Amatoxins
The mushrooms containing amatoxins--including the Destroying Angel, the Death Cap, and Galerina marginata--are among of the deadliest mushrooms on the planet, containing enough poison to kill you with a few bites. The toxins are called “amatoxins,” and there is no known antidote. Initial symptoms usually develop within 24 of ingestion, and include vomiting and bloody diarrhea. In many cases these symptoms are followed by a period of apparent remission, in which the victim feels better. But the remission is a cruel hoax; in the meantime, the victim's liver and kidneys are being destroyed. Death, which occurs in 10-60 percent of amatoxin cases, takes anywhere from three to seven days. Treatment is symptomatic, though medical professionals have begun to report some success with a combination of penicillin G and silibinin-—an extract from milk thistle which is currently not approved for use in the United States. See the Meixner Test for information on chemical testing for amatoxins.
Ibotenic Acid
Found in Amanita gemmata, Amanita muscaria, Amanita pantherina, and other species, ibotenic acid can produce vivid dreams, hallucinations, and delusions--but also terrible nausea and vomiting and/or, in some cases, deep sleep. Hospitalization is sometimes required.
Muscarine
Muscarine is the primary toxin found in some species of Clitocybe, Inocybe, and red-pored species of Boletus. The effects are awful, and too numerous to list comprehensively here (one mnemonic used by doctors and medical students to memorize a just few of the symptoms is SLUDGE: Salivation, Urination, Gastric Upset, and Emesis)--but profuse sweating, irregular heart rate, breathing difficulty, and bad vision deserve special mention. In severe cases hospitalization is necessary, and doctors sometimes use atropine as a treatment. Fatalities are rare, and are generally limited to victims with preexisting health problems.
Orellanin and Other Kidney Toxins
The genus Cortinarius is suspected of harboring several unidentified and potentially serious toxins, but the most serious known Cortinarius offenders are kidney toxins like orellanin, which can cause kidney failure or death. Transplants can be required, and recovery can take up to six months. Orellanin is particularly insidious in that it can take up to three or four weeks to produce symptoms.
Amanita thiersii probably contains dangerous kidney toxins that have not yet been identified.
Gyromitrin
Gyromitrin is the toxin found in some species of Gyromitra (false morels), Helvella, Otidea, and other ascomycetes in the Pezizales. The effects range from none, to vomiting and diarrhea, to kidney and liver failure, to (very rarely) death. Faced with the choice of writing many pages or a few lines about this poison and its presence in false morels, I will opt for the latter and say only this: Scientists do not know what the various North American species of Gyromitra are, whether they all contain gyromitrin, whether growing conditions or geography affect toxin levels, whether the cooking process always removes the toxin, whether there is a cumulative build-up of the toxin in individuals who eat false morels, whether this and whether that. In short, they don’t know much about gyromitrin and false morels—but neither do you or I, and we have no business eating these mushrooms. Farmer Bob and Logger John may have eaten false morels for years without ill effects, but they have probably done all kinds of other stupid things, too. For the pages-long version, see my book Morels (2005).
Unidentified Toxins and Gastrointestinal Irritants
Though the toxins in many mushrooms have not been isolated, their presence is well documented. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, usually developing within a few hours of ingestion and typically dissipating within a day or so. Serious cases can require hospitalization. Mushrooms containing these toxins include:
An unidentified and potentially fatal toxin has recently been documented in Tricholoma equestre (also known as Tricholoma flavovirens). See the linked page for further information.
"Allergic" Reactions
Some mushrooms affect some people negatively, despite the fact that others can eat the same mushrooms without troubles. For me this is the case with the Hen of the Woods, which makes me sick (nausea, diarrhea) while others can enjoy it. Polypores are notorious for affecting some people negatively, but virtually any mushroom (even Yellow Morels) can cause trouble for some. Always eat wild mushrooms in moderation--and when trying a mushroom for the first time, eat only a few bites.
References
Arora, D. (1986). Mushrooms demystified: A comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. 959 pp.
Bedry, R. et al. (2001). Wild-mushroom intoxication as a cause of rhabdomyolysis.New England Journal of Medicine 345: 798-802. An online version of this paper is available (with free registration) at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/345/11/798.pdf
eMedicine.com (2006). Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.emedicine.com
Kuo, M. (2005). Morels. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 205 pp.
Kuo, M. (2007). 100 Edible Mushrooms. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 329 pp.
North American Mycological Association (2006). Mushroom poisoning case registry. Retrieved from the University of Michigan Web site: http://www.sph.umich.edu/~kwcee/mpcr/index.htm
Cite this page as:
Kuo, M. (2006, November). Eating wild mushrooms. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/edibility.html
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