An historic garden has discovered a fungus so rare it has to be kept in a cage to protect it from collectors – who claim it can help fight dementia and cancer. The unusual Bearded Tooth mushroom was spotted by a volunteer at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.
They then discovered another example of the fungus in its ‘bug hotel’ - known as Buggingham Palace. Staff received advice from local and national fungi experts on the mystical mushroom - and its appeal to curious collectors.
Now the football-sized fungi has been caged off to protect it from people who may want to forage the mushroom for its supposed healing powers. Research has shown it contains compounds that apparently act against memory loss, depression, dementia, anxiety, cancer, and neurological disorders.
