Poisonous Mushroom
Important Facts to Know about the Poisonous Mushroom
If you‘ve never been mushroom hunting, then the poisonous mushroom has probably never been an issue for you. Mushrooms are a tasty fungus, whether you are eating the button mushroom, or one of the rarer varieties. After you become more familiar with the types of mushrooms, you’ll be more comfortable selecting mushrooms to eat. It’s not something that a “newbie” should be trying.
There are over 35,000 types of mushrooms world-wide, and over three thousand of them are in North America. They vary in flavor, texture and color. And the poisonous mushroom can look pretty much like the rest, to an untrained eye.
There are actually many mushrooms that are poisonous. Some areas have desirable wild mushrooms, but it is very important that you do your research ahead of time, if you plan to gather your own wild mushrooms. Many are very poisonous, and their toxins can be life-threatening. Don’t just read an article here or there and think that will arm you with enough information to choose mushrooms that aren’t poisonous. The danger can’t be over-stated – there are many varieties of the poisonous mushroom.
If you are not well-informed about any and all types of mushrooms, don’t take a chance of picking a poisonous mushroom. Buy your mushrooms from a dealer or grower, one who knows what type of mushrooms they’re growing.
A person can’t eat a wild and edible mushroom without learning about the poisonous mushroom as well. They are very common, and they are very dangerous. The poisonous varieties often resemble the edible varieties, too. Of the many thousands of wild mushrooms that grow in North America, at least two hundred fifty are toxic, to one degree or another, but all significantly.
The most dangerous poisonous mushroom, by a wide margin, is the Galerina mushroom. This causes more deaths in North America and around the world than all the other wild toxic mushrooms combined.
Symptoms do not occur until about six to twenty-four hours after you have consumed the mushrooms. In this period of time, the toxins can be completely absorbed by your body. In addition, the symptoms are much like the stomach flu, including diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. By the time you realize it’s not an influenza-type disease, it may well be already too late. After those symptoms ease, you may be thinking that you’re out of the woods. This period ends, and then the kidneys and liver begin failing. You may slip into a coma, and end up with permanent kidney or liver damage, or you may succumb and die.
It’s not worth the risk. If you don’t know a poisonous mushroom from an edible and non-toxic one, then buy from a grower or grocer who does.