Dr. Sebi speaks on the Djon Djon mushrooms. Fungi have been little studied in the Caribbean in general because the indigenous population did not eat or use them for other purposes; however fungi have played an important role in Haitian cuisine for centuries. In 1993, the edible mushrooms of Haiti were identified for the first time as belonging to the genus Psathyrella.
The Psathyrella genus (Coprinaceae: Agaricales) contains 600 species, 414 of which occur in North America.
In northern Haiti there is a tradition of local commerce based on collecting, selling, and consuming a type of Psathyrella. Locally the basidiomycete (the part that grows above the ground) is called “djondjon”, the Haitian Créole word for ‘fungus’. Other variations to the name are: “djon-djon”, “dyo-dyo” or “djô-djô”, or “diondion”. This common name was thought not to refer to a particular species and to be taxonomically ambiguous. Psathyrella coprinoceps was initially described from Cuba, but it is widely distributed in the continental U.S.A. This mushroom species fruits during the rainy season, primarily between August and October. Psathyrella coprinoceps has been reported growing on the wood of dead Erythrina species (coral trees) on the islands of Cuba, Dominica, Guadaloupe, Martinique and Trinidad. Djondjon is also reported to grow on the dry trunks of Cecropia peltata (probably pumpwood = Cecropia schreberiana). In Haiti, a mushroom that is probably Psathyrella coprinoceps is collected in the Artibonite Department, particularly in the town of Saint Michel de l’Atalaye; the valley of the Plateau Central; and in the North Department, in the towns of Ouanaminthe and Milot.
Few surveys of mushrooms have been conducted in Haiti, but the Dominican Republic has received slightly more attention.
It is possible that Haitians consume more than one species of Psathyrella, such as Psathyrella atricastanea (very uncertain) or Psathyrella subhyalinispora. Agaricus, Cantharellus, and other fungi are also eaten in Haiti. #drsebi #mushroom #mushrooms #djondjon #haitian #haiti #fungi #fungus #magicmushrooms #vegan #plantbased #healthyfood #food #health #interesting #mushroomhunting #drink #alkaline
