9 Medicinal Mushrooms You Should Know - Autumn 2026

9 Medicinal Mushrooms You Should Know

Famous Fungi, Local Species & How to Use Them

Free Community Class — Choose Your Format
New 2026 Date Coming Soon

FREE

In-Person: Light Cellar Teaching Kitchen (limited seats)
Online: Live via Zoom

Pre-register to join the waitlist. When the next date is announced, those on the waitlist will be the first to receive registration details.

Discover the remarkable world of medicinal mushrooms

Reishi. Chaga. Lion's Mane. Turkey Tail.

Medicinal mushrooms have become increasingly popular—but many people still aren't quite sure what they are, why they're used, or how to actually work with them.

And some may be growing much closer to home than you realize.

Join lifelong mushroom enthusiast Malcolm Saunders for an engaging introduction to 9 medicinal mushrooms worth knowing, from famous fungi used around the world to local species and analogues that can be found growing in our own forests.

Blending traditional knowledge, modern research, practical experience, and a deep appreciation for the fungal kingdom, this session will help you better understand these fascinating organisms and give you practical ways to begin exploring them yourself.

In this class, you'll discover:

• 9 important medicinal mushrooms and what makes each one unique
• Familiar fungi including Reishi, Chaga, Lion's Mane, Oyster, and others
• Local mushrooms and relatives you may encounter in our region
• How to begin recognizing medicinal mushrooms in the wild
• Traditional uses alongside what modern research is revealing
• The different ways mushrooms can be prepared and extracted
• How to incorporate medicinal mushrooms into foods, drinks, extracts, and everyday routines
• Where to begin if you'd like to learn more about finding and working with mushrooms yourself

From the supplement shelf to the forest

It's easy to think of medicinal mushrooms as powders, capsules, and extracts.

But before they became products, they were organisms living in relationship with trees, forests, and entire ecosystems.

Throughout this class, we'll connect the mushrooms you may already recognize from the wellness world with the actual fungi themselves—how they grow, where they're found, and how humans have learned to work with them.

The goal isn't to memorize every mushroom.

It's to leave knowing nine important fungi, what makes them interesting, and how you can begin exploring the fungal kingdom with greater confidence.

What you'll experience:

• An engaging visual journey through the world of medicinal fungi
• Stories and examples from Malcolm's years of mushroom exploration
• Practical identification insights
• Examples of mushroom preparations and extracts
• Ideas for incorporating mushrooms into everyday life
• A new perspective on the fungi growing in the forests around you

Choose your experience:

In-Person

Join us at Light Cellar for the fullest experience, including the opportunity to see, smell, taste, and explore examples of medicinal mushrooms and preparations firsthand.

Online

This class translates exceptionally well to an online format. Join live for the complete visual presentation, teaching, and Q&A from wherever you are.

Continue your learning

If this class sparks your curiosity, it's only the beginning.

Continue exploring wild foods, medicinal plants, mushrooms, and practical herbalism through Light Cellar's foraging experiences and Urbalist, our online learning community designed to help you become more confident finding, preparing, growing, and using the food and medicine growing all around you.

Who this is for:

• Anyone curious about medicinal mushrooms
• Beginners who don't know where to start
• Herbalists, foragers, and mushroom enthusiasts
• People already using mushroom products who want to understand them more deeply
• Anyone wanting a stronger connection with the fungal world and the forests around them

No previous mushroom knowledge is required.

Instructor

with Malcolm Saunders

Founder of Light Cellar, author, educator, wildcrafter, and lifelong mushroom enthusiast with decades of experience exploring wild foods, medicinal plants, and fungi.

Please register thoughtfully

Space is limited for the in-person experience, so we ask that you only register if you genuinely plan to attend.

If your plans change, cancelling your registration helps open spots for others who would love to join.

After you register:

All participants will receive:

• A reminder email with full event details
• A Zoom link for online attendees
• Access to the recording after the class
• Any relevant notes or resources shared during the session

If you can't attend live, you're still welcome to register and watch the replay.