The Legend of the Hawaii Orgasm-Inducing Mushroom

The Legend of the Hawaii Orgasm-Inducing Mushroom

Does This Mushroom Cause Spontaneous Female Orgasms? The Legend of the Hawaii Orgasm-Inducing Mushroom

For those of you who have a keen interest in mycology, you may have heard the rumors surrounding the Veiled Lady or  Phallus Indusiatus. If not then you may have heard them called by one of their other names, the bamboo mushroom, bamboo pith, crinoline stinkhorn, long net stinkhorn, or bridal veil stinkhorn. Ring a bell? No?

How about the "ORGASM MUSHROOM", yeah... I bet that got your attention.

The Veiled Lady has a pretty hilarious yet interesting story behind it. One that gained it the bonkers moniker around the world. Why?

Well, rumor has it that this Hawaiian mushroom has the ability to cause women who get a whiff of the pungent aroma to have powerful and immediate, spontaneous orgasms from the scent alone.

Skeptical? Well, you should be. Because this is in fact, a load of pure unadulterated BS concocted by a man named John Holladay. 

This is one of those folklores that gained traction through rumor and hearsay. The little white lie got so far out of hand that there’s even a fictitious and culturally incorrect Polynesian legend to go with the shady study.  

Even decades later Holladay regrets making the claims, saying that he has "nothing to gain yet everything to lose" by talking about the claims he made and the paper that was never published in a major publication or peer-review journal. So, just to clear things up. The Veiled Lady, WILL NOT GIVE SPONTANEOUS ORGASMS TO ANY WOMAN WHO SMELLS IT.

Quick aside (article continues below!):

While the Veiled Lady won't give any woman who smells it an orgasm our mushrooms are pretty Orgasmic in the health benefits they bring as part of a daily routine.  Check out our bundles for maximum benefit! 

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In fact, it actually smells quite horrible. Many compare its stench to rotting flesh or a decaying body. Some have even said it smells like semen. Perhaps that’s what inspired the rumor?

Holliday claimed to have conducted a study on the Veiled Lady, although his findings lack credibility. He stated that “nearly half of the female test subjects experienced spontaneous orgasms while smelling the mushroom” but he did not specify how many participants there were, how many were male, or even the specific type of Dictyophora species. 

The results are clear, the reality behind the mushroom that causes spontaneous female orgasms, well, stinks. 

 

The Truth Behind The Bridal Veil Stinkhorn

Now that the rumors have been put to rest and buried, we want to bring to your attention some of the actual benefits that this fantastic fungus can give. This beautiful mushroom, with its lace skirt, might not lead to spontaneous female orgasms (sorry ladies), however, it does come with a host of its own benefits.

Hopefully, we will be able to do our part in bringing the Veiled Lady out of the shadow of the incorrect rumors that have overshadowed it for years.

Where does the veiled lady mushroom grow?

So, where can you find the Veiled Lady?

Well, apart from Hawaii, where the rumors began, you can find it in Southern Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia. They regularly grow close to bamboo shoots, hence the nickname bamboo mushroom.

What’s unique about this mushroom?

The Veiled Lady is a delicate specimen, with lacy white netting that encapsulates the mushroom from cap to floor. While undoubtedly weird, the Veiled Lady is elegant and classy but only in looks alone.

The Veiled Lady attracts insects via a corpselike smell, one that is quite pungent and disgusting to the human nose. This smell works in tandem with the veil in order to spread spores and reproduce. The cap of the mushroom has a smelly mucus-like material that rubs off on insects who climb the veil up to the cap. These spores stick to any insect that climbs the Veiled Lady and allows for efficient reproduction.

What medicinal properties might this mushroom have?

As with many mushrooms, the idea that the Veiled Lady may have medicinal properties stems from traditional Chinese medicine. In Chinese literature, the Veiled Lady is said to have a myriad of medicinal properties that can be used for a wide variety of different health problems.

More recently, there has been research conducted into these claims. While these are early studies, researchers have found that the Veiled Lady contains compounds that help the body reduce bad cholesterol through the reduction of excessive low-density lipoprotein and acid. Simultaneously, it also increases the body's high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol. (1)

In the fruiting body of the Veiled Lady is a biologically active polysaccharide, which gives it strong anti-inflammatory properties s well as tumor-suppressing activity. (2)

Another chemical found in the Veiled Lady is hydroxymethylfurfural, which has been found to be a tyrosinase inhibitor. Great for protein synthesis and healthy brain function. (3)

Just like many other medicinal mushrooms, the Veiled Lady has also been shown to be a strong immune system booster.

Finally, the Veiled Mushroom is also considered a delicacy in parts of China. To cook them, they remove slimy cap which smells like dead bodies and discard the mucus before drying the mushroom out. They then cook it in a special recipe which further eliminates the terrible smell.

The result?

A sweet-savory mushroom, perfect for adding to cooked soups or alongside meat and vegetables.

This weird mushroom is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. It’s dried before cooking, and then its slimy cap is discarded. The drying and cooking process neutralizes the smell, and the taste is described as sweet and savory. The veiled lady is often added to soups or cooked with meat and vegetables.

Discovery of the Veiled Lady Mushroom

The Veiled Lady Mushroom was initially described by Etienne Pierre Ventent who was a French naturalist in 1798. At this point, it was given the name Phallus Indusiatus.

However, the Veiled Lady was first discovered by an elder in Dutch Guiana in 1755 on the raised ground which was never overflowed by the highest tides and is formed of a very fine white sand, covered with a thin stratum of the earth.

Other Medicinal Mushrooms With Similar Benefits

Medicinal mushrooms are becoming more popular by the day. In the western world, we are finally waking up to the myriad of benefits that they can offer. Here are some of the other fantastical fungus you could use to improve your health, mental facilities, and connection to the earth.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom: The Mind Mushroom

True Name: Hericium erinaceus

Main Benefits

Lions Mane is one of the most popular mushrooms used as a nootropic and health supplement around the world. Used for generations by the Chinese in traditional medicine, it has numerous benefits for a healthy brain. Lions Mane contains beta-glucans, responsible for antitumor growth in the body as well as antioxidants that increase the body's immune system strength. (4)

It also contains neuro-plasticity boosting compounds which reduce oxidative strength. These compounds are being studied for their ability to prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's in old age.

Best Ways to Consume Lions’ Mane Medicinal Mushrooms

The best way to get Lions Mane into your body on a daily basis is through steeping it into a tea or taking supplements with high-quality extract of the Lions Mane Mushroom. You can also find it in powdered form which is easy to add to smoothies or your morning coffee or in a cacao blend.

Reishi Mushroom: The Mushroom of Everlasting Life

True name: Ganoderma lingzhi

Main Benefits

With a huge amount of polysaccharides, Reishi Mushrooms have a massive benefit on your body's immune system. (5)

Supplementing with Reishi also improves your sleep quality and provides a buffer against stress and lethargy. (6)

Best Ways to Consume Reishi Medicinal Mushrooms

The best way to consume Reishi is through a high-quality Reishi supplement, either in powder or capsule form or through stewing fresh Reishi into a tea or cacao drink.

Cordyceps Mushroom: The Energy Fungus

True name: Cordyceps Militaris

Main Benefits

Cordyceps is known as the Energy Fungus. This is because of its ability to massively boost the body's ATP production. ATP is the compound used by our cells to produce energy and is a massive performance booster both physically and mentally. (7)

Cordyceps has even shown promising results for treating lung-related problems like asthma and seasonal allergies. (8)

Best Ways to Consume Cordyceps Medicinal Mushrooms

The best way to consume Cordyceps is through a high-quality supplement, either in powder or capsule form or through stewing fresh Cordyceps into a tea. Be aware that a number of supplements on the market contain very little pure Cordyceps, so ensure you do your research before purchasing a low-quality knockoff.

Chaga Mushroom: The Tree Mushroom

True name: Inonotus Obliquus

Chaga contains extremely high levels of antioxidants as well as chemicals that support immune function, regulate liver and brain health and increases overall longevity.

Best Ways to Consume Medicinal Chaga

The best way to consume Chaga is through a high-quality supplement, either in powder or capsule form or through stewing fresh Chaga into a tea.

Conclusion

Well, there we have it. Unfortunately, there is no miracle mushroom that can provide women with instant orgasms. Obviously, this doesn't come as much of a surprise.

After all, if there was such a mushroom, surely every woman or man who loved their woman, on the planet would be growing them in their back gardens.

It is interesting to see how rumors can grow over time and create such an urban legend when it comes to claims about sex and pleasure.

Fortunately, the Veiled Lady is making a comeback and is slowly shaking the rumors and replacing them with the medicinal benefits that it can offer to us. While it still smells like rotting flesh, we are hoping that in the future, the Lady gets the respect it deserves across the globe.

Love all things fungi-related? Follow Malama Mushrooms on Instagram to bless your feed with factual mushroom content. 

Sources:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6966625/ 
  2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0008621582850271?via%3Dihub 
  3. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/10/6/2440 
  4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13205-011-0036-2 
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16230843/ 
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22207209/ 
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28094746/ 
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7570676/ 
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