Destroying Angel (Amanita bisporigera et al) is among the most lethal of all mushrooms. Related to the Death Cap mushroom (A. phalloides), which brings a painful death, the Destroying Angel also has powerful poison.
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Both species contain amatoxins, compounds of nine toxins. Half a cap is enough to kill a person. Mushroom poisoning was one of the primary methods of assassination, especially in Imperial Rome.
All Amanita species form symbiotic relationships with certain trees, attaching to the roots with tiny filaments. Destroying angels grow near edges of woodlands, or on lawns or grassy meadows near trees or shrubs.
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The shroom occurs all over the world. Amanita bisporigera is especially associated with oaks and conifers. These 'tethered' mushrooms might appear alone, or in the form of fairy rings.
When young, the Destroying Angel can resemble non-toxic mushrooms such as puffballs and edible button mushrooms. It's not long before it begins to open its brilliant white to milky white cap, and reveal its telltale skirt on the stalk. The Death Cap and Destroying Angel are the most common causes of mushroom poisoning.
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Symptoms of Destroying Angel mushroom poisoning begin 5 - 24 hours after ingestion. By that time the toxins are already working through the nervous system and organs. Symptoms include:
vomiting
cramps
delirium
convulsions
diarrhea
Medical science has discovered a treatment for amatoxin poisoning using anti-hepatotoxic (curative for the liver) compounds from the milk thistle, Silybum marianum.
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