What you need to know about fly agaric?
This mushroom should be classified as a genus of microisoforming lamellar fungi. The fly agaric family is called amanitaceae, and this representative is poisonous. If you translate the name of the mushroom into Latin, it will sound like Amánita. The family that the fly agaric belongs to has more than 600 species of fly agaric . Over the years, various taxonomies have been compiled to classify species in one way or another. And not everyone knows what fly agaric mushrooms are .
For example, a mushroom is not only the same color as it is used to seeing on the pages of children's textbooks or fairy tales. Mushroom caps can be either red, yellow, or even green. There may be fly agaric caps without dots . There are mushrooms with brown and orange caps. The fly agaric mushroom includes the following species:
- Red;
- Death cap;
- Smelly;
- Royal;
- Caesar's.
The sizes of all listed species are quite large. The mushroom has a fleshy body and a large stalk. Young members of the family grow up with a round hat, but in older ones it resembles the shape of an umbrella. The stem of the mushroom expands downward and is easily separated from the cap. You can recognize a fly agaric by its skirt, which is located in the middle or at the top of the leg. In fact, this skirt is the remains of the shell in which young individuals grow, so such a distinctive feature cannot be found in them. The color of the mushroom can change over time, and this can also be influenced by external factors, for example, the place of growth.
Reproduction occurs by spores that resemble white powder.
Appearance
The appearance of the red fly agaric is represented by a cap and a leg. The diameter of the cap ranges from 8 to 20 centimeters. The shape of young mushrooms is predominantly semicircular. With age, the cap becomes flat and sometimes concave. A distinctive feature of the red fly agaric is the color of the cap, which varies in different shades of red. In young mushrooms, the color of the cap is most often bright red, in old ones it is light orange. With age, the cap becomes duller and lighter. The surface of the cap is covered with characteristic white flakes. Old mushrooms may not have them, as they are easily washed away by rain. The plates under the cap are located freely with the presence of intermediate plates. Their color is white, but they turn yellow or brown as the mushroom grows.
The length of the mushroom stem can reach 30 centimeters with a diameter of 1 to 2.5 centimeters. The shape is cylindrical with a tuber-shaped thickening at the base. The color of the stem is white, but may turn yellowish. Old mushrooms have a completely hollow stem. Not far from the leg there is a membranous ring with a brownish tint. However, in mature mushrooms the ring is quite difficult to distinguish, since it merges with the stalk.
The spore-bearing layer is represented by a tubular texture, white in young mushrooms, yellow in old ones. The pulp is white. When in contact with air it acquires a yellowish tint. The taste is sweetish, but has virtually no odor. The spore powder is white, the spores themselves have a distinct ellipsoidal shape.
Properties of fly agarics
One of the main properties is its negative impact on the human body and nervous system. The mushroom can cause hallucinations when consumed, and some types can cause a person to die. The fact is that representatives of the family contain the poison muscarine, which infects the body with toxic substances, penetrating inside.
As for the speed of spread of the poison, the process occurs quite quickly, and after 15 minutes the first symptoms can be noticed. They tell about all this even in childhood in order to protect curious children from the opportunity to try a poisonous mushroom.
The meaning of red fly agarics for animals
Some species of herbivores and carnivores eat fly agarics. Deer and elk especially love this mushroom. In addition, these fruiting bodies are included in the diet of squirrels and bears. The poisons contained in the fruit are not dangerous to these representatives of the forest fauna. It has not yet been established why animals consume these poisonous mushrooms.
Some researchers believe that ungulates use this mushroom for medicinal purposes.
Digestive upset, expressed by diarrhea, allows deer and elk to remove worms from the body. Perhaps the substances contained in this fruiting body help improve the condition of the digestive organs.
In addition, deer and elk consume these mushrooms to enhance the body's defense mechanisms. Perhaps ungulates and bears are attracted to vitamins and minerals, which are contained in large quantities in the fruiting bodies of this mushroom. When observing animals that ate these poisonous fruits, it was not revealed that the mushrooms had psychotropic effects on ungulates. Even small creatures such as squirrels can eat these fruits without harm.
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.
Help with poisoning
It is terrible if you are a victim of fly agaric poisoning. Of course, this condition needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. But what can you do to quickly rid yourself of the consequences of poisoning?
If you just consumed fly agaric, it did not have time to pass through the intestines, which means it is absorbed into the body, you need to act urgently. To do this, you need to go to the restroom and use the “two fingers in your mouth” method to try to induce an attack of nausea and vomiting.
Do this until the entire contents of your meal are out of your stomach.
However, if this method does not work, we recommend that you consult a doctor immediately.
Before the doctor arrives, try to drink as much water as possible. But at the same time, there is no need to try to eat the fly agaric with any other products. After all, sometimes the combination can become disastrous.
In any case, whenever it becomes clear whether you have consumed fly agaric or not, urgently call a doctor or go to the nearest medical facility yourself.
If a child has eaten a fly agaric, then you need to go to the hospital immediately.
What needs to be done to get rid of the consequences?
First, the doctor will find out what exactly you ate. And also, he will definitely ask about your condition. Afterwards, get ready for a not very pleasant procedure, as a result of which your stomach and intestines will be washed out.
It is also possible to install an enema.
In addition, you will have to spend several hours under the influence of IVs. This is necessary in order to replace the destructive properties of fly agaric with beneficial substances. Also, the use of saline solution is mandatory.
The next step is to remain under the supervision of a doctor for the specified period. If your condition is more or less, then in this case you will have to stay under observation for one or two days. If the condition leaves much to be desired, the time spent under medical supervision varies.
Dried fly agarics
Fly agarics 30 gr
Dried red fly agaric caps Amanita Muscaria 30 grams of mushroom season 2022.
Mushrooms were dried using a special technology…
1,000 rub.
Fly agarics 50 gr
Dried red fly agaric caps Amanita Muscaria 50 grams of mushroom season 2022.
Mushrooms were dried using a special technology…
RUB 1,350
Fly agarics 100 gr
Dried red fly agaric caps Amanita Muscaria 100 grams of mushroom season 2022.
Mushrooms were dried using a special technology…
2,000 rub.
Fly agaric 150 gr
Caps of the red fly agaric Amanita Muscaria 150 grams of the mushroom season 2021.
Drying of the mushrooms was carried out using a special technology at the same temperature…
RUB 2,850
Fly agaric 200 gr
Dried red fly agaric caps Amanita Muscaria 200 grams of mushroom season 2022.
Mushrooms were dried using a special technology…
RUB 3,800
Unopened fly agaric caps 100 g
The composition of unopened caps contains the maximum amount of muscarine and muscimol and belongs to the first elite category of mushrooms.
Collection 2... 5,400 rub.
Not many people know where to find fly agarics , and constantly wonder where fly agarics grow . The answer to this question is quite simple - in the forest. It takes root in almost any forest, and you can even find fly agaric spots in Australia. If we talk about Russia, fly agarics are found among coniferous and deciduous trees. You can find it:
- In the tundra region;
- Among the birches;
- Among the firs.
A similar specimen of the apanitaceae family grows either alone or in whole groups.
Fly agaric in a pharmacy: is it possible to hand over collected mushrooms to the state?
You won’t be able to sell fly agaric mushrooms to a pharmacy in Russia, but suppliers from the Baltic countries and Poland buy up this type of raw material. There are a sufficient number of pharmaceutical companies there that process these mushrooms, produce medicines based on them and dietary supplements.
In Russia, only those drugs that are used externally are approved for use - these are various ointments to reduce pain and inflammation in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system . Medicines are also allowed in which there are no substances from the fly agaric themselves, but their molecules are taken as the basis. These are anticonvulsants, antibiotics intended for the treatment of epilepsy, antitumor, antiparasitic, and so on.
But dietary supplements go on free sale and are not prosecuted by law. And here it’s worth saying a few words about the legality of collecting and using fly agarics: so in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation at the moment (this is especially worth noting) there is not a word about the ban on the collection, storage, procurement, cultivation, and sale of fly agarics . There is not a word about the criminally punishable amount of ibotenic acid or muscimol, which are the main substances in almost any mushroom of this species, based on the weight of fly agarics.
Psilocybe
Prohibited and equated to narcotic and potent substances. What can I say: even the lophophora cactus cannot be grown on a window, on a windowsill. You may well get twenty years in prison for him, and it doesn’t matter that there are no psychoactive substances in there - he won’t have enough sun for that.
In the meantime, there is no need to worry about fly agarics, although the mushroom has all the prerequisites for a ban on collection and use. It must be said that there is a huge amount of substances called psychoactives in it. Regarding addiction to them: it does occur, but not physiologically, like with other drugs, but psychologically.
So, at least grow fly agaric gardens, at the moment the law does not regulate this in any way.
Regarding dietary supplements: for their production only fly agaric is used and no other. This dietary supplement consists of capsules filled with dry powder from specially processed and processed mushroom caps. In terms of quantity, one capsule contains no more than 0.3 grams.
Recently, manufacturers of this fly agaric dietary supplement have also appeared in our country; it is possible that they have begun or will be purchasing mushrooms for subsequent processing from the population.
When do fly agarics grow and where?
Many people who are in any way connected with both conventional and alternative medicine are interested in the question of when the active growth of fly agarics begins. Most curious people look for mushrooms in order to make medicines from them:
- Tinctures;
- Hoods;
- Ointments.
If someone has the opportunity to go into the forest and find fly agarics, they immediately take advantage of the opportunity and collect them themselves. Those who do not have such an opportunity can turn to special stores that sell unusual mushrooms.
If we talk about the growth of fly agarics, it begins somewhere at the end of July. As soon as cold dew appears on the grass, and the middle of summer has come to its logical end, fly agarics begin to crawl out of the ground. This usually coincides with the growing season for edible mushrooms.
It very rarely happens that poisonous specimens begin to grow in early June. They were recorded in 2015-2016. It is worth mentioning separately about panther fly agarics, the active growth of which begins in early July. Panther fly agarics are easily confused with their cousins, the gray-pink fly agarics. And in the first days of their appearance, you may wonder how to distinguish fly agarics from each other, especially since they grow at the same time.
Red fly agarics prefer to grow in birch groves, but can sometimes be found in forests filled with coniferous trees. Red fly agarics are also found in mixed forests. You can find them near swamps or near places where moss grows. We can say that this type of poisonous mushroom adapts perfectly to any habitat, and is therefore considered quite dangerous.
A thousand and one recipes
Let me make a reservation right away - we are talking only about the red fly agaric; other species in the group are almost not discussed. Most likely, because there are usually the most red fly agarics in the forests and many recognize this mushroom only in its textbook form.
Basically, mushroom pickers make tinctures from fly agarics, which are then used to successfully relieve joint pain, osteochondrosis and other bone problems. By the way, everyone has their own recipes for saving ointments. Someone crumbles the whole mushroom into a jar and fills it with water. After everything has thoroughly infused, the resulting mass is crushed with a blender and put in the refrigerator. Then the fly agaric porridge is mixed with sour cream and applied as a compress to the sore joint or lower back.
Others use only caps, fill them not with water, but with vodka, store and infuse in a dark place, and then filter the resulting amber-red solution and smear the joints with it, without any mushroom cake. Apply it, wrap yourself in a warm scarf, and wait for relief.
Official medicine in our country recommends fly agarics and all their derivatives only for external use
Still others claim that the best fly agaric tincture will be obtained if you pour pure alcohol over the mushrooms and bury the bottle in the ground for 40 days. But personally, I decided to try a recipe suggested by another group member, who claimed that his wise grandmother had used it all her life.
“She crushed fly agarics into a dark glass bottle, closed it tightly and put it away for about a month in a dark place. During this time, the mushroom will dissolve and turn into liquid. This is the best medicine - without any of your chemical vodkas,” writes Sergei Kosach.
My bottle of fly agaric has been in the closet for two weeks now. And, to be honest, I’m not so much preparing medicine as trying to check whether the mushroom can really dissolve on its own.
Photo: Photography/iStock
When to collect fly agarics?
There are no clear dates for the start and end of the fly agaric collection season. Each year it can start at a different time, and it will depend on:
- From what kind of summer it is this year;
- From weather conditions;
- Depending on the type of fly agaric required.
If we talk about central Russia, the collection of fly agarics usually starts at the end of August and continues until the beginning of October. Fly agarics practically no longer grow in the fall, and therefore it can be quite difficult to find them.
Sometimes the season ends much earlier due to the fact that a small number of fly agaric mushrooms grow. For example, cases have been recorded when the collection of autumn fly agarics in early September, and the collection of fly agarics ended in October . Therefore, it is not written anywhere about when exactly it is necessary to go into the forest in search of poisonous specimens.
During the season, you can only collect fly agaric caps. It is important that they are darkish, round, smooth and have a large number of white inclusions. It is necessary to cut them off carefully and it is best to do this with gloves so as not to saturate the skin with poison and thus cause irritation.
As for further processing, it is necessary to cut the collected caps lengthwise and dry them for a long time. Many people are interested in how to store fly agarics ? Dried caps are stored in a closed, dark place inaccessible to children, best if it is dry.
Health for
Many members of the mushroom group are also fond of microdosing - ingesting microscopic portions of tinctures or powder from dried fly agaric mushrooms. And we are not talking about getting some unusual sensations, because it is known that fly agaric mushrooms are also hallucinogenic mushrooms, but exclusively about health. By the way, mycologists - mushroom specialists - do not deny the beneficial medicinal properties of fly agaric. “It is one of the five most medicinal mushrooms, along with chaga, fungus or lacquered polypore,” says mycologist Mikhail Vishnevsky. “It treats about 200 diseases, ranging from obesity to tuberculosis and tumors.” But you need to know how to properly prepare it for oral administration: when to pick it, to what fraction to grind it. You also need to freeze the fly agaric properly so that the ice crystals break through the cell membrane and everything useful comes out. “And you should always remember that official medicine in our country recommends fly agarics and all their derivatives only for external use,” emphasizes Vishnevsky.
By the way, he himself considers fly agaric a delicacy mushroom. He says that in order to be poisoned to death by them, you need to eat at least 10 kilograms at once. And if you boil fly agarics twice for 10-15 minutes, all the toxins will go into the water, and the mushroom will become suitable for frying or pickling. And the taste will be such that not every white person can compete with it. That’s why experienced mushroom pickers always have crispy fly agarics on their table even in the leanest year. Mikhail Vishnevsky even posted a video on the Internet where he appetizingly devoured fly agaric mushrooms prepared right in the forest.
Vishnevsky’s colleague, author of the popular science YouTube channel “Mushroom Hunter,” mycologist Dmitry Tikhomirov, does not deny the edibility of these mushrooms. “Amanitas are collected for food both here and in Europe. There, by the way, porcini mushrooms and fly agarics cost almost the same,” he says. And Europeans are very wary of mushrooms. In addition to white mushrooms and fly agarics, they also recognize chanterelles, milk mushrooms and champignons.
Why is fly agaric collected?
Despite the fact that fly agaric is considered very poisonous, the mushroom also has beneficial properties if the processing process is carried out correctly. It can be found in medicine as part of medications. The only thing worth considering is that only caps can be used to prepare various tinctures, ointments and extracts. The fact is that the fly agaric leg contains a much larger amount of toxic substance, and therefore it is highly not recommended to use it.
Thanks to the substances contained in fly agaric, you can cure:
- Gout;
- Tuberculosis;
- Cancer diseases;
- Eczema;
- Joints.
Varicose veins are also treated with fly agaric tinctures. They are used for mental disorders to improve the general condition of the central nervous system. The fungus of the apanita family has a positive effect on the skin, leading to rejuvenation. Also, with the help of fly agaric tinctures, people restore energy and treat insomnia.
Usually they prefer to consume fly agaric in the form of tinctures or various extracts. Also, with the help of mushroom-based ointments, the healing process of wounds is accelerated.
Important! In any case, if we are talking about using medicines or ointments based on fly agaric, you should definitely consult a doctor to avoid the risk of possible poisoning. Despite treatment, some amount of fly agaric poison may remain in the cap, which will lead to food poisoning.
You need to use fly agaric carefully and always remember that the mushroom is very poisonous. There are many cases where, as a result of incorrect heat treatment, people died due to toxins spreading throughout the body. At the first symptoms of poisoning, you should immediately consult a doctor.
How poisonous is Amanita muscaria?
Unfortunately, the red fly agaric is truly poisonous. Considering the range of substances contained in its composition, it can lead a person to a state of severe intoxication, cause him to have fits of anger or laughter, as well as various kinds of hallucinations. In particularly advanced situations, people felt a loss of consciousness, fell into a lethargic sleep and completely lost their memory.
Unfortunately, sometimes even deaths have been reported.
But what psychoactive effect does fly agaric have on humans?
Growing area
You can meet the red fly agaric in deciduous and coniferous forests, as well as in meadows, fields and parks. It inhabited a very large area. Distributed in all forests of Russia, with the exception of the southern regions with a dry climate. The fruiting period begins in June and ends in early November. Prefers to grow in acidic soils. Often found under forest spruce and birch trees. It most often grows in groups, but can be found singly.
