Toxic Beauty

Day 20: The Amanita family of mushrooms holds what are arguably the most beautiful but also the most deadly fungi. If not fatal within a few days of ingestion, the alkaloids contained within many varieties can be seriously deleterious to long-term health. These toxins do not break down and are stored in the liver. Although Amanitas which resemble our North American types are gathered for consumption in much of Europe, here there is a strict rule of thumb: "Do-not-eat-a Amanita." The reasons for the variance in toxicity are still under debate in the scientific community

Amanita muscaria (shown in the image) gained fame and notoriety as a hallucinogen during the Hippie Era. In many cases, the potential toxic effects of the alkaloids, ignored for the instant gratification of a "high," did not appear for years. Symptoms often begin with a patient showing evidence of jaundice and a deeper case history reveals use of hallucinogenic mushrooms forty years previous.

Mushrooms are nothing to mess around with. If you are not 105% certain that a species is edible, do not sample it and do not allow it to come into contact with known edibles in your collection basket.