Birch Polypore

Description:

Quite a lot of this around here and a significant proportion of them seemed newly grown ie not rotten. I'm not 100% sure on the ID. Can be used for making paper. Also, from mushroom expert; 'The Tyrolean Ice Man, who was frozen and mummified in the Copper Age, 5000 years ago, had among his possessions a curious pair of hide strips that held pieces of Piptoporus betulinus. Archaeologists speculate that the Ice Man used the birch polypore for medicinal purposes.' http://www.mushroomexpert.com/piptoporus... . From Wikipedia; 'Piptoporus betulinus has anti-inflammatory compounds and antibacterial properties. Compounds found in the fruit body of the fungus, particularly polyporenic acid, are poisonous to the parasitic whipworm Trichuris trichura.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piptoporus_...

Notes:

bt