Deadly poisonous

Anatomy of a killer: Amatoxins

The most terrifying group of mushroom poisons is the amatoxins (amanitins). They inhibit the enzyme RNA polymerase II, which completely stops protein synthesis in cells. Liver cells (hepatocytes) simply die.

M.Ya. Zerova and David Arora stress the most treacherous feature of amatoxin poisoning — a long latent (hidden) period.

After eating a death cap, a person feels completely healthy for 8–24 hours (sometimes up to 2 days). During this time the poison is already irreversibly destroying the liver. When the first symptoms begin (severe vomiting and cholera-like diarrhea), it is too late to pump the stomach — the poison is in the blood. The first phase is often followed by a "period of apparent improvement" (the person feels better for 1-2 days), followed by acute liver failure, coma and death.

The main deadly species

1. Death cap (Amanita phalloides): The number one killer in mycology (responsible for over 90% of fatal poisonings worldwide). It has a greenish/olive cap, white gills, a ring on the stem and a volva at the base.

2. Destroying angel (Amanita virosa): The snow-white relative of the death cap with a disgusting smell of bleach.

3. Funeral bell (Galerina marginata): A small brown mushroom that grows on stumps and looks remarkably like edible honey fungus. It contains the very same deadly amatoxins as the death cap.

4. Deadly webcap / Fool's webcap (Cortinarius rubellus / orellanus): Contains the poison orellanine. It is even more treacherous: the hidden period can last up to 14-20 days, after which the kidneys fail completely and irreversibly.

5. Brown rollrim (Paxillus involutus): Contains antigens that build up over years, after which the person's immune system starts destroying its own red blood cells (hemolytic anemia).

No compromises

Deadly toxins (amatoxins, orellanine) are extremely stable molecules. They:

- Are not destroyed by cooking (even for many hours).

- Are not removed by pickling or salting.

- Are not destroyed by freezing or drying.

- Have no particular "bad" taste (on the contrary, survivors often describe the death cap as the tastiest mushroom of their lives).