Death by Mushroom - Myths and Facts About Mushroom Poisoning

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There are many folklore myths about poisonous mushrooms, which unfortunately are not true. Although folklore often comes from a grain of truth, these cannot be relied upon if you wish to avoid mushroom poisoning! Myths include:

Myth:
Poisonous mushrooms taste bad.
Truth:
Even Death Caps taste quite good.

Myth:
Insects and animals always avoid poisonous mushrooms.
Truth:
While some animals do avoid what is poisonous, this rule cannot be relied upon!

Myth:
Poisonous mushrooms blacken silver.
Truth:
None of the 32 poisonous mushroom species have any effect on silver.

Myth:
The poisonous mushrooms are the brightly colored ones.
Truth:
Highly poisonous mushrooms including the Death Cap and Avenging Angel can be innocently white.

Myth:
Any mushroom can be safely eaten are cooking/boiling/pickling (etc).
Truth:
No method of food preparation will render all poisonous mushrooms safe

Myth:
Poisonous mushrooms turn rice red.
Truth:
Poisonous mushrooms have no effect on the color of rice.

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The appropriately named Death Cap mushroom is the cause of 90% of death by mushroom, both in the US and Europe. Just eating one to three mushrooms can cause symptoms, and in 20-30% of cases, it is fatal (in children under 10, the mortality rate is 50%).

Amanita phalloides has a metallic green-brown cap with white gills under the cap. The stem is white and there is a swelling at the base of the stem. However, there is also a completely white strain, which can resemble other non-toxic mushrooms.

Amanita mushrooms contain amatoxins, which stop DNA from replicating, preventing production of new body cells. This causes severe problems, as the gut, liver, kidneys and immune system rely on constant manufacture of new cells. There are three stages of poisoning:

Stage 1: Pain, vomiting and diarrhoea start as soon as 6 hours after eating Death Caps. This leads to dehydration and a fall in blood pressure.

Stage 2: For 1-2 days, the patient appears to have recovered. However, the kidneys and liver are being damaged, and the 'recovery' is an illusion.

Stage 3: The liver and kidneys fail, leading to death within 2-3 weeks. The patient may slowly recover if they only ate a small dose of Death Cap.

Poisoning by Death Cap mushrooms can be confirmed by analysis of the blood, urine or stomach contents. It can only be treated by attempts to remove the toxin from the body, such as by stomach pumping, inducing vomiting, ingestion of activated charcoal to absorb toxins, or blood dialysis. There is no antidote. Rapid medical attention is therefore essential for anyone suspecting that they have been poisoned by Amanita mushrooms.

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Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, or Claudius I, was born in A.D. 10 and ruled the Roman Empire from A.D. 41 until his death in A.D. 54. Although his reign was successful and he oversaw the conquest of Britain, he was consistently seen as vulnerable and had to consolidate his position. Many senators died during Claudius' reign.

Some historians say that Claudius died after a single dose of poisonous mushrooms, while others say that he was poisoned, recovered and then was poisoned again.

Although accounts vary, historians agree that he was murdered and that his wife Agrippina is the most likely culprit. Agrippina was Claudius' fourth wife, and was probably chosen for political reasons. She was Claudius' niece and one of the last descendants of the legendary Augustus. She also had an adult son (Nero), who would provide an heir if needed, as Claudius' only son Brittanicus was still a boy. Their marriage would also end feuding between the Claudian and Julian families. Nero and Brittanicus were made joint heirs.

In the months before Claudius' death, his relationship with Agrippina deteriorated, and Claudius spoke of restoring Brittanicus to be the sole heir. Agrippina had motive to kill Claudius to protect Nero's inheritance. Although some think that Claudius died of natural causes, the consistent reports of murder and the clear motive for Agrippina make it likely that he was indeed murdered.

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