Herbal Focus: Puffballs, Lycoperdon perlatum and Calvatia gigantea (Giant)

Puffballs: A Wild Mushroom With Powerful Medicinal Benefits

Ever stumbled across a giant white mushroom in the woods and wondered if it was safe to eat? Meet the puffball — a wild mushroom that ranges from a modest 2-3 inches across to an impressive 30-inch giant. It’s also a medicinal powerhouse. Beyond a delicious delicacy, puffballs are prized for their antimicrobial, antifungal, and styptic properties. In this post, we'll explore identification, top medicinal uses, safety, and a simple dual-extraction tincture recipe to harness their healing power.

Basic Identification

Difficult to miss, giant puffball mushrooms can grow to an astounding 30 inches in diameter, while their smaller brethren Lycoperdon perlatum are tiny in comparison: around 2-3" in diameter. Both varieties start out small with a little stem. The outer cap is covered in tiny, wart-like spots. The young mushroom is white, but turns brown with age. 

Where Does It Grow?

Puffball mushrooms are found throughout North America.

Harvesting

Harvest the young white fruiting body by cutting it off at the base with a sharp knife. Only harvest puffballs when you’re certain you've identified them correctly. See safety notes below. 

Edible Uses

These mushrooms are considered a delicacy, but only when harvested young. The older brown puffballs aren't palatable. I think they taste like small balls of mozzarella when cooked. 

Recipe: Puffball Dual-Extraction Tincture

The most effective way to create a remedy using mushrooms is through a dual-extraction process. Since mushrooms contain both alcohol-soluble and water-soluble compounds, this method ensures the extraction of the maximum medicinal properties, resulting in a potent remedy.

To begin, you’ll need an adequate quantity of chopped and dried puffball pieces, which should be divided into two equal groups. One group will undergo tincturing in alcohol, while the other will be simmered in water. If you find yourself with insufficient mushrooms, you can repurpose the leftover mushrooms from the alcoholic extraction for your water extraction.

Place the first group of sliced puffballs in a glass jar and cover completely with at least 80 proof alcohol. Seal the jar and let it infuse for six to eight weeks in a cool, dark location — shaking it daily to facilitate the infusion process. Once the tincture is ready, strain the mixture through cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the mushrooms. Measure the amount of tincture you have obtained. Regardless of the quantity of tincture you have, use this amount of water for the subsequent step.

In a pot on the stove, simmer your second group of puffball slices, uncovered. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Once you have the desired amount of liquid, let it cool. Strain the remaining liquid through cheesecloth and blend it with your tincture in a jar (the ratio of alcoholic tincture to water decoction should be 3:1). Label and date. Properly stored tinctures can last up to seven years when tightly capped and protected from heat and light. For fungal and bacterial infections, take one to two droppers full internally. Apply it externally as needed to treat skin infections.

Medicinal Uses

Puffballs have a long history of use as a styptic to stop bleeding wounds. Compounds found within the mushroom are antimicrobial and antibacterial. 

Here are my top 3 uses for puffball mushrooms:

Antimicrobial. In laboratory studies, puffballs have demonstrated potent antimicrobial properties. In vitro studies have found these antimicrobial compounds effectively kill human pathogenic bacteria, including Streptococcus and E. coli.

Antifungal. Puffballs contain potent antifungal compounds that research has shown help to heal fungal infections such as Candida albicans.

Styptic. One of the historic uses of puffballs is to stop the bleeding of cuts and wounds. In fact, long ago these thick and fleshy mushrooms were kept in blacksmith's workshops to apply directly to a wound for this purpose. They make an excellent field remedy for minor injuries. I like to slice them in pieces and dehydrate, then powder to use as a styptic. 

Safety 

Puffball mushrooms should not be confused with young, deadly Amanita “eggs” that emerge. Puffballs are thick and entirely white in the center with no gills or discernible stem when sliced in half. Amanitas, on the other hand, have gills and stems, and the center of their “egg” is not as dense as that of a puffball. When in doubt, never consume a mushroom unless you are absolutely certain of its correct identification. I always recommend working with an expert when first starting out mushroom foraging. This post has good safety tips as well.

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Nicole Apelian

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