This mushroom goes under two names, the older one is correct. This is a tan-brown mushroom that is a longstanding staple for many people across the world, though it can be difficult to find anyone who can correctly identify it.

Rozites caperata (older, correct name)
Cortinarius caperatus (WRONG name)

This is clearly NOT a Cortinarius, it has a partial veil that forms a ring around the cap edge, and does not adhere to the stipe. When the cap opens, the veil breaks and hangs in little partial rolls around the edge of the cap. Cortinarius species have a cobwebby veil that leaves a characteristic spore deposit on the stipe, with a thready appearance below. This mushroom has none of that!

May help prevent uterine fibroids. May improve ability to metabolize amino acids. Has received some press for anti-viral properties.

Mychorrhizal with conifers, hardwoods, and blueberries.

This mushroom is currently not available as a kit. There used to be a few sources online which sell it dried, but they are difficult to find if they still exist. Spores and spawn are not currently available either.

1. Agaricus Subrutilescens (Wine Colored Agaricus) is a substitute for Gypsy for anti-viral purposes.
2. Agaricus Bisporus, and Agaricus Brunnescens, the gills only, may also be substituted for Gypsy Mushroom.
3. Brown Beech Mushroom (Bunashimeji), in small amounts (1-2 small caps) RAW, is a substitute for Gypsy Mushroom. It may be blended into a smoothie for easy use. Due to the heat use in most drying processes, dried Brown Beech mushroom is not appropriate for medicinal use.

Now, let's really talk about Gypsy Mushroom.

Nobody forages it. Nobody grows it. Nobody SELLS it reliably. Very few people can even IDENTIFY the mushroom, especially when idiots out there are calling it a Cortinarius instead of a Rosites!

Is it Antiviral? Probably. MANY mushrooms ARE! And nobody is writing about that, they are just telling you that the mushroom that IS antiviral is one you cannot get! Personally, I think that is the plan. Point you to something impossible.

There are also MANY antiviral herbs. Very good ones. Elderberry LEAF (the juice really doesn't work), apricot leaf, pansy leaf, sunflower petal, Siberian elm leaf, petunia leaf, passion flower leaf, mulberry leaf, olive leaf, apple leaf, peach leaf, wild rose leaf, and MANY MORE. These are mostly ones I HAVE TRIED, and THEY WORKED.

Further, the substitutions listed above are COMMONLY AVAILABLE mushrooms, and THEY WORK. I have tried some of them, personally, with success.

Remember, many sources only want to tell you TWO THINGS:

1. The things you CANNOT get, or the things that DO NOT WORK, and they are MOSTLY WRONG.
2. The THING THEY SELL, and what they want you to believe it does (and they are MOSTLY WRONG).

Forget Gypsy Mushroom unless you are a forager who can correctly identify this mushroom. And even so, you will NEVER gather enough to SELL it, because it grows SCATTERED, and you never find more than half a dozen to a dozen caps at a time. It does not flush for weeks at a time, it is a temperamental flusher, and you just can't get enough for a commercial product.

You can't get it. Just use Portobello Gills instead. It works.