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Online Lectures

Online Lectures

Lectures and talks given by Dr. Hobbs on various subjects.

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLnQtajJMY3ItcGdZ

Split gill (Schizophyllum commune) is one of the most widespread mushrooms on Earth, and an important food and medicine. In this short field talk, Dr. Christopher Hobbs shows how to recognize it, why its "gills" split, and how people around the world eat it and use it for health.

Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Herb & Mushroom Medicine! 2.3K

Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune): Food, Medicine and Immune Support

Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Herb & Mushroom Medicine! October 9, 2026 1:15 pm

Split gill (Schizophyllum commune) is one of the most widespread mushrooms on Earth, and an important food and medicine. In this short field talk, Dr. Christopher Hobbs shows how to recognize it, why its "gills" split, and how people around the world eat it and use it for health.

Split gill (Schizophyllum commune) is one of the most widespread mushrooms on Earth, and an important food and medicine. In this short field talk, Dr. Christopher Hobbs shows how to recognize it, why its "gills" split, and how people around the world eat it and use it for health.

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLnQtajJMY3ItcGdZ

Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune): Food, Medicine and Immune Support

October 9, 2026 1:15 pm

Split gill (Schizophyllum commune) is one of the most widespread mushrooms on Earth, and an important food and medicine. In this short field talk, Dr. Christopher Hobbs shows how to recognize it, why its "gills" split, and how people around the world eat it and use it for health. ...

Schisandra berry, wu wei zi is 5 flavors berry because when you taste the berry you can percieve sweet, sour, salty, and then acrid and bitter.
Used as an adaptogen and yin tonic to counteract stress, as a tea, tincture, extract.
Dr. Christopher Hobbs

Schisandra berry, wu wei zi is 5 flavors berry because when you taste the berry you can percieve sweet, sour, salty, and then acrid and bitter.
Used as an adaptogen and yin tonic to counteract stress, as a tea, tincture, extract.
Dr. Christopher Hobbs

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLjVrZ1lscTJiVzhv

Schisandra 30sec Reel Final

July 19, 2026 8:53 pm

Schisandra berry, wu wei zi is 5 flavors berry because when you taste the berry you can percieve sweet, sour, salty, and then acrid and bitter.
Used as an adaptogen and yin tonic to counteract stress, as a tea, tincture, extract.
Dr. Christopher Hobbs ...

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLndaREE4bVRQTnln

June 29, 2026

June 29, 2026 11:39 am

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLkJYZ0VMdklIZkY0

June 24, 2026

June 24, 2026 11:43 pm

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLkhNS0RKYXJ1LVVR

June 21, 2026

June 21, 2026 9:13 am

YouTube Video VVVMVDEyWTJ2Wk1feENhUVNCUzg0eG9BLlBuQVNuY2hpU2pV

May 25, 2026

May 25, 2026 12:39 am

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Oct 9

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Tiny Oyster Mushroom...Split Gill
Split gill (Schizophyllum commune): one of the most widespread mushrooms on Earth, and an important food and medicine.
What it is: A small, fan-shaped bracket mushroom in the Schizophyllaceae family (order Agaricales, Basidiomycota). It grows on every continent except Antarctica.
What it eats: Dead wood, both hardwoods and conifers. It is a vigorous white-rot fungus, and it can be cultivated on almost any woody waste.
The "split gills": The ridges under the cap aren't true gills. As the mushroom matures they split lengthwise. In dry weather they curl over to protect the spore-bearing surface, then reopen and shed spores when the rain returns. Dried fruiting bodies can revive after years.
Food: Eaten across Southeast Asia, India, Africa and Latin America. It is chewy and rich, pounded with fish sauce and garlic, stir-fried, or made into soups and loaves.
Medicine: Split gill makes schizophyllan, a beta-glucan. In Japan, purified schizophyllan (sizofiran) has been used by injection alongside radiation therapy for cervical cancer. The mushroom is also rich in prebiotic fiber that feeds your gut flora.
Safety: Cook it well, and don't inhale the spores. In rare cases split gill has caused lung or sinus problems, mostly in people with weakened immunity or asthma.
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#splitgill #schizophyllumcommune #medicinalmushrooms #mushroommedicine #foraging #mycology #fungi #betaglucan #immunehealth #guthealth #herbalism #christopherhobbs

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Oct 7

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Split-Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune)

A traditional food in Indonesia and other tropical regions, this remarkable mushroom also has a history of medicinal use.

Modern research has focused on schizophyllan, an immune-modulating beta-glucan. Clinical studies in Japan investigated its use alongside conventional cancer treatments, with some promising findings. Laboratory studies also suggest anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.

Another fascinating example of food and medicine coming together!

#MedicinalMushrooms #SplitGill #Schizophyllum #Mycology

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Sep 25

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“Tuna” is primarily a Spanish common name for the fruit of prickly-pear cacti, rather than the name of one particular cactus species. It is used especially for species of Opuntia.

The usage extends across quite a few Opuntia, particularly those producing sizable edible fruits, including Opuntia ficus-indica (the cultivated Indian fig/prickly pear), O. engelmannii, O. streptacantha, O. robusta, O. megacantha, and several related Mexican species and cultivars.

There is an important distinction in Mexican Spanish:

* nopal = the Opuntia plant, and especially its flattened pads (cladodes); young edible pads are nopalitos
* tuna = the fruit
* xoconostle = fruits of certain Opuntia types that are characteristically sour/acidic, often cooked rather than eaten as a sweet fruit

So the red-purple fruits in your photograph could properly be called tunas, even if the plant ultimately proves to be O. engelmannii rather than O. ficus-indica.

The terminology has deep Mexican roots: Spanish tuna for the cactus fruit was borrowed from an Indigenous Caribbean language (usually traced to Taíno), whereas nopal derives from Nahuatl nopalli.

And botanically, “tuna” isn’t normally applied to all cacti—it is overwhelmingly associated with prickly pears (Opuntia and closely related opuntioid cacti) and their fruits.
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Sep 14

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Schinus molle—Peruvian or California pepper tree—produces the aromatic pink fruits sold as pink peppercorns. It belongs to the cashew family, Anacardiaceae; botanically, the fruits are small drupes.
If you find some in the market, or have trees nearby and can pick some, traditional use would favor making a light infusion and adding a little honey, sip it for its mucus busting and antibacterial properties.
Members of the cashew family can occasionally cause allergic reactions, so sip a little at first to check for sensitivity.
* History of use: Its clearest fruit-specific tradition is Andean chicha de molle, a fermented drink made by extracting sugars from the ripe fruit’s outer tissues. This tradition predates the Inca and was associated with Wari society. Historical descriptions also attribute diuretic benefits to the drink. Much of the tree’s broader medicinal reputation—for wounds, toothache, and rheumatic pain—involves leaves, bark, or resin, so those uses should not automatically be assigned to the fruit. Ethnobotanical study⁠
* Chemistry: The fruit’s aromatic oil contains predominantly monoterpenes, commonly α- and β-phellandrene, limonene, myrcene, and pinenes, with variable amounts of sesquiterpenes.
* Pharmacology: Fruit oils and extracts show antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory studies.
* Modern uses: Primarily a fragrant culinary spice and beverage flavoring; extracts and essential oils are also investigated for food preservation and other applications.

Safety: Pink peppercorns have caused allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, especially in people allergic to cashews or pistachios. Concentrated oil and medicinal dosing should not be assumed equivalent in safety to occasional seasoning. Published allergy case⁠

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