Do not eat the deathcap

A friend of mine picked mushrooms with blue underneath- is it true these are the “magic” variety?

Apparently if you eat milk thistle within a few hours or so it can totally reverse the effect of the death cap. Read that on the net somewhere a while ago so must be true.

On another note when last in Canberra early Dec on a stroll through leafy O’Connor I came across a nice patch of magic mushrooms near the back of the Bowlo.

Free deathcaps to heroin addicts

Apart from being a public servant, I can tell you that for the canberra climate this is text to read, and/or purchase as it has all the pretty pictures;
Grgurinovic, Cheryl and Katy Mallett (1996). Fungi of Australia. Volume 1A. Introduction — Classification. Canberra, Australia: Australian Biological Resources Study. 413p.

“i think from memory that the key difference is …”

And there in lies the hazard of picking wild mushies and daring to eat them. Pink gills? White gills? Brown gills? Dome shape? Cone shape?

Can’t imagine a good stomach pumping session or 5 is worth saving the pittance that mushies cost to buy from the shop anyway.

But if fresh from your garden is what you desire, buy a load of mushroom compost for your raised-bed vege garden – then you will know everything that comes up came from a mushie farm so is OK.

There are signs around Commonwealth Park about death caps there too, BTW.

Typos are human, grammar is neglectful.

It’s the web; we care not for typos.

(Poor grammar on the other hand is a capital crime)

Oops, Hospital. One day I’ll remember to proof before posting.

I know there were a 2 cases in Canberra on NYE of people eating the deathcap and ending up in ICU at Canberra Hposital. One is now in Sydney awaiting a (liver I think) transplant and the other is now out of ICU. Not a smart thing to do (they were both science teachers apparently)

Pilfered from two sources, Wikipedia ?-Amanitin and stragely, Erowid.
T= 0 (Ingestion): No symptoms.
T = 10hrs – 24hrs: Initial symptoms of diarrhea and cramping, possible vomiting. After this stage stomach pumping is ineffective.
T = 24-48hrs: Initial symptoms clear, most people will believe they are in remission.
Urine screening can be used for diagnosis.
T = 4 -5 days: Severe liver and kidney damage starts, eventually leading to total organ failure.

Treatment is mainly supportive (gastric pumping, activated carbon, fluid resuscitation) but includes various drugs to counter the toxin, in cases of greater ingestion, can extend to an liver transplant.

The most reliable method of treatment is stomach pumping immediately after ingestion.

So if you think you’ve eaten one, go to the hospital and bring along your mushroom as a sample.

el, unfortunately no. just goes in the same queue. bit stupid i know but easy enough to fix.

i think from memory that the key difference is that common field mushrooms have dark brown gills, Death Caps on the other hand do not. they’ve got white gills.

Doesn’t saving as a ‘Draft’ stop it going for publishing anyway?

All fixed now Skidbladnir. you’ll be happy to know that we’re putting in something that will stop us over zealous admins posting stuff that youre still working on.

no, it is not a hearty meal of deathcap mushrooms first thing in the morning.

I gather these cause a rather unpleasant death: you feel really ill, then get better, then die?

Or any friendly mod feel like putting in some spaces and newlines?

Argh, I was still editing and formatting this.