Amanita muscaria - description of where it grows, poisonous mushroom

Amanita muscaria is an agaric mushroom known to almost every inhabitant with a hat of a characteristic red color, decorated with white specks. This mushroom is considered poisonous (average level) and has a considerable amount of useful properties, due to which it is widely used as a medicine used in medicine and cosmetology. Amanita muscaria belongs to the Amanitaceae family.

Description of the species, distribution

Amanita muscaria - a fairly poisonous mushroom belonging to the lamellar species, has a fairly powerful and long leg. Note that, as a rule, at the beginning of its development, the leg of the fungus and its fruit body are enclosed in a common cover.

The red hat of the fly agaric is characterized by high meatiness, reaches a diameter of 200 mm. In newly emerged fungi, this part has a spherical shape, with growth it becomes flat-convex. The peel of the hat varies from bright orange to red (it becomes lighter with age). The edge of the fly agaric hat can be either ribbed or absolutely smooth. Most of the surface of the cap is dotted with specks (growths of white or yellowish hue). As a rule, young fungi rarely have no data characteristic of this species, white growths; in old plants, the speck is often washed off during precipitation.

The fly agaric plate tissue varies from light yellow to a rich yellow hue, in addition, another feature of the plant is that the older it is, the more saturated the color of the plates. The pulp is soft, almost no smell. Amanita spores of regular shape (ellipse, cylinder), white.

The white leg of the mushroom also has the correct cylinder shape, length up to 200 mm, diameter up to 35 mm, the base is tuberous, covered with rows of white growths, has a characteristic bright ring.

Most often, this type of mushroom is found in mixed forests with a temperate climate. It grows both singly and in groups, the season is summer, autumn.

Mushroom harvesting features

To prepare the powder from the mushrooms, the hats are pre-dried and then carefully ground. It is best to store dried fly agaric in tightly closed, dark glass containers.

Chemical properties and composition

Although the chemical composition of the poisonous mushroom has been little studied to date, it has been found that it contains a lot of alkaloids, mushroom tropintoxin, choline, betanine, enzymes, muscimol and the pigment muscarufin, which in fact is responsible for brightly red color of the cap of the mushroom, as well as other components.

Pharmacological features and properties

The fungus has quite pronounced hallucinogenic properties, which is caused by the presence in its composition of some toxic constituents (ibotenic acid, muscimol and an alkaloid such as muscarine).Note that the effect of muscarine on the human body is characterized by such symptoms as: narrowing of the pupils, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, respiratory depression, general deterioration. The amount of such a component as muscarine contained in 3 kilograms of poisonous mushrooms of this species is considered fatally dangerous for any person.

Atropine is used as an antidote for muscarin poisoning, the main task of which is to normalize the work of the heart.

Application features

Red fly agaric has long been used in folk medicine, its unique properties help to cope with many diseases. Healers prepare various medicinal tinctures and ointments from natural raw materials. One of the main properties of red mushroom is an effective stimulation of the immune system. Also, fly agarics are often used to effectively combat helminths.

The most popular in folk medicine is tincture prepared using these dangerous mushrooms for humans, mainly intended for the treatment of rheumatic pains and various abscesses, the inflammatory process of the sciatic nerve, and relief from an ailment such as osteochondrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and radiculitis.

Poisonous fly agaric is also used to treat diseases of the nervous system and paralysis. The positive properties of the fungus are also widely known in the fight against cancer. It is believed that this gift of mother nature will help to cope with cancer, especially at an early stage of development. Due to the effective reduction of both the tumor itself and the removal of pain sensations characteristic of cancer.

What to consider when using mushrooms

I would like to note that poisoning with this type of poisonous mushrooms in their pure form is, as a rule, very rare. At the same time, small mushroom pickers, who remained without parental supervision while in the forest, mainly suffer from this.

Also, Amanita mushrooms often occur during various manipulations with natural raw materials when using at home a variety of methods and recipes offered by traditional medicine. This is often associated with the use of external alcohol tinctures for the treatment of affected joints of the limbs.

Due to the rapid absorption of alcohol tincture into the skin, a person already after a fairly short period of time feels a euphoric mood. This is due to the defeat of the parasympathetic system, as a result of which the patient can feel better due to a decrease in pain symptoms. The most dangerous in this case is the loss of valuable time that could be spent on real treatment of the disease through the methods of traditional medicine.

Interesting facts about fly agaric, historical background

1. Some data from scholars of shamanologists indicate that references to the fly agaric with a red hat came to us from ancient Indian mythology. It was from this mushroom that such a famous drink in history - “catfish” was prepared.
2. The ancient aborigines of northern Europe knew about the narcotic effect of red mushroom on a living organism, observing the animals eating these mushrooms. As a result of taking these poisonous mushrooms, a person may experience sensations of a change in his consciousness, hallucinations (both hearing and vision suffer). Due to a sufficiently powerful poisoning, a person usually falls into a heavy narcotic sleep.
3. Even the ancient Vikings, before important battles, using several pieces of red fly agaric, because of which the warriors became clouded, their fear was dulled and the pain from the wounds received was not felt, they fought selflessly and defeated their enemies no matter what.
4. Many manuscripts of past centuries describe cultures that have almost disappeared from the face of the earth, using these poisonous mushrooms to carry out their rituals (Indians, Kamchadals, Sami, Koryak, and many others). As a rule, rituals were associated with this, which allowed them to enter the afterlife to communicate with their deceased relatives.
5. Along with the narcotic effects of fly agaric on the body, many also noted their healing properties due to observation of animals that ate these mushrooms in small quantities to treat their ailments. Note that even Paracelsus used in his medical practice this rather poisonous mushroom for the prevention of such ailments as diabetes and tuberculosis.
6. It is known that many toxic alkaloids, due to careful heat treatment, lose their negative effects on the human body, due to which they are used in food in some countries of Asia, Europe and North America.
7. As many know, Amanita is the Latin name for the mushroom, which he received at the expense of his place of distribution. Mount Amanon was previously famous for its large abundance of diverse vegetation, including mushrooms.
8. The Russian name for the poisonous mushroom is closely related to its unique insecticidal characteristics: it copes with the extermination of such annoying insects as flies. To do this, a special sweet syrup was made with the addition of pieces of mushroom, which effectively affects insects (the latter quickly die from such poison).

The positive properties of these fungi in a field such as cosmetology are also widely known. Specially made extracts practically do not contain harmful toxic components, but have a very valuable complex of antioxidants and enzymes, characterized by high bio-activity. The use of such funds helps to increase the elasticity of the skin, even out tone and its surface. In addition, it is an excellent natural stimulator of the natural processes responsible for the regeneration and renewal of cells.

Video: how to make tincture of fly agaric