Shaggy bracket mushroom (Inonotus hispidus), a rare medicinal fungus that’s hard to find in the wild, can be reliably grown in the lab using the right conditions. Researchers tested 12 different growth media and found that malt extract agar produced the fastest and densest mycelial growth, with peak performance at 28 °C and pH 6.5. Under these optimized conditions, the fungus showed a maximum growth rate of about 0.51 per day, outperforming most other media and producing thicker, healthier mycelium. Shaggy bracket is rich in bioactive compounds linked to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-supporting effects, but its rarity makes wild harvesting unsustainable. The findings show that controlled cultivation can replace wild collection, making it possible to study, scale, and eventually use this medicinal mushroom without damaging natural ecosystems.