Scientifically known as Hericium erinaceus, Lion’s Mane is a medicinal mushroom that belongs to the tooth fungus group, a genus known for its tooth- or spine-like fruiting bodies. 

Lion’s Mane grows on hardwood trees, paying special favour to the American beech, in temperate forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere. As its name suggests, Lion’s Mane features a stringy, white fruiting body that resembles the mane of a lion. 

Although it’s typically referred to as a mushroom, Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is actually a sclerotia—a hardened mass of fungal mycelium. As a parasitic fungus, Chaga primarily grows on birch trees in cold climates, like those in Canada, Siberia, Scandinavia, and some parts of the United States. 

Chaga doesn’t pop up from the forest floor like many more common mushrooms. Rather, Chaga appears as a charred, charcoal-like mass with a woody, orange interior. In nature, it’ll look like a black lump growing on the trunk of a birch tree. 

Originally found in China, Japan, and Korea, Reishi is a type of shelf mushroom that grows on hardwood trees in tropical and subtropical climates throughout the world. There are about 80 different species of Reishi mushrooms, the most common of which is Ganoderma lucidum.

Reishi mushrooms have a unique red or brown fan-shaped cap, making them easily identifiable. Most Reishi sold today is cultivated commercially but is found abundantly in the wild in North America. 

Turkey Tail mushroom is a multicoloured fungus that gets its name from its unique shape and colour, which resembles the feathers on a turkey’s tail. 

Scientifically known as Trametes versicolor, Turkey Tail is a thin shelf mushroom that grows on dead or dying logs in the forest. It’s a common mushroom and can be found almost anywhere trees are found.