Nammex Forms Scientific Advisory Board

Nammex Mushrooms, a supplier specializing in certified organic functional mushroom extracts, has developed a scientific advisory board (SAB) to provide independent scientific guidance to the company’s management team and board of directors.

The SAB will advise the company on matters related to scientific substantiation, research design, analytical testing, quality systems, and ethical standards related to the development and commercialization of mushroom extracts and fungi-derived ingredients.

The SAB is tasked with supporting the company’s commitment to truthful, non-misleading, scientifically-based labeling and marketing, accurate product characterization, and innovation in functional mycology science. It also serves as an independent think tank of experts to generate new ideas.

“Nammex has always sought the opinion of other experts on scientific aspects of mushrooms and applied mycology and it seemed obvious to coalesce the individual efforts of our retained consultants into a group think tank,” said Bill Chioffi, COO. “While we anticipate expanding the membership, this core group brings significant expertise and innovative energy to Nammex.”

The SAB’s members include:

• Lee Carroll, a medical herbalist, educator, and product developer based in Brisbane Australia. Carroll has more than 30 years of experience in the herbal industry, 23 years teaching herbal medicine to healthcare professionals, and 11 years in private practice.
• Jeff Chilton, ethnomycologist and board chairman/founder of Nammex, a mycologist and entrepreneur who has been involved in the development of the North American medicinal mushroom industry for over 50 years. He will continue to serve as founder and president of the company.
• Steven Dentali, PhD, a botanical ingredient specialist and natural product chemist with more than 30 years of post-graduate experience in the herbal supplement industry. He is the founder of Dentali Botanical Sciences and is active as an educator and consultant.
• Dennis McKenna, PhD, an ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, and author who serves as founding board member and director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to investing the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicines. He has also been involved in the natural products industry, serving as a scientific advisor to Chilton for decades.
• Robert Silver, DVM, an integrative veterinarian and chief veterinary officer of Real Mushrooms. Silver graduated from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982, and received is Master’s degree in cardiopulmonary physiology and a Bachelor’s degree with honors in animal science, both from CSU.
• Anna Sitkoff, ND, a naturopathic doctor and medicinal mushroom researcher with a private practice in Poulsbo, Washington. Sitkoff is a licensed naturopathic doctor, medicinal mushroom expert, and researcher specializing in applied mycology, the clinical application of fungi in wellness and disease. She earned her doctorate from Bastyr University, where she conducted laboratory research on Fomitopsis cajanderi (rosy polypore) and its effects on cancer cell lines.
• Kevin Spelman, PhD, MCPP, a botanical medicine pharmacologist, clinician, and researcher specializing in the pharmacology of botanical medicine. He has spent 30 years doing clinical work in Ayurveda and Western phytotherapy, academic professorships, and a decade of laboratory and clinical research.