Today on Mushroom Hour we are joined by generational mushroom cultivator and medicinal mushroom alchemist Amir Karian. Amir grew up in a family of mushroom farmers who own and operate one of America’s largest mushroom farms in Monterey Mushrooms and one of the largest mushroom spawn production companies called Amycel. But Amir’s passion for mycology truly began when a journey of personal healing taught him first hand the power of medicinal mushrooms. He was compelled to share with others and being a part of a family of farmers was a blessing he couldn't overlook. He spent the next several years utilizing all of the experience and knowledge of mushroom farming that had been perfected over generations to research, develop, and grow the highest quality medicinal mushroom supplements - thus Alchemi Mushrooms was born. The driving ethos behind Alchemi’s medicinal mushroom products is: "if it's not good enough to give to our families, we won't sell it." I’m excited to learn about mushroom cultivation, medicine and more from someone who has mushrooms encoded in their DNA    TOPICS COVERED:   Generational Mushroom Farmer Discovers Medicinal Mushrooms  Decentralization & Consolidation in the Mushroom Industry  Monterey Mushrooms & Amycel  Breeding and Selecting Mushroom Genetics  Mushroom Mutations  Role of Large Agaricus Farms in Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation  The Birth of Alchemi Mushrooms & Monterey Neutraceuticals  Medicinal Benefits of Mushroom Mycelium & Fruit Bodies  Medicinal Mushroom Unknown Unknowns  Chitin & Polysaccharides in Mushroom Cell Walls  Alchemi Mushrooms Product Line  Cultivating Chaga  Innovation and Growth of the Mushroom Cultivation Industry  Advice for Mushroom Cultivators  EPISODE RESOURCES:   Alchemi Mushrooms Website: https://alchemimushrooms.com/Mushroomhour  Monterey Mushrooms Website: https://www.montereymushrooms.com/  Amycel Website: https://www.amycel.com/    Agaricus blazei: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_subrufescens  Lignosus rhinocerus "Tiger Milk Mushroom":  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignosus_rhinocerus  Cordyceps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps