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I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)

blog.mycology.cornell.edu

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

#81

Post by dmitrybrant »

I grew up in Russia, and like in many other Slavic cultures, mushroom foraging was a time-honored family affair. Some of my fondest memories are of picking mushrooms with my grandmother, who taught me all I know about identifying them. I still forage them all the time here in the States.

I'm sorry, but it continues to baffle me how someone can mistake an Amanita for a Coprinus (or Agaricus). To my eyes they're as different as a bottle of milk and a bottle of Drano. I suppose I can see how very young specimens of Amanita can resemble other varieties, but then you can follow a simple rule: if it looks remotely like a baby Amanita... don't take it! There are plenty of other mushrooms that are virtually unmistakable.

And then the idea of not double-checking what you foraged before cooking and eating it? That's... unconscionable. I've been foraging for 30+ years, and I still examine each individual specimen before putting it in the pot.

It's a shame because these kinds of stories create unnecessary fear in Americans about picking things from the wild, when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.

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

#82

Post by tzs »

Alex3917 wrote: post #60
cbhl wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you touch it and then lick your fingers?

At least in the U.S. and Canada, there are no mushrooms where if a healthy adult nibbles on them to taste them and then spits them out, they will be anywhere close to the LD50. You might still get some minor liver damage or whatever, but not enough to kill you. This is as opposed to plants, where people have died just from putting water hemlock twigs in their mouths to play with. There are a bunch of similar-looking…

> At least in the U.S. and Canada, there are no mushrooms where if a healthy adult nibbles on them to taste them and then spits them out, they will be anywhere close to the LD50

LD50 is the dose that kills 50% of a test population. I don't think I'd try something if the only assurance I had that it was safe is that it is not anywhere near LD50.

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

#83

Post by klipt »

linuskendall wrote: post #50
hcarvalhoalves wrote: post #45

> I found out that of three people admitted in 2006 to Strong Memorial with Amanita poisoning (...) Three people poisoning themselves in the span of one year in a particular region sounds like a lot .

Where I am from (Sweden) many, many people make mushroom picking a regular habit. However, most who do are aware of what mushrooms are safe, which ones to take extra care in identifying (definitely all white ones) and which ones to never pick. Wild mushrooms are perfectly safe as long as you have some knowledge about it. We were taught by parents and on school trips.

Provided you don't assume that knowledge that works in Sweden works anywhere else in the world.

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

#84

Post by gatherhunterer »

jimueller wrote: post #71

Sorry, but this is just so irresponsible. I'm sure I'll be corrected, but it almost needlessly resulted in taking a liver away from someone that needed it not as a result of their own stupidity. Oh, and then while in an emergency room on the brink of death questions why the alternative medicine some friend found online was never used.

The ending almost reads like satire. He was picturing a happy, smiling liver and wonders whether it was that positive visualization or the massive doses of penicillin that did the trick? It’s like something from the Onion.

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

#85

Post by Alex3917 »

tzs wrote: post #82
Alex3917 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in the U.S. and Canada, there are no mushrooms where if a healthy adult nibbles on them to taste them and then spits them out, they will be anywhere close to the LD50. You might still get some minor liver damage or whatever, but not enough to kill you. This is as opposed to plants, where people have died just from putting water hemlock twigs in their mouths to play with. There are a bunch of similar-looking…

> At least in the U.S. and Canada, there are no mushrooms where if a healthy adult nibbles on them to taste them and then spits them out, they will be anywhere close to the LD50 LD50 is the dose that kills 50% of a test population. I don't think I'd try something if the only assurance I had that it was safe is that it is not anywhere near LD50.

> I don't think I'd try something if the only assurance I had that it was safe is that it is not anywhere near LD50.

Ever drink coffee or alcohol?

Keep in mind I'm definitely not saying it's safe, only that you're not going to die from acute toxicity.

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

#86

Post by forgotmypw3 »

nlh wrote: post #76

Can someone give me a quick explainer on why it’s appealing to pick & eat ANY mushrooms in the wild at all? I’m probably just a dumb “city kid”, but I don’t see the appeal whatsoever. I’d love to get some perspective on why folks enjoy this.

They're really tasty and good for you. There's also a deep primal satisfaction from eating something directly from the wild earth. It's also a long-standing tradition in many cultures.

If you know what you're doing and are very careful and cautious, it is a pretty low-risk activity.

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

#87

Post by semi-extrinsic »

kwasson wrote: post #37
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_...

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...

Wow, that thing just screams "I'm dangerous, don't eat me!"

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

#88

Post by barbs »

AceJohnny2 wrote: post #26

For a more positive outlook on why people get enthusiastic about mushrooms, I recommend the amazing book "All That The Rain Promises And More...", which has probably the best cover of a non-fiction book I've ever seen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_the_Rain_Promises_and... .

The link is missing a period at the end (should be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_That_the_Rain_Promises_and...)

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

#89

Post by Alex3917 »

dmitrybrant wrote: post #81

I grew up in Russia, and like in many other Slavic cultures, mushroom foraging was a time-honored family affair. Some of my fondest memories are of picking mushrooms with my grandmother, who taught me all I know about identifying them. I still forage them all the time here in the States. I'm sorry, but it continues to baffle me how someone can mistake an Amanita for a Coprinus (or Agaricus). To my eyes they're as dif…

> It's a shame because these kinds of stories create unnecessary fear in Americans about picking things from the wild, when there are so many great tastes and experiences right there at your fingertips.

To be fair, until we have better tools to diagnose and treat the tick-borne illnesses that are prevalent in the US, it still isn't the safest hobby. This year I finally got sick of worrying about Powassan virus et al. so largely gave up spending time in the woods and just bought a road bike for outdoor time instead.

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

#90

Post by Enginerrrd »

gatherhunterer wrote: post #84
jimueller wrote: post #71

Sorry, but this is just so irresponsible. I'm sure I'll be corrected, but it almost needlessly resulted in taking a liver away from someone that needed it not as a result of their own stupidity. Oh, and then while in an emergency room on the brink of death questions why the alternative medicine some friend found online was never used.

The ending almost reads like satire. He was picturing a happy, smiling liver and wonders whether it was that positive visualization or the massive doses of penicillin that did the trick? It’s like something from the Onion.

To be fair, I've watched a lot of people on the brink of death. (I was a paramedic for a time.) You could often tell the ones that would die despite very similar presentation to one's that would live. The difference was the ones that would live had fight in their eyes. You see that too with folks waiting for a loved one to get there before they die. They can push it back for hours or even days if they've got the fight to do it. They even teach that to rescuers in search and rescue: often people that have hung in for days fighting to survive see their rescue and then they relax and start going downhill fast.

Long story short, there definitely is something to your mental game in a situation like this.

It's a smaller effect than the others, but it's there.

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