NutraCast: Tony Shields uses YouTube to spread mushroom education

“I've always been fascinated with mushrooms, but the interesting thing about mushrooms as a supplement or as a functional food is that it really does seem that no matter what kind of health goal you have, there is a mushroom or a combination of mushrooms that might be able to help you,” explained mycologist Tony Shields. Shields is a mushroom educator with over 10 years of cultivation experience. He’s the creator of The Mushroom Show, Co-Founder of FreshCap Mushrooms, author and expert in the functional mushroom space. The Mushroom Show has attracted over 15 million views, something Shields said he welcomes but did not expect. “The YouTube channel continues to grow, which is such a great way to connect with the community,” said Shields. “I really enjoyed growing mushrooms and I wanted other people to get into the hobby. It's something that's not nearly as popular as gardening, but more and more people want to learn how to do it. So those are some of the most popular videos off the top, which is kind of just like learning the basic steps to how to grow mushrooms at home. But as we continue to make content about mushrooms, we started making content about functional mushrooms. So taking the individual species of mushrooms, explaining not only how they grow, where they come from, but also what some of the benefits of these mushrooms are and how you can use them. And those videos are really popular as well, because of course people are always looking for things that can make them either a little bit healthier or help with some sort of specific health condition.” To hear more about FreshCap, the benefits of functional fungi and what Shields thinks about psilocybin mushrooms, listen to the NutraCast. You can also subscribe on iTunes , Spotify , Stitcher and wherever you get your podcasts.