About Me
My Story
I first encountered medicinal mushrooms during my father’s adjunctive cancer treatment at the Osher Center for Integrative Health in San Francisco. I started to read the biomedical literature on medicinal mushrooms, explore extraction techniques, and began to offer talks and workshops at conferences around the country. During this time I became increasingly interested in the practice of natural medicine, and enrolled in the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine program at Bastyr University. During my medical education I dedicated many hours to laboratory research investigating the impacts of medicinal mushroom extracts on cancer cell lines, and wrote extensively on my blog, reishiandroses.com, where I bring my knowledge of medicinal mushroom research and practice to the general public.
Professional Activity
In 2018 I was invited to author the chapter on medicinal mushrooms in the 5th edition of the Textbook of Natural Medicine, and soon after began consulting with North American Mushroom Extracts (NAMMEX), a premier source for medicinal mushroom extracts, and other companies. My work on Fomitopsis cajanderi, the rosy polypore, was published in the Journal of Immunology in 2021.
In order to bring clinically-relevant mushroom medicine to the world, I co-founded Lucidum Medicinals in 2021, and currently serve as Chief Science Officer. Our team formulates clinical-grade, system-targeted mushroom extract products that take the guesswork out of applied mycology. If you are interested in our formulas for clinical practice or for personal use, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I consult on many topics related to medicinal mushroom research, product development, translation, and clinical practice. This includes extraction techniques, formulations, wildcrafting, processing, dosing, and food and drug interactions. I also speak on these topics, as well as the clinical applications of mushrooms, ethnomycology, and more.
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In my medical practice, I am a primary care physician with a special focus in oncology, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, reproductive health for all genders, chronic fatigue, and digestive health.
I am continually curious about all things related to natural and integrative medicine, medicinal mushrooms and applied mycology, and how to live well - if you are too, let’s connect and explore together.