Dangers of the Amanita Phalloides
Subtle and equivocal, the "Amanita phalloides it is the progenitor of highly deadly poisonous mushrooms: its ingestion causes severe poisoning syndromes, with a fatal outcome in the vast majority of cases (death in 70-80%). Amanita phalloides causes death even after ingesting half of it. mushroom cap: in this regard, in similar situations, it can be said that the maxim of Paracelsus ("it is the dose that makes the poison") Does not find valid practical confirmation.
Synonyms
In common jargon, the Amanita phalloides is known by the most disparate names: angel of death, bastard ovolo, Agaricus phalloides, Tignosa verdognola and Tignusa morteada. The name of the species (phalloides) consists of two Greek words: phallòs (do it) ed eîdos (shape), a name that is perfectly suited to the mushroom, given the characteristic phallic conformation of the stem.
Botanical description
The very dangerous Amanita phalloides is a mushroom with a thousand shapes; in any case, it has specific characteristics, listed below:
- The hat has a bell-shaped or conical shape, sometimes hemispherical, varying in color from gray to yellowish, and from brownish to white. Generally, the color of the mushroom fades with increasingly lighter shades from the center to the edge. The diameter of the hat varies from 4 to 15 cm and can be shiny or viscous depending on the humidity.
- The phallic stem of Amanita phalloides, which tends to widen as it goes downwards, appears with very particular whitish or greenish streaks, comparable to snake skin. The stem of Amanita phalloides is full when young, and hollow in the old mushroom, but always bulbous at the base.
- The lamellae of the mushroom are very dense and uneven, free at the stem.
- The ring, located in the pre-apical area, is white, and wraps the stem like a handkerchief: in the mature mushroom, the ring tends to fall.
The flesh of Amanita phalloides is markedly fibrous, white and firm. When raw, the odor is nil, sometimes accentuated by notes of dried rose or urine; the soggy mushroom, on the other hand, gives off a very unpleasant and fetid odor, similar to ammonia.
The angel of death grows easily in leafy woods, near oaks and conifers, especially in the summer and autumn months.
Toxic chemical components
The toxicity of Amanita phalloides is due to two chemical constituents: amantines and phalloidins. Amantines (alpha and beta) are cyclic peptides responsible for the selective blocking of the Rna-polymerase enzyme: the average lethal dose (LD50) of amantines is 0.1 mg / kg [taken from Reasoned dictionary of herbal medicine and phytotherapy, by A. Bruni, M. Nicoletti]; phalloidins, mycotoxins with a peptide cycle structure are responsible for liver and gastrointestinal damage, caused by the inhibition of DNA transcription in liver cells. [taken from wikipedia /]
The heat treatment does not kill toxins: they are, in fact, thermostable substances, therefore also resistant to cooking.
Phalloid poisoning syndrome
In 70-80% of cases, the fungus causes death: it is estimated that one milligram per kilo of body weight is sufficient to cause irreversible damage to the liver. The first symptoms are felt only after 6-12 hours from the taking of the mushroom, other times the signs of poisoning can appear even after 40 hours. incubation of the toxin is called the “latency phase”, a period in which the poisonous molecule remains latent in the organism. It is precisely the long "waiting" interval before the manifestation of symptoms that complicates the clinical picture, which is very negatively affected by the lack of timely intervention.
After 12-40 hours, the first gastrointestinal disorders begin, characterized mainly by uncontrollable vomiting, excessive sweating, diarrhea and severe abdominal pain (gastrointestinal phase). At this stage, serious complications are possible - as well as probable - such as dehydration associated with hypovolaemia, acute renal failure, and sometimes death.
The third phase (hepatic) records an exaggerated increase in transaminase and bilirubin, with possible internal bleeding.
The phase preceding death (severe hepatic insufficiency), occurs 4-5 days after taking Amanita phalloides, and is characterized by very low values of prothrombin activity and hepatic necrosis, hepatic coma, generally associated with respiratory insufficiency, coagulopathy , convulsions and respiratory failure.
Remedies for poisoning
When Amanita phalloides intoxication is diagnosed promptly (which is rather difficult, as symptoms appear after many hours), the subject's death can be averted. However, even if the patient survives Amanita phalloides poisoning. , in all likelihood you will have to undergo liver transplantation and / or dialysis.
Timely intervention includes gastric lavage - in order to remove traces of toxin from the stomach and intestines - administration of activated carbon, capable of absorbing poisonous molecules, forced diuresis, hemodialysis, plasmapheresis. Probably, some substances such as thioctic acid, silymarin and acubin are possible antidotes, to be administered, clearly, in the shortest possible time after taking Amanita phalloides.
Amanita phalloides: how to recognize it
To identify and ascertain that you have collected Amanita phalloides, there is a rather simple method: after having crushed a fragment of mushroom in a sheet of newsprint, drop a few drops of muriatic acid on the left footprint, paying attention to mark with a pencil the contour before the moisture left by the mushroom dries up. The formation of a bluish halo after 5-10 minutes is a sign of the presence of amatoxin: by doing so, it will be confirmed that that mushroom is precisely the very poisonous Amanita phalloides.
Amanita phalloides summary "
