Benefits of Medicinal Mushrooms with Jason Scott on Your Natural Dog Podcast
In this episode of Your Natural Dog with Angela Ardolino, Jason Scott returns for the second part of our mushroom journey, as we dive deeper into the benefits of mushrooms for dogs. Jason is an ethnobotanist and spagyricist, as well as the mycologist behind Angela’s line of sustainable mushroom tinctures for dogs, MycoDog. From turkey tail to reishi and beyond, Angela and Jason break down the benefits of some of the most popular medicinal mushrooms for dogs — as well as a couple you’ve probably never heard of. Plus, learn about the distinctions between mushroom powders and mushroom tinctures for dogs, and how to find the right mushroom supplement for your pet.
Missed Part 1? Catch up here!
Jason Scott & MycoDog
Your Natural Dog host Angela Ardolino founded MycoDog, a sustainable line of mushroom extracts, designed for dogs. In collaboration with myco-alchemist Jason Scott, Angela created three tinctures, all triple-extracted from the fruiting bodies of fungi cultivated and wild-harvested in North America.
MycoDog tinctures are thoughtfully formulated, from mushrooms that are grown outside, naturally, with no grains or fillers. Mushrooms are bio-accumulators (absorb toxins from polluted air and environment), so we searched for mushrooms grown in their natural habitat, in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. It is important to source mushrooms from an area that is least likely to be impacted by environmental toxins which might be absorbed by the mushrooms.
MycoDog tinctures are also better preserved in organic glycerin, compared to mushroom extract powders, which can begin to oxidize the moment the package is opened. And here’s another benefit of tinctures—they are typically more bioavailable than powdered versions.
How Mushrooms Helped My Dogs
Clarity for Daisie and Potato
Clarity was designed to support your dog’s cognitive disorder, nervous system, mental and emotional health, formulated with a proprietary water extract of Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Cordyceps, with Bacopa Monnieri and Ashwagandha.
Odie, my senior mini-schnauzer, is turning 16 soon and I wanted to be able to support him as best as I can.
“I lost two of my dogs, Potato and Daisie, to dementia, to CCD, canine cognitive dysfunction, which is Alzheimer’s for dogs. So knowing Lion’s Mane and Reishi’s power, and what it can do for these geriatric dogs, I have literally watched Odie, my 15 year old dog, go from having no interest in eating.. to taking his mushrooms and eating like a monster the next day. I literally can see a difference in my dog’s behavior and health by giving them these mushrooms.” – Angela Ardolino
Breathe for Odie
“Breathe I also created for Odie because in his old age he suffers from collapsing trachea, a heart murmur, and CHF, according to his last integrative vet. I just see him getting old and needing extra cardiovascular and respiratory support.” – Angela Ardolino
Breathe was designed to help your dog’s respiratory and cardiovascular systems, formulated with proprietary water extract of Cordyceps, Reishi, Artist Conk and Chaga, with Ashwagandha.
Vitality for Nina
If you’ve been following me, you’ve heard about Nina, my doberman who beat all odds against her bone cancer diagnosis.
Vitality was designed to help my Nina, making it the perfect holistic supplement for pets with Cancer, Autoimmune Disease, Liver issues and Respiratory issues. Vitality is formulated with a proprietary water extract of Turkey Tail, Reishi, Shiitake, Maitake, Chaga, Artist Conk and Red Belted Conk, with Astragalus Root and Ashwagandha.
“When Nina was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, I researched the best medicinal mushrooms to help Nina’s body fight the cancer and put them in a bottle with other adaptogenic herbs that make this tincture even more powerful!” – Angela Ardolino
To learn more about Nina’s incredible healing journey, check out my original post on Nina’s osteosarcoma diagnosis, her one year osteosarcoma update, and her update in May 2022.
Episode Recap:
- Benefits of Mushroom tinctures
- Turkey tail mushrooms
- Cannabis and medicinal mushrooms adapt to what your body needs
- The way mushroom compounds are extracted matters
- Mushroom tinctures vs. freeze dried powders
- Reishi mushrooms
- Unlike pharmaceuticals, the side effects of mushrooms are positive
- Artist conk and red belted conk mushrooms
- How much mushroom extract should you give your pet?
- Are mushrooms grown on substrate still effective?
Episode Resources:
- Follow Feral Fungi on Instagram and Facebook
- Feral Fungi Website
- Follow AlcheMycology on Instagram
- AlcheMycology Website
- Use code MYCO10 for 10% Off all MycoDog products
- Use code RADIO for 15% off your first order of CBD for pets
- Have a question about your pet that you want answered on the podcast? Email us at carter@yournaturaldog.com
- Angela Ardolino
Note: Like all discount codes, they don’t last furever!
Follow Your Natural Dog on Facebook and Instagram and if you want to see what Angie (our founder) is up to, follow her here: Facebook
About Angela Ardolino
Angela Ardolino is a holistic pet expert and educator who has been caring for animals for over 20 years. Angela owns and operates Fire Flake Farm, an animal rescue. She’s also the founder and formulator of CBD Dog Health, which offers high quality, all-natural cannabis health and wellness products for pets; and MycoDog, which creates and produces high-quality medicinal mushroom and adaptogen tinctures specifically for pets.
Accordingly, she has used CBD Dog Health’s CBD for Dogs, and now MycoDog mushrooms for dogs, on all her pets at her rescue farm every day since 2016. Angela’s pack includes rescues Jolene, Maza and Rhemi. In addition, she has 4-10 more any time she is fostering or boarding. She is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and the Veterinary Cannabis Association. In fact, Angela has educated hundreds of medical doctors and veterinarians on the therapeutic uses of medical cannabis on animals.
About Jason Scott
Jason Scott is a Mycologist, Ethnobotanist and Spagyricist who has studied traditional Hermetic Alchemy, from history and philosophy to practice, for the past decade. He has a background in Ethnobotany and Plant Medicine that started on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has carried back with him into his home: the Pacific Northwest. Born and raised in Oregon, Jason has an intrinsic interest in the Fungal Queendom and all of its aspects: from cultivation and mycoremediation, to historical and cultural relationships. Jason has studied various different healing modalities including Ayurveda in Nepal and Western Herbalism all over Oregon and Washington. He is on an ever-deepening journey of education to understand the practical applications of his interests, and the golden threads that connect them.
Jason has been published on the topic of AlcheMycology, exploring fungi through traditional Alchemy in Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy and Verdant Gnosis Volume 3, compiled by Jenn Zahrt, Catamara Rosarium, and Marcus McCoy. He has taught through these topics all over the United States. He is the Founder and Owner of Feral Fungi where he produces Mushroom Spagyric Tinctures, and curator of AlcheMycology.com where he shares some of his teachings and writings alongside other fascinating discoveries in the world of Fungi. Jason is also a co-organizer of the Radical Mycology Convergence and the Fungi Film Fest.