Death Cap Mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) are deadly poisons of assassination and accident. Native to Europe, death caps are naturalized throughout the world, resembling some edible wild mushrooms. One death cap has enough lethal toxin to kill two adults.
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Death Cap mushrooms originate in Europe and are widely naturalized in many regions including North America, Australia, North Africa, West Asia and Russia. They're often found on the ground near broad-leafed trees, as they form a symbiotic relationship with the roots.
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They associate most with hardwoods such as beech, birch and chestnut; less often with pine and spruce. Death Cap mushrooms also grow from the soil of non-native oak or coniferous trees.
The smell ranges from faintly sweet in young fungi to nauseously sweet in older ones. Its extreme effects are caused by the substance α-Amanitin, also found in the destroying angel. It's the most poisonous of all mushroom toxins.
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Death Cap is one of the species of mushroom which grow in "fairy rings" from the forest floor. Less commonly the rings appear in a meadow. They're associated magic, elves, pixies, fairies and other nature spirits.
Death Cap Mushroom Toxicity
Death cap mushrooms are the most popular mushrooms as tools of assassination and murder through the ages. Today death cap poisoning is usually identity confusion. Poisoning is reported in immigrants who have similar-looking, edible mushrooms in the home country.
The mushroom belongs to the genus Amanita which includes the familiar Amanita muscaria or fly agaric, with its red-orange cap and white spots. The toxins in this mushroom can also be fatal, although A. muscaria is known to be used by practitioners for visionary experiences.
95% of mushroom poisoning fatalities are from the Amanita genus. 50% of those are from the death cap. Touching a death cap doesn't usually affect a person. Keep fingers out of mouth and wash hands with soap.
In the first century Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius perishes of mushroom poisoning, probably death cap. The mushrooms are fed to him by his wife Agrippina the Younger, who wants her son Lucius (Nero) on the throne.
Death Cap is the most poisonous mushroom in the world. It's easily mistaken for plump edible straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea), especially when young, and non-toxic Caesar's mushrooms (Amanita cesarea).
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Neither boiling nor freezing kills the high concentration of natural toxins in the Death Cap mushroom. Scientists are still working on an antidote.
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Death Cap Mushroom Poisoning Symptoms
Symptoms of Death Cap mushroom poisoning occur in stages as the toxins wreak havoc on the body.
Stage 1: Gastrointestinal Phase
The first stage starts 6 - 24 hours after ingestion and includes:
low blood pressure
nausea
abdominal pain
vomiting
diarrhea
dehydration
blood in stool
fever
After about 12 - 36 hours the gastrointestinal phase passes and the person might feel fine. At this point the poison has already begun to attack the internal organs.
Stage 2: Latent Phase
During this stage the poisons do severe damage to the liver, which can't filter out the toxins, and the kidneys. There's usually no outward indication of the deadly effects building up.
The liver filters toxins out of the body and becomes poisoned beyond repair, as do the kidneys.
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Stage 3: Hepatorenal Phase
Symptoms of liver and kidney damage begin 3 to 6 days after the mushrooms were consumed. Symptoms include:
jaundice - yellowish color of eyes and skin
abdominal pain and swelling
swollen ankles and legs
muscle cramps
itchy skin
dark urine
trouble urinating, or urinating too much
pale stool
overwhelming fatigue
nausea, vomiting
low blood sugar
trouble sleeping
delirium and confusion
hepatitis
coma
death
Mushroom poisoning can be mistaken for flu or other illness, especially as symptoms don't show up right away. The death cap can be hard to identify. Even mushroom experts have died from eating toxic mushrooms.
Death Cap Mushroom Poisoning Treatment
Immediate hospitalization and treatment may help mitigate the symptoms of death cap mushroom poisoning but options are limited. There's no sure antidote known.
Treatments might include:
pumping stomach
activated charcoal
surgical removal of mushroom parts
giving fluids
liver transplant
By the time mushroom poisoning is confirmed, often the only treatment is a liver transplant. Scientists have isolated a green dye compound which defeats the effects in mouse and human cells but it's still in the initial testing stages.
Famous Deaths
Roman emperor Claudius is one of the most controversial deaths from death cap mushroom poisoning. His wife Agrippina poisons him to free the throne for her son Lucius, later Emperor Nero.
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She's known for ambitious schemes. Claudius enjoys eating Caesar's mushrooms, which look similar to death caps. Plot or accident? Either way, Nero gets the throne.
The Russian Tsarita Natalya Naryshkina (1651 - 1694) reportedly eats pickled mushrooms before she dies. It's unclear whether the cause of death is mushroom toxicity or food poisoning.
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In 1740 Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI succumbs to mushroom poisoning in Vienna. After a hunting trip in Hungary, he consumes a plate of sauteed mushrooms.
In his Memoirs the French writer Voltaire concludes Charles died from a meal of death cap mushrooms. Charles' death leads to the War of the Austrian Succession, causing Voltaire to comment,
" ... this mushroom dish has changed the destiny of Europe."