The birch fungus found in Ötzi’s kit — the bracket fungus Piptoporus betulinus, also called the razor strop fungus or birch polypore — has been proposed as a medicinal item specifically targeted at the whipworm infection. Modern research has shown that extracts of this fungus have antiparasitic and anthelmintic properties. Ötzi carried the fungus threaded on a leather thong in a form consistent with carrying it as a medicine rather than as food, which is unpalatable. If this interpretation is correct — and it remains an inference — it represents a remarkably early documented case of intentional antiparasitic self-treatment.
The tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) in his kit had a different and better-documented function: it is an excellent material for maintaining a fire coal, capable of holding a smoldering ember for hours during travel, and was used for this purpose across many pre-modern cultures. Ötzi apparently carried both a fire-starting fungus (for initiating fire) and a fire-maintaining fungus (for keeping it going), along with flint and iron pyrite for striking sparks — a complete fire management kit.
—
## The Science of Ice Mummies: Ötzi in Comparative Context
Ötzi is not the only ancient human preserved by Alpine ice, but he is by far the best documented and most extensively studied. Understanding why he is unique within his category of preservation helps clarify what the research on him represents and why the findings cannot be simply extrapolated to other Alpine mummies.
Several dozen ancient human remains have been recovered from Alpine glaciers and ice patches in the European Alps, the Andes, and other mountain regions worldwide. The preservation quality varies enormously depending on the specific conditions of entombment: the temperature history of the ice, the presence or absence of mechanical deformation from glacier movement, the degree of biological degradation before freezing, and the humidity conditions in the ice itself.