As told by magic mushroom users, there is no plausible way to identify which is edible and poisonous. Because of that, users find it difficult to know what they should consume and what they should not. To understand the distinguishable variety is through having a mycologist diagnose your well-picked mushroom. Still, mycologist or mushroom experts aren’t as available as other medical professionals. As a result, magic mushroom poisoning rises. The best way to prevent consuming a poisonous magic mushroom is by keeping yourself from eating it, due to your unsure stance. Besides, you can always buy from supermarkets and other reputable stores to ensure that what you’re eating is a certified edible mushroom.
What You Need to Know About Magic Mushroom
Some countries eat poisonous fungi on a specific time day, especially during autumn. Of the most commonly eaten mushroom is the yellow staining or Agaricus xanthodermus. One of the reasons it is frequently mistaken is its close appearance with field mushrooms and cultivated mushrooms with the scientific names of Agaricus campestris and Agaricus bisporus. Because of the disturbing similarity with the edible mushrooms, some shroomers (the name for growers of mushroom) often find it in their homes. Aside from that, there are also deathly poisonous mushrooms like the death cap. From what the name suggests, it could be fatally dangerous where the symptoms are already unbearable.
If your primary intention is to ingest a mushroom to experience heady impacts that will slightly intoxicate you, you will most likely face the poisonous ones because the appearance is quite close to each other. There’s no doubt that you will undergo such circumstances. To fully understand magic mushroom poisoning, let’s know what drives the said poison to give you harmful impacts, the symptoms you will experience, and the suggested treatment by experts.
What Causes Magic Mushroom Poisoning?
Wild mushroom scavenging is not a considerable way to experience trippy magic mushroom effects because although there are thousands of species of shrooms, hundreds of them bear the same features. What you thought was a safe mushroom can turn out to be a dicey one. Those toxic mushrooms can cause health problems and arouse severe illnesses like organ failure and death. Perhaps, as a newbie, you will have to leave the mushroom hunting for those who are highly knowledgeable about distinguishing attributions. Mushrooms can do such a thing due to the toxins existing in the subordinating metabolites the fungus produces. Though mistaken identity serves as one of the most prominent causes, other toxins are at fault. There live mushrooms that, if eaten raw, will upset the gastrointestinal, hence, why people are experiencing gastrointestinal irritants. To provide a solution, it is suggested that consumers should thoroughly cook it before consumption. One example is the morels, specifically the Gyromitra spp, or called as false morels. The contents of the said mushrooms have gyromitrin, responsible for neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and severe damage to the blood cells.
One of the most unusual toxins present in shrooms is called coprine. It is entirely harmless, but if you happen to ingest alcohol, it could lead to palpitations, erratic heartbeat, and irregular breathing. So, it would be best not to affiliate those mushrooms with coprine with alcohol. There’s also one common poisonous mushroom named Paxillus involutus that attacks red blood cells and, in result, will weaken the immune system, which will eventually lead to death. The discovery became existent with the death of a German mycologist. Moreover, the Pleurocybella porrigens, also known as “angel’s wings,’ are responsible for the end of thirteen individuals in 2004. Despite its category belonging in the edible ones, what they failed to now is that it can cause acute brain disorder, especially when the consumer possesses underlying diseases.
Though it’s confirmed that mistaken identity and toxins are the most common causes, there are also cases associated with rye. For starters, cereal is a type of grain that you can eat in pieces of bread. Some mushrooms occupy and grow on grass, namely Claviceps purpurea. Consumers won’t notice the said mushroom and, when consumed, can cause fatal effects, which defines the word “ergotism.” There are also minimal circumstances that connect to unusual reactions to fungi that are not toxic, such as allergies and another kind of sensitivity. On the brighter side, it won’t be as deadly as the rest of the causes.
In conclusion, there are approximately four magic mushroom poisoning causes, mistaken identity due to similar features, intentional use yet failing to conceptualize the toxins that it could bring, mushrooms that grow in the rye that will become unnoticed, and allergic reactions.
What are the Main Symptoms that You Will Experience from Poisonous Mushrooms?
As of now, there are only three confirmed primary impacts of poisonous mushrooms. We will be ranking it from least to most dangerous. Upon poisonous mushrooms, you can suffer from hallucinations. Some toxins release Psilocybin that will stimulate delusional perceptions and utter confusion at a continuous rate, weak coordination, headache, agitating stress, and rapid heartbeat. Next, you will experience gastrointestinal irritation, which is the most common symptom. It will go along with nausea, vomiting, cramps, and persistent diarrhea. Then, there are the most fatal and deadly ones. You could suffer from organ failure and death. Most of the cases are related to death cap mushrooms or Amanita phalloides. The symptoms may look as if you will only suffer from gastro internal illness, but within 48 hours, the toxin will gradually attack organs and lead to death.
Conclusion
On the other side, you can still consume magic mushrooms and won’t feel the grave toxins in your system. Meaning, there exists fungi that contain low to none toxic compounds. Ingesting those shrooms won’t cause severe adversities. But, if you happen to be at the brink of harmful outcomes, due to eating a mushroom with high mortality, there are chances that you can still survive. In the case of organ failure, you can undergo an organ transplant. If the case is lighter than expected, it would be best to admit yourself to the nearest hospital, where practitioners will most likely give you aggressive therapy. Note that it is also essential to know if you allowed a poisonous mushroom in your system to alert the medical staff to assist you because you could run out of time.
