Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

blog.mycology.cornell.edu

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 192 posts

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#31

Post by somehnguy »

jpuderer wrote: post #9
ayakura wrote: post #2

When I was younger, I was taught not to pick up or eat colorful mushrooms - the more colors they had, the deadlier they were, supposedly. At the time, I thought it made sense as the same rule applied for poisonous frogs. After reading the article and looking at Wikipedia's list of deadly fungus species, I'm not so sure if that rule also applies to mushrooms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadly_fungus_species

A surprising number of people seem to think that. No correlation AFAICT. Some of the best mushrooms are colorful (eg. chanterelles).

Chanterelles are great because there are only 2 other mushrooms that are even close in resemblance and neither of them is particularly poisonous. One just tastes bad and the other will cause a stomach ache. They're also very easy to tell apart from the real deal even for a novice like me.

Harvested and ate a bunch a few weekends ago with a buddy. Delicious.

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#32

Post by cm2012 »

daveslash wrote: post #13

I grew up deep in the woods. Like any good mother, mine was a little over-protective; I was instructed to not even touch any mushrooms (or other fungus). Period. But if I did touch them, to wash my hands as soon as possible. To this day, I generally leave them alone. If I do pick one up while on a hike, I'll generally wash my hands with whatever drinking water I have on me.

No mushroom exists in the world that can poison you through touching it. Even licking. Your body has to digest it.

Edit: I'm currently at -5 but this is a fact.

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect17a.htm

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/studying.html#odortaste

https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/2ps3q5/are_there_...

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#33

Post by anyfoo »

m463 wrote: post #25
anyfoo wrote: post #8

Huh: "I mistook them for inky caps [...] even though I spotted an Amanita nearby [...] I should have been more suspicious as mushrooms do grow in colonies." "I couldn’t find my Mushroom book, was in a hurry, so I trusted my judgment, fried them up in olive oil, and ate them as a side dish." "I should have recognized then that they weren’t inky caps, because inky caps exude a black substance when you fry them." "At th…

Actually, it looks like a common sort of decision tree that a normal person goes through when they have a medical problem. And it is the same sort of decision tree people go through when nothing is wrong. How many times have you heard a friend say "my heart behaves strangely sometimes". Sometimes I have heartburn, or sweat more that expected and I wonder...

So when you have unexpected heartburn or excessive sweating, is that also after you picked a mushroom that you knew (or thought) looked similar to a very, very deadly one, with more than one indication that the one you ate was likely not the harmless one you mistook it for?

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#34

Post by cbhl »

cm2012 wrote: post #32
daveslash wrote: post #13

I grew up deep in the woods. Like any good mother, mine was a little over-protective; I was instructed to not even touch any mushrooms (or other fungus). Period. But if I did touch them, to wash my hands as soon as possible. To this day, I generally leave them alone. If I do pick one up while on a hike, I'll generally wash my hands with whatever drinking water I have on me.

No mushroom exists in the world that can poison you through touching it. Even licking. Your body has to digest it. Edit: I'm currently at -5 but this is a fact. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect17a.htm http://www.mushroomexpert.com/studying.html#odortaste https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/2ps3q5/are_there_...

Even if you touch it and then lick your fingers?

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#35

Post by callmekit »

arkades wrote: post #10
anyfoo wrote: post #8

Huh: "I mistook them for inky caps [...] even though I spotted an Amanita nearby [...] I should have been more suspicious as mushrooms do grow in colonies." "I couldn’t find my Mushroom book, was in a hurry, so I trusted my judgment, fried them up in olive oil, and ate them as a side dish." "I should have recognized then that they weren’t inky caps, because inky caps exude a black substance when you fry them." "At th…

I found interesting that he closes his post with an excerpt about how safe mushroom picking is, and how adverse outcomes only happen to ignorant fools who know nothing about mushrooms and don’t bother learning. In an article that opens with “here is a list of things I know and books I read, and here’s how I poisoned myself anyway.”

Mistaking Amanita virosa for inky caps is like mistaking a grapefruit for a pear. I don't understand how you can make this mistake if you have even minimal mushroom foraging experience.

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#36

Post by cm2012 »

cbhl wrote: post #34
cm2012 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No mushroom exists in the world that can poison you through touching it. Even licking. Your body has to digest it. Edit: I'm currently at -5 but this is a fact. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect17a.htm http://www.mushroomexpert.com/studying.html#odortaste https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/2ps3q5/are_there_...

Even if you touch it and then lick your fingers?

Yes, even if.

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#37

Post by kwasson »

cm2012 wrote: post #32
daveslash wrote: post #13

I grew up deep in the woods. Like any good mother, mine was a little over-protective; I was instructed to not even touch any mushrooms (or other fungus). Period. But if I did touch them, to wash my hands as soon as possible. To this day, I generally leave them alone. If I do pick one up while on a hike, I'll generally wash my hands with whatever drinking water I have on me.

No mushroom exists in the world that can poison you through touching it. Even licking. Your body has to digest it. Edit: I'm currently at -5 but this is a fact. http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect17a.htm http://www.mushroomexpert.com/studying.html#odortaste https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/comments/2ps3q5/are_there_...

There is one mushroom called the Poison Fire Coral that can poison through touch. It just made the news rounds for being found for the first time in North Queensland.

https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2019/october/deadly-fun...

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#38

Post by catalogia »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #18
catalogia wrote: post #6

> "With early diagnosis, another experimental treatment includes massive doses of penicillin to stimulate the liver’s defenses." The solution to fungus is... more fungus! Really goes to show the incredible breadth of this form of life.

How so? This is pretty much the same idea as an Irish petty king inviting in some Norman troops to show the other petty kings who's boss. (It turned out to be the Normans, of course.) Penicillin works by killing other similar things.

Some mushrooms kill you, others save your life, and yet others expand your mind. It's subjective, but I consider it incredible.

Re: I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

#39

Post by whyenot »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #18
catalogia wrote: post #6

> "With early diagnosis, another experimental treatment includes massive doses of penicillin to stimulate the liver’s defenses." The solution to fungus is... more fungus! Really goes to show the incredible breadth of this form of life.

How so? This is pretty much the same idea as an Irish petty king inviting in some Norman troops to show the other petty kings who's boss. (It turned out to be the Normans, of course.) Penicillin works by killing other similar things.

> Penicillin works by killing other similar things

Pencillin is an antibiotic derived from fungi (Penicillium spp.). It kills bacteria. Bacteria and fungi are in two different kingdoms on the tree of life. These two groups of organisms are just about as dissimilar from each other as any two living things can be.

Post reply on HN