Is it possible to eat fly agarics: poisoning and lethal dose

Fly agaric poisoning is common in clinical practice. The number of cases of unfavorable outcomes is steadily increasing, despite the fact that even children know what this mushroom looks like and how poisonous it is. Accidental consumption of these mushrooms with bright red caps is rare.

Poisoning often occurs as a result of taking fly agaric based products made by traditional healers, as well as when trying to use this mushroom as a drug, because when specially prepared, the toxin contained in the pulp can cause a state of euphoria and hallucinations.

What does a fly agaric look like?

Types of fly agarics

Whether you can eat fly agaric depends on its variety. Dangerous species include white and red species. They contain substances toxic to humans. The answer to the question of whether you can die from eating these species is positive. At the same time, royal fly agarics are not uncommon in deciduous forests. It is easy to confuse it with other representatives of this family, but this mushroom, unlike its relatives, is not dangerous. It has an excellent taste and can be used for preparing various dishes and storing for the winter.

White spring

This type of mushroom is poisonous and should not be eaten. Poisoning by fly agarics of this species is fraught with death. These mushrooms grow only in damp environments. They are more common in deciduous forests. Fruiting bodies begin to appear in early summer. The fruiting period lasts until the end of October. Young fruiting bodies have white cone-shaped caps. In mature fruits it has a flat shape. In addition, characteristic gray scales appear on its surface.

The diameter of the leg reaches 4 cm. There is a thickening or ring on it. Many mushroom pickers are interested in whether it is possible to get poisoned by eating these mushrooms. In fact, 2-3 large fruits are enough for a meal to end in death. However, poisoning with this type of mushroom is rare, because they have an unpleasant smell and taste.

White spring fly agaric

Blushing grey-pink

Young fly agaric mushrooms of this variety are distinguished by a gray-pink color of the cap and the presence of dirty brown warts. The leg can reach 10-15 in height. Its diameter is about 3 cm. In old fruits, the color of the cap gradually becomes richer in color. Because of this, the mushroom resembles a smelly fly agaric.

Unlike many members of this family, this mushroom is edible. It is believed to have medicinal properties. It can be boiled and fried, but it is not suitable for drying, since such processing worsens its taste. In the forests, this fly agaric is often eaten by elk and deer, who sense that it is not poisoned.

Blushing gray-pink fly agaric

Caesar, Caesar, royal

This fly agaric is edible and considered a delicacy. There will be no consequences from eating these mushrooms. This variety grows in deciduous forests. The royal fly agaric is most often found in regions with temperate climates. In addition, it grows in some areas of the tropical forests of Africa.

This mushroom resembles the red fly agaric in appearance. The Caesar mushroom has a red-orange cap. Its surface is smooth and does not have warty white growths. The leg is yellow. There is a ring on the top. Its leg reaches 15-20 cm in length, and its diameter ranges from 1.5 to 4 cm. The pulp has a pleasant aroma and tasty pulp. This edible fly agaric is suitable for preparing various dishes, drying and preserving for the winter.

Caesar's fly agaric

Red Grebe

The fly agaric toadstool is one of the most dangerous, because it contains toxic substances that cause hallucinations. Any dosage is dangerous, the lethal dose varies from person to person. Often, even 30 g of mushroom is enough to cause breathing problems, diarrhea, fainting and vomiting. If you consume a large amount of the mushroom, there is a high risk of death.

However, accidental consumption of mushrooms is rare. The fly agaric is distinguished by a red cap with many white warts. In young mushrooms, the cap is spherical, while in old ones it becomes disc-shaped. The leg is white with a characteristic thickening at the base. The mushroom has no specific odor.

Medicines based on this type of fly agaric are used by many traditional healers to treat a number of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to eliminate insomnia and manifestations of diabetes. Such products must be used with extreme caution. If prepared and used incorrectly, there is a high risk of poisoning. In addition, substances obtained from this mushroom are used in modern pharmacology.

Symptoms of fly agaric poisoning

Interesting Facts

Fly agaric red

• The name of this species and other representatives of the genus “Amanita” comes from the main method of its use. In ancient times (at least since the 13th century), the pulp was used to kill flies, so the name of the mushroom literally means “endemic death of flies.”

• Interestingly, the flies die not because of the poison itself, but because of the water that accumulates on the surface of the cap after rain. They drink it, then fall asleep due to "intoxication" and simply drown in this liquid. If you put it on a dry surface, it will come to its senses after 10-12 hours and fly away.

Red fly agaric contains psychoactive substances that have an intoxicating effect on a person and literally change consciousness:

• Ibotenic acid.
• Muskazon.

• Muscarine.
• Muscimol.

Often these substances allow you to enter a state of trance, due to which fly agaric has long been used by shamans of Siberia for religious rituals.

Symptoms of poisoning

What happens if you eat a fly agaric depends on the amount of mushroom eaten, the weight and general health of the person. If the amount of fungus that enters the stomach is small, then signs of intoxication may be mild. When poisoned by fly agaric, the nervous system is the first to suffer. In addition, muscarine negatively affects the kidneys, liver and cardiovascular system. The first symptoms of fly agaric poisoning occur 1-2 hours after consumption. There are complaints about:

• severe weakness;
• nausea;
• vomiting

Subsequently, the person’s condition worsens.

When considering the question of what will happen if you eat a fly agaric, you need to take into account that the substances it contains negatively affect the state of the nervous system. Patients experience headaches and attacks of dizziness. There may be excessive drooling and a slow heartbeat. Severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea appear.

In case of severe poisoning, the patient experiences:

• hallucinations;
• rave;
• visual impairment;
• convulsions.

After about 6-10 hours the patient becomes apathetic. Body temperature decreases. Paralysis of the respiratory muscles and pulmonary edema are possible. These conditions are often fatal without immediate medical attention.

First aid for fly agaric poisoning

Who is definitely not recommended to eat fly agaric?

Of course, many subspecies of fly agarics can be prepared so that they are edible and can be served. But in any case, you should avoid using:

• Children;
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women;
• People with digestive tract problems;
• People with stomach diseases;
• People who have pancreatic pathologies or liver problems.

If a tincture has been prepared from fly agaric, you should definitely consult a doctor before using it.

First aid

People who regularly pick mushrooms need to know what to do in case of poisoning. If signs of intoxication occur after eating mushrooms, you should immediately call an ambulance or go to a medical facility. Before doctors arrive, it is recommended to perform gastric lavage several times. To do this, dilute 3 tablespoons in 5 liters of warm water. salt. It is necessary to drink as much salted liquid as possible, and then induce vomiting.

It is recommended to do an enema with boiled water. Be sure to take activated carbon or another absorbent. These first aid measures eliminate most of the poison from the human body. This reduces the risk of developing undesirable consequences of poisoning.

After this, the patient must be taken to the hospital. Subsequently, treatment is carried out in a hospital. The patient is immediately given an antidote. The antidote for fly agaric poisoning is Atropine. Vital signs must be monitored. In severe cases, the patient must be connected to a ventilator. Drugs are selected to eliminate the symptoms of poisoning and stabilize the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Are there any beneficial properties in fly agarics?

Biological classification of mushrooms of the fly agaric family

As Wikipedia and other specialized sites say, it belongs to the lamellar microformers and has a large family, which includes many species, as well as similar counterparts.

The scientific description looks like this:

• Originates from the Eukaryotic domain
• Belongs to the kingdom of mushrooms
• To the department of Basidiomycetes
• And the class Agaricomycetes
• Is in the Agarikov order
• Fly agaric family

Many members of the fly agaric family are poisonous, inedible, and psychoactive. There are even some whose poison can kill you.

Useful properties of fly agarics

Despite the fact that most varieties of fly agarics are poisonous and deadly, these mushrooms have many beneficial properties. Fly agarics got their name due to the fact that in ancient times people used infusions based on them to kill insects in residential and commercial premises. Non-poisonous varieties of fly agarics can be eaten. Among other things, ointments and infusions based on these mushrooms are used to treat various diseases. It is believed that the active substances contained in this mushroom have the following effects:

• immunostimulating;
• healing;
• pain reliever;
• antibacterial;
• antispasmodic;
• antioxidant;
• soothing;
• hemostatic, etc.

In traditional medicine, products based on fly agaric extract are used in the treatment of cerebral vascular spasms and sclerosis. Not all traditional healers and homeopaths know how to properly use fly agarics so that they bring benefits to the human body. You should not purchase such products from dubious specialists or make them yourself, since you need to know not only which mushrooms are best suited and the dose, but also a lot of technical aspects of preparing the compositions.

Gum ointment with fly agaric

How to cook fly agaric so that it becomes edible?

Human curiosity knows no bounds, and even in ancient Rus', people tried to find a way to prepare a poisonous mushroom in such a way that it could be eaten without the risk of death. Below are the basic rules for choosing a suitable fly agaric, as well as the process of preparing it.

1. You only need to collect those mushrooms that have a lot of white spots on their caps. Mushroom stems should not be collected, as they contain a higher concentration of toxic substances.
2. After collection, the fly agarics must be dried and stored. The best option is to thread the samples onto a rope.
3. If it is necessary to prepare a tincture, decoction or any other dish from fly agaric, then it is necessary to carry out thorough heat treatment for a long time. During preparation, it is best to ask for advice from someone who has experience in carrying out a similar process and who, after processing, will tell you for sure whether the mushroom is poisonous or not.

Removing the mushroom from toxic components allows you to eat fly agaric and use it to treat various disorders and diseases. With the help of prepared fly agaric tincture, diseases such as tuberculosis or cancer can be cured. To treat skin damage, you can use freshly squeezed juice or an ointment prepared based on mushroom components.

Use for treatment

Non-poisonous fly agaric species are recommended for regular consumption by people suffering from atherosclerosis. Due to the low content of fats and carbohydrates in mushrooms, as well as the presence of a number of active substances in the pulp, with the regular inclusion of edible fly agarics in the diet, a decrease in cholesterol levels and a gradual dissolution of atherosclerotic plaques are observed. Poisonous varieties are used to make ointments and infusions used in therapy:

• rheumatism;
• tonsillitis;
• joint pain;
• osteoarthritis;
• osteochondrosis;
• prostate adenomas;
• pathologies of the thyroid gland;
• diabetes mellitus;
• trophic ulcers;
• hypertension;
• malignant tumors;
• epilepsy;
• neuroses;
• varicose veins;
• psoriasis;
• papillomas;
• furunculosis;
• tuberculosis;
• Parkinson's disease;
• paralysis;
• inflammatory diseases of the skin;
• insomnia.

Products based on this fungus are used to eliminate cellulose and increase the elasticity of the skin. In some regions, traditional healers use fly agaric to treat acne.

Warming cream against joint pain

Dosages

The dose of fly agaric based products is selected individually. The ointment, intended for external use for various diseases, is sufficient to apply once a day. In case of severe pathology, this remedy can be applied 2 times a day. Decoctions based on fly agaric are used in diluted form for lotions. They need to be done 2 times a day. Fly agaric tinctures are used both externally and internally. The dosage of this form can vary from 1 to 30 drops.

Making medicines

For the preparation of medicinal compositions, only those fly agaric mushrooms that were collected in environmentally friendly areas are suitable, since these mushrooms can accumulate heavy metal salts and other harmful substances in their fruiting bodies.

Both fresh and dried mushrooms are suitable for obtaining the extract. The most commonly used are fresh fly agaric mushrooms. Approximately 2 kg of product should be filled with 0.5 liters of 45% alcohol. The composition must be infused for 2 weeks in a cool place. After this, the product must be filtered. Used mushrooms should be thrown away. The extract should be taken diluted in milk or water. They are often used to treat cancer. The course of treatment with this remedy is 2 weeks.

To prepare the tincture, fresh fly agaric caps are used.

Freshly picked mushrooms should be thoroughly cleaned of dirt, washed and ground into a paste. After this, they should be left in a cool place for 3 days. The infused pulp is transferred to a ceramic vessel and filled with the same volume of vodka. The mixture is infused in a dark, cool place for about 2 weeks. After this, the tincture must be filtered and used for external use.

To prepare a healing ointment you will need:

• approximately 30 g of dried fly agaric caps. They need to be ground to a powder;
• you will need another 55 g of internal animal fat;
• Additionally, you can include a few drops of chamomile or pine resin essential oil in the ointment;
• animal fat should be melted in a water bath.

After this, you need to add powdered fly agaric, pine resin and essential oil. The composition should be mixed well with a mixer and left to infuse in a cool place for 3 days. After this, the ointment can be used to treat various joint diseases and skin cancers. The course of treatment with this remedy ranges from 2 to 4 weeks.

Rules for frying mushrooms

Hallucinogenic effect of Red Fly Agaric

As mentioned above, red fly agaric contains muscarine, ibotenic acid and muscimol. If you examine the fruiting body of this mushroom, you can find other toxic substances that are responsible for the hallucinogenic effect. For example, ibotenic acid is highly toxic. It is this that can trigger the death of brain cells. For a long time it was believed that muscarine itself was a psychotropic substance. However, after a lot of time, as well as research by scientists, it was proven that it is muscimol, which is combined with the work of ibotenic acid, that has a psychotropic effect. There is a kind of dilation of blood vessels, as well as a decrease in heart beats per minute.

As soon as muscarine enters the body in large quantities, it begins to provoke hallucinogenic properties.

People who have experienced fly agaric poisoning describe that at some point they began to experience a strong feeling of anger or, conversely, happiness. Over time, this condition began to increase. A kind of anxiety appeared, and the heart rate increased. An unexpected burst of energy appears that the person could hardly cope with.

Gradually, some strange things began to appear.

The person falls into a state of half-asleep. In this state, sounds are amplified, and simple steps can be regarded as a powerful sound.

In such a situation, a person begins to see various situations that do not actually exist. Cases have been recorded when, when poisoned by red fly agaric mushrooms, people heard shots and ran around the apartment, trying to escape, although in fact the loud sound was nothing more than simple steps.

Psychotropic and toxic properties of substances

The psychotropic properties of the red fly agaric deserve special attention. These mushrooms contain special psychoactive substances, as a result of which they tried to use this mushroom in folk medicine, as well as in all kinds of religious ceremonies.

For example, if we look at the history of the northern peoples, we can find out that they used these mushrooms to get drunk. It is believed that the effect of this mushroom is very similar to strong intoxication. As a result of the influence of substances on the body, severe hallucinations begin to appear, and the person’s state quickly changes from intense anger to a state of joy.

Patients say that at first they experienced a strange visual effect. All the objects that appeared before them began to split into two, and sounds appeared that accompanied various color phenomena and visions that had no place to be in reality. After this, a kind of loss of consciousness occurred, which ended in amnesia.

By the way, a very interesting fact. When reindeer see red fly agarics under a layer of snow, they immediately try to eat them. The fact is that this way they get much more energy.

Also, local northern peoples continue to dry these mushrooms. After the mushrooms are dried, pieces are bitten off, dried and washed down with water. This is a kind of local energy drink. As for psychoactive and toxic substances, they dissolve perfectly in hot water. Therefore, if you boil fly agaric mushrooms in several waters at once, while waiting for the mushroom to boil, you can relieve it of its toxic effects.

However, eating red fly agarics continues to be dangerous, since the effect can be different, and not always positive.

Important! It is worth noting that red fly agaric is a healthy and delicious food in Japan. It is also reported that there this mushroom is boiled in three waters at once, after which it becomes edible. However, only the most daring gourmets dare to taste it.

It is believed that after eating this mushroom, a person can easily laugh for about 2 hours, or, conversely, falls into terrible despair. All this time the person is in hallucinogenic captivity, and may even lose consciousness. Substances act on the psyche almost immediately after use. Some experience a strong feeling of suffocation and go into convulsions.

Also, this is a special type of drug that is used by sophisticated drug addicts.

However, often the use of red fly agaric does not leave its mark on the psyche. It becomes loose, the nervous system stops working in the mode it should. Therefore, people have an acute shortage of an additional dose of energy, so they become addicted to the use of red fly agarics. This is a kind of addiction that, of course, must be fought.

Cooking recipes

It is recommended to eat only edible varieties of fly agaric. This will avoid the serious consequences of poisoning. These mushrooms are well suited for stewing, frying, drying and pickling. In addition, you can prepare mushroom tea from these fly agaric mushrooms.

Fried mushrooms

The easiest way to prepare fly agarics is by frying. First, the mushrooms need to be thoroughly cleaned and washed. After this, the mushrooms should be boiled for 20 minutes. During the cooking process, you can throw in an onion cut into 4 parts. After pre-treatment, even if a poisonous fly agaric has entered the basket, most of the toxic substances from its pulp will be neutralized. By the end of cooking, the caps should be completely discolored. After this, you need to rinse the mushrooms with running water.

Pour a little vegetable oil into the frying pan and throw in the boiled mushrooms. About 10 minutes before readiness you need to add 2-3 tbsp. sour cream, grated carrots and chopped onions. Mushrooms need to be peppered and salted to taste. After the dish is ready, it can be decorated with fresh herbs and served.

Pickling mushrooms

How to pickle correctly?

Mushrooms intended for pickling should be thoroughly washed and peeled. After this, they need to be boiled for 20-25 minutes in salted water. Throw a few currant leaves and bay leaves into the bottom of a suitable bowl. You can throw in a chopped clove of garlic, a few pieces of horseradish and 5-7 peas of allspice.

After this, mushrooms are laid out in layers. Each layer should be sprinkled with coarse salt. Salt consumption should be 40 g per 1 kg of mushrooms. After this, you need to compact the mushrooms well and put them under a press. Amanita mushrooms must be salted for at least 40 days. After this, it is recommended to store them in the refrigerator.

Benefits of mushroom tea

Conditionally edible mushrooms

Conditionally edible mushrooms deserve special attention, they can be used for cooking and medicine after pre-treatment (long-term boiling or soaking). These mushrooms include the following.

1. Fly agaric Sicilian. Grows in deciduous and coniferous forests from June to October. It is distinguished by its brown color, which darkens closer to the center of the cap.
2. The float is yellow-brown. It has the color and shape of an egg corresponding to its name. Grows in acidic soils in the forests of Eurasia and North America. Can be found in some forests of North Africa.
3. The fly agaric is tall. A wide, massive mushroom that can reach a diameter of 16 cm. The color of the cap ranges from gray-brown to dirty olive. A distinctive feature is the thick flesh and high stem with a diameter of up to 5 cm. From July to September, this mushroom can be found in a wide variety of forests in Eurasia.
4. Yellow-legged fly agaric. A large dry mushroom with a large cap and dense flesh. It has a characteristic yellowish color. More often found in the Northern Hemisphere in coniferous and mixed forests.
5. Saffron fly agaric. Among other representatives of the species, this mushroom is distinguished by its small orange cap with a diameter of up to 10 cm and white flesh without a specific odor. From July to October it can be found in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. Loves acidic soil and marshy areas.

It is important to know how to distinguish edible fly agaric from inedible representatives of the species. Such gifts of the forest, if properly processed, can become indispensable assistants in the fight for health and good mood.

Use in folk medicine

Fly agaric, if you didn’t know, is very actively used by folk healers to create various useful remedies, each of which has medicinal properties:

• Ointment

The world of fly agaric
Ointment, which was prepared on the basis of fly agaric, is excellent for pain and inflammation in the joints

• Juice

The world of fly agarics
By applying fly agaric juice to frostbite, burns and wounds of other origins, you can significantly speed up the process of restoration and healing of the surface of human skin

• Decoction

The world of fly agarics
Our poisonous hero is used not only in folk medicine, but also in general medicine for the treatment of cancer.

• Tincture

World of fly agarics
This remedy helps people cope with problems such as osteochondrosis, gout, arthritis and arthrosis

• Hood

The world of fly agarics
The fly agaric extract has strong antibiotic and pulling properties for the body

I cannot give you exact information about the collection time. But I can only recommend young individuals (easily distinguished by the height and shape of the cap) at the beginning of the growing season.

Where do they grow?

Dishes using fly agaric are considered a real delicacy in a number of countries around the world. Therefore, in some of them real farms and factories have appeared that are engaged in growing that hero of children's fairy tales.

In the forest they can be found almost everywhere, because... its mycorrhiza gets along well with almost any root system. They grow all over the world and find representatives even in Australia. Its mycelium is so strong that it grows even in the Tundra and Siberia. You can look for it in both coniferous and deciduous forests throughout Russia. His family can grow even in an open field!

Is it still possible to eat mushrooms?

If you carefully study all the species of the fly agaric family, you will find out that there are edible mushrooms. It grows in the Mediterranean and is called Caesar. In countries where it can be found, dishes made from it are considered a real delicacy and can be found in decent establishments. In Russia, it is almost impossible to find such a mushroom, and therefore doctors and experts do not recommend conducting experiments with your own body, trying to taste the beneficial properties of the fly agaric.

The only option for using fly agaric without the possibility of fatal poisoning is to thermally treat it as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes even in these cases there is a risk of food poisoning and disruption of the nervous system.