic infections can be very complicated, even deadly.

Toxins from certain species are strong carcinogens [causing cancer]. Mould is one, turban-top (Gyromitra esculenta, or Helvella esculenta) is another. The latter, belonging to the so-called "false morels", is sometimes eaten after parboiling or drying. That treatment is not sufficient, some poison remains anyway. The turban-top is highly toxic and not suitable for ingestion in any form.

Mould should never be eaten either. If you find it on bread, for example, dispose of the bread. Even if you cannot see mould in more than one spot, it is not enough to cut out that piece; the bread is totally penetrated by the mycelium. Also be aware that the place where you store bread can house living fungus, which quickly spreads to the next thing you put there. To stop that (for example on a shelf, in a bowl, or your own hands), wash with vinegar, or some organic acid (e.g. tartaric or citric acid). And avoid taking a deep breath with your face close to visible mould.

Some fungi produce narcotic and hallucinatory substances, something abusers of drugs have discovered. Especially in the Netherlands, a large number of species are used as a substitute for illegal drugs. They are even sold via the internet. These drugs are as dangerous as traditional narcotics; but some of them are, at least at present, legal. Legislation lags behind.

Several mushrooms are appreciated culinary delicacies. Truffle is the classical example, and "champignons" (button mushrooms) have been cultivated in France for a long time. A third is shiitake, which in nature grows on the dead trunks of the shii tree. It has been used in China for centuries, not at least for the health benefits ascribed to it. Since the 17th century it has been cultivated in Japan, from where its use has more recently spread around the world.

As for mushrooms and toadstools, all species are edible - once! If you survive for a second meal is another matter! A good rule is: do not eat it if you do not know for certain that it is not poisonous. Never take a risk with a mushroom, since you are dealing with biochemically very potent compounds.

To the old Pharaohs, mushrooms were divine and no ordinary mortal was allowed to eat them. The Romans considered them to be food for the gods. Fungi are sometimes divinely nutritious, but maybe one must be a god to eat them without risk!

The biochemical potency can be to our advantage too. Without fungi we would not have bread, beer, wine, or cheese. In the industry they are used to synthesise compounds used to produce a large number of materials and products. And, of course, they provide both nutrition and medical drugs.

Yeast is one of the most powerful superfoods known, and one of the most underestimated. It is not only a valuable dietary supplement (as brewer's yeast), perhaps it could solve the world's food problem too. Cultivated yeast has the potential to produce much more protein than cattle or pigs, for the same amount of feed. Something in the range of ten times as much, possibly more. And then it feeds on things humans neither want nor need, grows rapidly, and leaves a minimum of waste, if any.

Among the medical drugs derived from fungus, penicillin is known best. Known to the old Sumerians and Egyptians who used certain forms of mould on external wounds, its modern history began in 1928 when A. Fleming discovered the effect of mould on staphylococci. During WWII (1940s) it came to large scale use on humans. A world-wide abuse since then threatens to make this whole family of medicines useless within the near future. By too extensive exposure to fungal antibiotics, bacteria adapt and develop resistance.

The proper way to handle this sort of drugs is to limit their use to short, life-saving treatments. They should never be used otherwise, because of the already mentioned problem of resistance; as well as because of their side-effects, which, although often ignored or inadequately understood, are serious.

I am not going to dwell on too much on medical drugs here, but I want to mention one more interesting fungus: ergot. It is a species of mould, toxic, which grows on rye. Among its derivatives we find the psychedelic drug LSD, but also the extremely useful and sometimes underestimated medicines Hydergine and Bromocriptine. Both have a large number of positive effects. Indeed, they can be used by healthy people to retard ageing and improve many physical and mental functions. But mind you, do not ever experiment with medicines, unless you possess sufficient knowledge.

Ergot itself, used medicinally, is called secale cornutum. It is poisonous and a strong vasoconstrictor.

(This article is based on material previously published in Meriondho Leo and is the initial chapter of my e-book “From Fungi to Cancer”, 2012)

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