Fly agaric (especially its red variety, the Latin name is Amanita muscaria) is a mushroom known even to children in kindergarten. Its fame, however, is of a bad nature - all of us are taught from infancy that fly agaric is a beautiful mushroom, but dangerous, and that it should not be consumed in any form and under no circumstances.
For the most part, this is completely justified. Red fly agaric, like many related species, contains dangerous toxins and strong psychoactive substances - muscarine, ibotenic acid and a number of others. At the same time, the use of fly agarics for various purposes - occult, medicinal, or even as a “combat drug” in Scandinavia - has been known since time immemorial. Moreover, the medical use of fly agaric is almost always limited to its red variety.
The attitude of official medicine towards treatment with fly agarics is ambiguous. There are several types of ointments and balms based on fly agaric extract. And at the same time, the most common remedy, fly agaric tincture, is categorically not recognized by Aesculapians.
Despite this, tincture of red fly agaric is used with greater or lesser success in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, from cancer to diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
There are a number of recipes for preparing tinctures, depending on the method of application and what kind of ailment is being treated. In this article we will not call for the use of fly agaric tincture or its complete abandonment. We will simply tell you what are the methods for preparing this folk remedy and how it is used in alternative medicine. Whether you follow these recommendations is up to you.
Fly agaric mushroom - poison or medicine?
The fly agaric belongs to the Amanitaceae family. In appearance, it is a very attractive organism that attracts all living things with its beauty. The color of the fly agaric cap depends on its growing environment and species. It can range from bright red, brown and even green. The red fly agaric is known throughout the world.
The mushroom was previously considered an excellent insecticide. They sprinkled it with sugar and laid it out around the house; they attracted flies, midges and mosquitoes well. Therefore, people began to call the mushroom fly agaric.
Despite the fact that the red fly agaric is a poisonous species and can cause harm, it still has healing properties. To prepare tinctures, extracts and other remedies, only fly agaric caps are used.
It is used in folk medicine for diseases such as rheumatism, diabetes, cancer, tuberculosis, colitis, leukemia, gynecological diseases, bladder paralysis, parkinsonism, epileptiform seizures and others.
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of the red fly agaric is as follows:
- Ibotheic acid
- Muscimol
- Muscarine
- Muskazon
- Muscarufin
- Bufotenin
The most popular components have the following effect:
Red fly agaric contains the dangerous component muscarine. Muscarine is a potent poison with a psychotropic effect. Also, muscarine, when used correctly, dilates blood vessels and improves blood microcirculation.
Muscarufin - secreted in the form of an orange-red pigment, is an antibiotic. It is used in homeopathy, as it improves the tone of the body, and is used as an antitumor agent.
Ibotheic acid is a neurotoxin that kills brain cells. Iboteic acid helps with chafing and joint inflammation.
Muscimol is a sedative, psychoactive substance. It affects nerve cells and has an analgesic effect.
Muscazone is also a psychoactive substance; its content in mushrooms is low, since when it reacts with iboteic acid and ultraviolet radiation, the product disintegrates.
Bufotenine is an alkaloid structurally similar to serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. It is also found in the skin of toads belonging to the genus Bufo. Has a psychotic effect.
Characteristics of the red fly agaric
Red fly agaric is a mushroom of medium toxicity, with an unusual red cap and a snow-white leg, which is decorated with a small “skirt”. The red color warns of danger not only for humans, but also for animals. Found in forests.
The fly agaric is a fairly large organism with a fleshy body and a large cap, which can reach a diameter of about 20 cm. The flesh of the cap varies from white to yellow, sweet in taste, spherical in shape with an uneven edge. The surface is shiny, slightly sticky.
Types of fly agarics
The color can range from red to orange-red with lots of white flecks, which some call “warts.” The stem of the mushroom is cylindrical, white, slightly expanded towards the base, and can be easily separated from the cap.
Use of fly agaric in traditional medicine traditions
Even in Rus', ointments and tinctures were prepared from fly agarics. Today, old recipes have not lost their value. Only young mushrooms with red caps are used for preparation, since they are the most valuable medicinal raw materials. Healers chose “mushroom days” and reaped rich harvests in the forests.
The effectiveness of Amanita muscaria was noted even by Paracelsus, who prescribed homeopathic doses of this mushroom to treat diabetes and tuberculosis. Fly agaric is also used to treat skin diseases, joint diseases, and rheumatism.
Today, alcoholic or water infusions of the mushroom are commonly used in the treatment of scrofula, paralysis, convulsions, tumors and common colds, but it is important to understand how to prepare fly agaric mushrooms correctly.
Medicinal properties of fly agaric
Due to the unique properties of the poisonous mushroom, it is used in pharmacology. But the mushroom has gained great popularity and trust in folk medicine.
Products based on an extraordinary organism have antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antibiotic effects.
It is well suited for the treatment of many ailments:
- oncology;
- problems with the nervous system;
- respiratory diseases;
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- deterioration in the functioning of the digestive system;
- diseases of the genital organs, eye, ear and skin diseases.
In medicine, only the mushroom cap is used, from which ointments, tinctures, extracts, and compresses are made.
Before using fly agaric based products, be sure to consult your doctor. Since the substances contained in the mushroom are sometimes incompatible with the medications the patient is taking.
Advice! Keep prepared products based on fly agaric away from children and animals.
Therapeutic properties
Fly agaric has powerful medicinal properties, which can only be obtained with proper preparation of the medicine. Mushroom extract is used to create drugs against sore throat, dermatitis, psoriasis, fungal diseases, and epilepsy. A properly prepared medicine helps with tissue inflammation, helps destroy parasites (worms), and has an antitumor and antiseptic effect. An infusion of fly agaric in vodka has a healing effect on nerve cells, strengthens the immune system, and lowers blood sugar levels.
When used correctly, the mushroom can relieve drug, nicotine and alcohol addiction!”
The use of fly agaric tincture for the treatment of cancer
Self-medication is dangerous, so before you start taking it orally, you should consult your doctor. After all, the dosage and duration of treatment is calculated individually for each patient.
While taking tinctures, it is recommended to use any absorbent and adhere to a strict diet.
When treating fly agarics, you need to use an absorbent
Clinical studies have shown that tinctures and extracts from poisonous mushrooms are quite effective in treating cancer at an early stage. It is recommended to be used to treat stomach, brain and leukemia cancer.
Attention! It is strictly forbidden to take the tincture during a course of chemotherapy and when metastases appear.
The use of fly agaric tincture for various diseases
Tincture, ointment, lotions from red fly agaric help with diseases, it is important to understand how to properly use the mushroom for:
Svinushka mushroom: main varieties
For osteochondrosis
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the tincture is used as a composition for rubbing.
Rub recipe:
Place 7 hats of fresh fly agarics in a glass container, fill them with water so that the mushrooms are covered by 1.5 cm, close the lid. Place the jar in a dark, damp place and leave for 5 weeks. We rub the areas of the joints and spine with this tincture.
For arthritis
For arthritis, use tincture in the form of compresses. Apply compresses moistened with the product to the affected areas. Cover them with plastic wrap and wrap them in something warm. This procedure is carried out within an hour. Course duration is 5 days. Can be alternated with rubbing.
For malignant and benign formations
Treatment of tumors with fly agaric tincture is not a myth. Red fly agaric helps cope with malignant and benign formations.
- The mushrooms are crushed and left in a cool, dark place in a tightly closed glass container for several days.
- The resulting juice is squeezed out well, mixed one to one with vodka, and kept for 11 days in a warm place.
This tincture is used as compresses on the affected areas where the formation is located.
To strengthen immunity
To strengthen the immune system, fly agaric tincture is used twice a day. Dissolve 2 drops in a glass of water, drink on an empty stomach in the morning, and repeat the procedure before meals throughout the day.
To relieve toothache
For severe toothache, soak a cotton pad with fly agaric tincture and apply it to the sore tooth. The compress is kept until the pain completely disappears. Afterwards, the cotton pad is removed and the mouth is thoroughly rinsed with running water.
Where does Psilocybe semilanceata or semilanceta grow?
For migraines and headaches
To get rid of headaches, tincture of red fly agaric is rubbed on the temples. After the pain disappears, rinse the temples thoroughly with soap and water.
For colds, pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis
3-4 caps are crushed, poured with alcohol, covering the mushrooms by 1.5 cm. Leave for 15 days in a warm place. Then 4 drops are dissolved in 1 tbsp. spoon of water and drink 2 times a day. The course of treatment is 10 days.
For sclerosis, epilepsy, strokes
A tincture of 1:4 is made, 1 part of crushed mushroom, 4 parts of vodka or moonshine, infused for 3 days. Apply once a day with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of running or boiled water and 10 drops of tincture.
For varicose veins, thrombophlebitis
Many women suffer from a disease that is not only painful, but also disfigures their beauty - varicose veins. You can relieve pain and reduce swelling of the veins using a fly agaric tincture with alcohol.
5 caps are crushed in a blender, transferred to a glass container, and tightly closed with a lid. Infuse the pulp until the juice appears. Using a bandage, separate the juice from the mushrooms and put them in the refrigerator. Before use, dilute one to one in boiled water. Lubricate the veins by wrapping them with a bandage.
It is not recommended to take an infusion of fly agaric with vodka for more than 3 weeks.”
For gynecological diseases
Vodka tincture helps in the treatment of cysts, fibroids, mastopathy, papilloma, painful menstruation and other gynecological diagnoses. The tincture is taken orally.
The following tincture is prepared for oral administration:
- You will need five large caps, which must be washed well, dried and placed in a jar.
- Pour a liter of vodka over the mushroom.
- Leave in the dark for two months.
- After the time has passed, strain the product.
Take the drug one drop at a time, each time increasing the dosage by one drop, from 1 to 30.
Fly agaric tincture
What diseases does fly agaric tincture affect?
Fly agaric tincture infused with alcohol, moonshine or vodka has a number of properties:
- Immuno-strengthening
- Regenerating
- Painkillers
Edible and poisonous species of yellow spider web mushroom
The tincture helps with a number of diseases:
- Dermatological - psoriasis, mycosis, dermatitis, purulent inflammation.
- Heart diseases
- Nervous system diseases
- Benign and malignant tumors
- Development of myopia and farsightedness
- Muscular – tissue repair, arthritis, rheumatism
Can it be taken orally if you have a stomach ulcer?
For stomach and duodenal ulcers, you can take a fly agaric-based product orally. You just have to adhere to a certain treatment regimen.
The remedy is done like this:
- Place the fly agaric caps in a three-liter jar and roll them up.
- Bury into the ground to a depth of one meter. Does this seem strange? But no, this way ensures a constant temperature for one month.
- After time, squeeze out the liquid and mix in a 1:1 ratio with 45% alcohol.
- The shelf life of the product can be up to five years. Take tincture 1 tsp. three times a day half an hour before meals, washing down the drug with water.
From the caps that remain, you can prepare infusions for the treatment of the musculoskeletal system.
Preparing juice or extract
External use
For this application, tinctures, ointments, compresses or mushroom juice are used.
Juice preparation:
- To obtain juice, the cap is crushed, placed in a glass container and placed under oppression for three days.
- After the juice appears, it is filtered.
- It can be stored for five days.
You can make a tincture for compresses from the juice. To do this, dilute the juice 1:1 with vodka.
Mushroom juice
In order to obtain juice, you can use any number of mushrooms. The caps are crushed, compacted in a glass jar, and covered with a lid. The jar should be stored in a dry, dark place for 30 days. When the month has expired, the juice is filtered and stored in the refrigerator. It is ready to eat.
The juice helps fight any disease for which fly agaric is used.
As you can see, the preparation of fly agarics obeys very specific principles. In order to benefit from a juice, ointment or tincture, it is important to observe more than just the ratio of ingredients. An equally important stage is the selection of the mushrooms themselves.
Tincture and extract from fly agaric - which is better?
In folk medicine, both tincture and mushroom extract are used. The two products are equivalent in action, but they have different shelf life, which depends on the manufacturing method. And it is impossible to give a clear answer.
You can buy the extract at the pharmacy, but it is better to prepare the tincture yourself, but you must comply with all proportions and quantities of ingredients.
Medicines from fly agaric can be bought at the pharmacy
The behavior of berserkers during battle - truth or wild fantasy?
Karsten Fatur believes that fly agarics were quite rare in Scandinavia. For their growth, dense forests with a large number of trees are needed. Tree roots are needed for their reproduction. But the henbane plant grows like a weed. There was especially a lot of it in Scandinavia during the Viking times. Danish women, according to the chronicles of 980, kept a bag of henbane seeds at home. They decorated their clothes with them. But there were elements of berserker behavior that could not be explained even by the use of henbane.
This includes, for example, touching enemy shields and chattering teeth. The scientist believes that this and much more is only a consequence of wild imagination and is speculative. This behavior is not confirmed by the found artifacts. There are not enough historical and archaeological facts to confirm or refute such a hypothesis. The ethnobotanist is waiting for new evidence from archaeologists on this issue.
He, like us, is interested in finding out what exactly the Vikings consumed before the battle, what plant or mushroom contributed to this? Perhaps someone in the future will solve this ethnobotanical mystery.
Collection and preparation of fly agaric
Not everyone knows how to properly collect and prepare mushrooms, especially if they are poisonous. Mushrooms are collected from late summer to late autumn, but it all depends on weather conditions and the region of growth.
It is better to collect away from the road and industrial zones. Do not take wormy mushrooms and panther fly agarics. Collect only beautiful, healthy-looking mushrooms. For cooking you only need mushroom caps.
Important! It is recommended to pick mushrooms immediately after rain.
Follow these rules when picking mushrooms:
- Collect fly agarics with round caps and bright red color.
- Remember that the mushroom is poisonous; collect only with gloves.
- When you get home, sort through your loot.
- Large caps need to be dried in the open air and then in the oven.
- Small ones are immediately melted in the oven, the temperature of which is no higher than 50 degrees. As soon as the moisture has evaporated, you can remove it from the oven.
Dried mushrooms are stored in a container with a lid in a cool and dark place.
Cooking mushrooms
How to prepare medicine from fly agaric?
Vodka tinctures
Vodka tinctures can be prepared in different ways. Recipe No. 1:
- Chop the freshly picked caps and let them rest in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
- Place them in a container and pour vodka so that the liquid is a couple of centimeters above the mushrooms.
- Let it brew for 14 days.
This tincture is used to treat cancer in the early stages, as well as joint diseases. The product can be stored for more than two years. Use the tincture for external use only.
Recipe No. 2:
- Take the caps of 3-4 fly agaric mushrooms, chop them with a knife, and place them in an opaque bowl.
- Pour 750 ml of vodka over it all.
- Place the dishes with fly agarics in a dark, cool place for 45 days.
- After this period, the mixture is taken out and filtered.
- The tincture is free to use; drink 0.5 teaspoon daily before bed.
Extracts from red fly agaric
Extracts with a shorter shelf life are also often used for treatment.
Extract for the treatment of tumors and rheumatic pain:
- You will need fly agaric caps and a clay pot.
- Grind the caps by hand, place them in a clay pot, and seal the hole in the pot with dough.
- Bake the contents in the oven or oven for several hours.
- Squeeze out the juice, strain, and store in an airtight container.
- Before use, be sure to heat some of the juice in a water bath.
For external use only.
Salt extract will help relieve local pain:
- Place fresh caps in a clay pot in layers, sprinkling each layer with salt.
- Bake in the oven for several hours at temperatures up to 50 degrees.
- The mushrooms will slowly begin to release juice, which is similar to molasses.
- Strain the liquid and pour into an airtight container.
The infusion is stored for a long time.
Tincture for external use
A simple recipe for rubbing and compresses
- Small and medium caps are cut into small pieces and placed in a jar.
- The mushroom pieces are compacted and filled with vodka so that it covers the mushroom mass by 1-2 centimeters.
- The jar is wrapped and left in a dark, cool place. It takes about 40 days to prepare the tincture in this way.
However, the preparation time for such a tincture can be shortened:
- Pass the raw materials through a meat grinder or chop with a knife
- Pour vodka 1-2 centimeters above the level of the mushrooms.
- Store in a dark place at a temperature of 15-20 degrees.
With this method, preparation is reduced to 10 days.
A quick way to prepare a tincture
- Grind the raw materials using a meat grinder.
- Carefully squeeze the juice out of the mushrooms, placing them in a gauze bag of 3-4 layers.
- Mix the resulting juice with medical alcohol and leave to infuse for 5-6 days in a cool place, away from light.
Contraindications for the use of fly agaric based products
Despite the fact that the mushroom contains poison, its medicinal properties are known throughout the world. Folk medicinal tinctures, ointments, and extracts are prepared from it, which can cure various ailments. When using medications, follow a clear treatment schedule, observe the proportions of ingredients during preparation, otherwise you can get poisoned.
After using rubs, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly or wear gloves. All medications should be kept away from children and animals.
It is prohibited to use products based on poisonous mushrooms:
- Children under 16 years of age are at risk of serious poisoning.
- Pregnant women and during lactation.
- Persons with individual intolerance.
- People with heart and kidney problems.
Fly agaric is beneficial if used and applied correctly.
How to choose fly agarics?
Regardless of whether you collect mushrooms in the forest yourself or buy them from other mushroom pickers, you need to make sure that they are whole and not affected by insects. The cap is of particular value - it contains the maximum amount of active components. The leg is not used.
Taking into account all the presented recipes, it is necessary to adequately treat the treatment process. The question of how to prepare an infusion of fly agaric is not as simple as it might seem. Such drugs should not be given to children, pregnant and lactating women, or people with psychological disorders. Exact adherence to dosage and attentiveness are the key to the success of treatment with this poisonous mushroom. Health to you and your family!
How to provide first aid in case of poisoning?
Taking all traditional medicines is a big health risk. An incorrectly calculated dose of the drug can lead to serious problems, that is, poisoning.
The first signs of poisoning
Incorrect dosage or exceeding it can cause symptoms such as:
- acute pain in the abdomen, which is accompanied by frequent loose stools and vomiting;
- profuse sweating and salivation, the body is constantly covered with goosebumps, arms and legs are shaking;
- nervous excitability;
- the appearance of delirium, loss of consciousness, and in severe cases, severe hallucinations.
First aid for poisoning
First aid for poisoning
If these signs appear, the patient needs immediate assistance:
- Call an ambulance.
- It is necessary to induce vomiting, which will help clear the stomach of food. To do this, the patient must drink more than a liter of salted water.
- Cleanse the intestines with a laxative.
- The laxative can be replaced with an enema.
- Recovery occurs on the second day.
Red fly agaric is a dangerous mushroom! Therefore, do not self-medicate. If the doctor recommends using traditional methods for treatment, then adhere to the dosage and all recommendations.
Compound
Before turning to the question of how to prepare fly agarics, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with its composition and the properties of each component.
- Choline. Used in official medicine in the treatment of liver failure. This substance is found in almost all living organisms.
- Muscarine. Strong alkaloid. It is not used in medical practice; in scientific activities, muscarine is used only in experimental studies.
- Muscimol. The substance has a psychotropic effect. It is often used in pharmacology, especially in the production of drugs for treating psychologically ill people.
- Cyclic hydroxamic and ibotenic acids. Hydroxamic acid enhances the effectiveness of anticancer drugs - this is a scientifically proven fact. Ibotenic acid can have a hallucinogenic effect; in case of overdose, it causes vomiting and increased salivation.
- Bufotenin. Alkaloid - can cause severe hallucinations.
- Mycoatropine. The substance can provoke a narcotic effect – it is a strong alkaloid.
- Hyoscyamine. It is used in official medicine as part of medications aimed at combating renal colic, spasms of the urinary tract, colitis, ulcers, cystitis and cholecystitis.
- Fallin. The source of fallin in nature is fly agarics; the use of this substance in large dosages can be fatal or send the body into a coma.