Prepared by – Suzanne Abou Said Daou Mushrooms are neither vegetables nor fruits, technically mushrooms aren’t even plants. They are a special type of fungus—a notion that puts some people off. At the same time mushrooms offer unique health benefits. In fact, the latest research indicates that it is a smart decision to eat mushrooms as they influence blood lipids, blood glucose, immunity and weight control, and offer many essential nutrients and antioxidants. But this particular “not yet unnamed” species of bright orange mushroom of the family Dictyophora, – also known as ‘veiled ladies’ – grows length so quickly that they can ‘bloom’ in just 45 minutes, found on the deposits of lava dating back 600 and 10,000 years on the volcanic slopes of Hawaii, this particular mushroom was deemed a very intense aphrodisiac when smelled by women – despite, or maybe because, of its “fetid” smell. Officially discovered back in 2001, by John Halliday and Noah Soule, who heard of the unusual fungi, and conducted a “smell test” in 2001 involving 16 women and 20 men; six women reportedly experienced spontaneous orgasms while smelling the fungus and the other 10 (who received smaller doses) experienced an increase in heart rate. What caused the spontaneous orgasms? Halliday speculated that the fetid odor of the mushrooms may have had “hormonelike compounds present” that had some “similarity to human neurotransmitters released during sexual encounters”. The scientisits later published their findings in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. Another mushroom from the same family, named Dictyophora indusiata. which is also known as the ‘veiled lady’ because of its lacy skirt or indusium, is found in southern Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, emits as well an unpleasant smell similar to feces but is edible and is used in Chinese haute cuisine. The fungus was used to treat many inflammatory, stomach, and neural diseases and is still prescribed for a variety of conditions today, even being used as a treatment for cancer. While Halliday’s study is certainly intriguing, it’s somewhat short of representing a rigorous scientific standard: it’s a single, decade-old study that was conducted with a very small sample group and published in a minor journal, one which has not since been replicated or vetted by other researchers in the scientific community.
