Eating fly agarics: benefits and harm for humans, risk of death and other consequences of eating mushrooms

The red cap on the fly agaric seems to signal danger. This distinctive feature helps not to confuse the mushroom with something else. There is perhaps no more famous hallucinogenic mushroom than it. Causes severe poisoning, possibly fatal. However, fly agaric also has a lot of useful and medicinal properties. We will talk in detail about the red fly agaric, but we will also mention other species.

general characteristics

Red fly agaric, or as it is otherwise called Amanita muscaria, is a psychoactive poisonous mushroom. Our ancestors called him a toadstool, an old man, and so on. The cap of young mushrooms has the shape of a hemisphere, while of adults it is flat, slightly concave, and no more than 20 centimeters in size. The color varies, ranging from red to bright red. There are small white formations on the skin that look like plaque.

The flesh under the skin is pale orange, but the color may change when exposed to air. The leg is cylindrical, thicker at the base, white or pale yellow in color. Depending on how old the mushroom is, the size of the stem is 5-20 centimeters in height and up to two centimeters in width.

Use of fly agaric in medicine

There are different types of fly agarics. Some species cause death or cripple the body even in small quantities, others are considered conditionally edible. Substances similar to those contained in such mushrooms are used in medicine. However, in medical preparations everything is refined: toxins and unnecessary harmful impurities are removed. From the point of view of official medicine, this is a dangerous and poisonous mushroom, leading to hallucinations and other consequences. To avoid this, you need to cook the mushrooms properly.

History of appearance and habitat

The first mention of the mushroom appeared in 1256. Then the scientific name was different - “fly mushroom”. The name was given because the fly agaric had the ability to get rid of flies. Because of the destructive smell, the insects quickly died. But this is just an assumption, in reality everything is not so. A lot of water containing alkaloids accumulates in the cap. If flies drink it, they will fall asleep and may simply drown in the liquid.

You can meet the red fly agaric anywhere - deciduous, mixed, coniferous forests. Most of all they like to settle on spruce or birch trees, this is where the acidity of the soil is high. They grow next to boletus, russula, boletus and other varieties of mushrooms.

Amanita mushrooms grow from early summer to mid-autumn. Found alone or in small groups. In Russia you can see it in almost every grove and forest. Since fly agarics are poisonous, they can only be collected for medicinal purposes.

Fly agaric in ancient culture

Many ancient records have been preserved, indicating that our ancestors not only knew about the existence of the fly agaric and its power, but also used everything in practice. Moreover, tribes used the mushroom for shamanic rituals. Hallucinogenic fly agarics helped people find themselves in the world of spirits. It is noteworthy that in German culture mushrooms are still considered a symbol of good luck.

Natives from Africa also used hats for their own purposes. The same applies to residents of Japan, India, China and other peoples of Siberia and Scandinavia.

Ancient records also testify that our ancestors understood how dangerous and poisonous fly agarics are. For example, the shamans of Siberia never ate raw mushrooms. They gave them to deer, and during the ritual they drank the animals' urine. The concentration of substances from the fly agaric there was sufficient, but there was no danger to health.

Children are taught from childhood that a bright, conspicuous mushroom is fraught with danger. But the red fly agaric is a clear example of when, depending on the dosage, both benefit and harm can be obtained.

The fly agaric mushroom also has medicinal properties.

We have remembered since childhood that a red mushroom with white spots is very dangerous. But life brings stories that change our ideas. Thus, it became known that residents of the North ate stew made from red fly agaric mushrooms during the hungry times of the Second World War. We just cooked regular mushroom soup without any additional processing. Moreover, they considered it extremely nutritious, tasty and well tonic.

The poisonous mushroom is also eaten with pleasure by some animals, including deer, moose, goats and cows, chipmunks and squirrels, and even magpie birds. Modern Berezovsky Evens also eat it, although they cook it for a long time and change the water several times. It turns out that the red fly agaric we are used to in its chemical composition can differ markedly depending on where it grows.

The Koryaks ate poisonous mushrooms with red caps, fresh or dried. They simply chewed them for a long time, then swallowed them, and they could consume up to 4 pieces at once. Then they walked around well intoxicated. Interestingly, there were always hunters to pick up what was left of these madmen. This sounds terrible to us, but the Koryaks collected the urine of those who ate the red hallucinogen, believing that it was much healthier and more effective than the mushroom itself.

Chemical composition

The chemical composition of the fungus has not been fully studied, despite the fact that its existence has been known for several hundred years. So, what is the composition of the red fly agaric? If you believe the information voiced by scientists, then we can say the following about the composition:

betanin;
chitin;
essential oils;
poisonous alkaloids;
muscaruphine pigment.

It contains several psychoactive substances, most of which are contained in the mushroom cap, or more precisely in its red film.

For many years, muscarine was considered the main hallucinogenic agent. However, in 1960, several scientists from Switzerland and Japan, independently of each other, but almost at the same time, determined that muscimol with ibotenic acid has a similar property.

Description and composition

The red fly agaric is a typical representative of its genus from the Amanitaceae family, which includes about 600 species. It is classified as a moderately poisonous species. The Latin name is Amanita. The fruiting mushroom body grows up to 30-35 cm in height, has a bright red cap with white specks, very decorative. The diameter of the cap reaches 20 cm, the smooth stem has a white skirt (remnants of the integument of a young individual), and the stem is round at the base. Fruiting mushroom bodies appear in June-October. They reproduce by spores.

Mushroom body composition:

polysaccharides,
alkaloids with toxic properties (muscimol, muscarine, etc.),
vitamin B4 (choline),
ibotenic acid, which has a psychotropic effect,
poisonous tryptamines betaine, butophenine,
essential oils (including aromatic),
enzymes,
chitin,
coloring pigment muscaruphine.

Important! Red fly agaric is a poisonous mushroom containing toxic, hallucinogenic substances that are dangerous to human health! A dose of muscarine equal to 3-5 milligrams is considered lethal.

The composition of fruiting mushroom bodies includes poisons that can penetrate the pores of human skin, affecting the nervous system. Amish are used in shamanic practices, occultism, and as an ingredient in potions. The poison mycoatropine, also called muscimol, has a neurotoxic effect and causes psychotropic changes in consciousness. In small quantities, poisons have a healing effect.

Varieties

A common belief among many is that there is only one type of fly agaric (red fly agaric), which means it cannot be confused with other mushrooms. Actually this is not true.

Fly agaric red

The basic description of the mushroom is given above. If a person uses it, it will not be possible to avoid danger. There will be suffocation and upset in the gastrointestinal tract. Deaths have also been recorded. A lethal dose occurs after consuming 5 to 15 fly agarics.

Bright yellow fly agaric

Another poisonous mushroom that almost always causes death. The cap is bright yellow, with snow-white flakes on the surface; if you touch it with your hands, you will feel the roughness. Under the cap of the plate, the color changes as it grows.

The leg is fragile and velvety. In an adult fly agaric, the ring may completely disappear. At the base, the leg widens, this is a distinctive feature of the fly agaric.

Panther fly agaric

This is a spring mushroom, the second name is leopard mushroom. Not suitable for human consumption. A small dose leads to poisoning, the consequences of which are disastrous. The smell of the pulp is pleasant. Found in coniferous and deciduous forests.

Panther fly agaric

The diameter of the cap reaches 9 centimeters, the color is gray-brown, black. On the surface are white spots or warts as many call them. The aroma of the pulp is reminiscent of radishes. Leg length up to 13 centimeters.

Amanita toadstool

Familiar to many as lemon, it is not eaten. Recently classified as poisonous, but recently removed by scientists from this list and moved to inedible. The smell is unpleasant, it tastes like raw potatoes. The name was given because it is very similar to a toadstool.

The diameter of the cap is no more than ten centimeters. In a young mushroom, its color is white; as it matures, it acquires a yellow-green color. Along the edges there is a coating resembling flakes. The leg is 12 centimeters, thin, fragile.

Orange mushroom

After proper heat treatment, the mushroom can be eaten, but it still continues to be classified as poisonous. The cap of a young mushroom is ovoid in shape and becomes flat as it grows. Diameter no more than ten centimeters. The skin is smooth, with slight grooves along the edges.

The length of the leg is about 15 centimeters, therefore it is called elongated. The color is often pure white, but there are brown specks. The leg is widened at the bottom. The fruiting period is from August to September.

Caesar's view

The mushroom is considered the most delicious. It has impeccable taste and many useful qualities. The diameter of the cap is from 8 to 20 centimeters, the shape is ovoid or hemispherical. At a young age it is convex, as it grows it becomes flat. The skin is golden orange.

Fly agaric as a medicine - what does it contain?

The red fly agaric mushroom is toxic and is not used as food, but it contains many substances that can be beneficial for various human diseases.

We advise you to read: Aloe - medicinal properties and contraindications

Red fly agarics contain:

alkaloids bufotenine, muscarine, mycoatropine;
ibotenic acid;
choline (vitamin B 4);
muscaruphine, red pigment;
xanthine;
essential oils;
enzymes.

In addition, red fly agarics contain:

3 g/100 g carbohydrates;
3 g/100 g proteins;
0.5 g/100 g fat.

They contain vitamins:

A;
E;
WITH;
TO;
group B.

The following mineral substances are present in the mushroom pulp:

iron;
calcium;
phosphorus;
potassium;
selenium;
zinc.

The medicinal effect of red fly agarics on the human body is recognized by folk and official medicine.

The effect of fly agaric on the human body

When eaten, fly agaric mushrooms have a toxic effect on the human body. Nausea, vomiting, salivation, decreased blood pressure and other signs of poisoning are more pronounced when eating raw mushrooms.

In severe cases, a person experiences suffocation, heart rhythm disturbances, and loss of consciousness. Death can occur when eating quite a large amount of raw fly agarics.

If one fly agaric accidentally gets into a dish with other mushrooms, it can cause digestive upset without serious consequences. Fly agarics boiled in two waters practically lose their toxic properties. In small quantities, fly agaric preparations provide health benefits.

Symptoms of poisoning: first aid

The red fly agaric contains the most toxic substances. It is from them that poisoning occurs:

Ibotenic acid and muscimol, which is its derivative. They easily cross the blood-brain barrier and infect brain tissue. The effect is hallucinogenic. Crystallization of ibotenic acid in anhydrous form. The substance is neurotoxic and causes the death of neurons in the brain.
Muscarine. Provokes a decrease in blood pressure, causes vomiting and nausea.
Muscimol. It is a psychoactive toxin that improves mood and has a sedative-hypnotic effect.

The main cause of fly agaric poisoning is misuse for medicinal purposes. After a few hours, symptoms of poisoning appear. Their danger is as follows:

body temperature rises;
vision decreases;
bradycardia;
hallucinations;
feeling of weakness;
severe dizziness.

Death is rare, but it is possible. Regardless of the condition of the victim, he needs immediate help:

After calling an ambulance, the patient is provided with plenty of fluids. Even if you don’t want to drink water, you need to do it through force.
Inducing vomiting. The stomach is washed until the color of the vomit becomes transparent.
Reception of absorbents: activated carbon, Polysorb, Smecta. Medicines prevent the absorption of toxins in the intestines.

If we consider help from the point of view of toxicology, then atropine is considered the most effective. However, the dosage and frequency of administration are determined by the doctor; it is prohibited to take it on your own.

Are fly agarics edible?

Despite the fact that in many countries people salt, pickle, and fry mushrooms, the risks cannot be justified. Both doctors and experienced mushroom pickers advise avoiding mushrooms. There are reasons, and they are quite logical.

According to scientists, poisonous mushrooms contain large quantities of dangerous substances in brown and white plates. The older the mushroom, the less lamellar design there is, and therefore the danger becomes not the same as before. But naturally, this does not mean that old fly agaric mushrooms are allowed to be consumed raw.

If a person is not an expert, he will not be able to find the type of fly agaric that is less dangerous. And even if you find a mushroom, you need to be able to cook it in several stages. It is not recommended to try fly agaric just for the sake of satisfying the desire to try. Such a tasting can lead to serious problems.

Characteristic consequences of taking:

Depending on the type of food consumed, vomiting appears after 6-24 hours, which cannot be stopped. Intestinal pain, diarrhea, dehydration.
The pressure drops and the patient may lose consciousness. Due to acute cardiovascular failure, the victim is on the verge of life and death. The outcome is often disastrous - death.
Symptoms may not appear for a long time. Meanwhile, the body suffers damage.

At some point, “false well-being” sets in; on the outside everything is fine, but on the inside the internal organs are destroyed. On the 10th day after poisoning, death is possible.

Treatment with fly agaric - recipes from fly agaric

The medicinal properties of the mushroom are used in tinctures, ointments and rubs. Recipe for ointment for radiculitis. Grind fresh mushrooms with an equal amount of sour cream. At night, put the ointment on the sore spots, wrap it in a bag and a scarf. In the morning, wash everything off with soapy water. The product is stored in glass containers. The tincture also treats cancer. Break 4 small caps and place in a dark glass bowl. Fill them with 150 gr. alcohol and leave for 14 days in the dark. Afterwards, express and take internally, diluting with milk. Start with 2 drops, doubling the dose daily. On the 11th day, the dosage is reduced by 2 drops. This tincture is allowed in small quantities, so drink it only once a day.

How to cook fly agarics recipe

The medicinal properties of the mushroom have proven themselves best in pure juice. Its use is relevant for stomach and duodenal ulcers. Cut the fresh caps and place them tightly in a bottle, close with a nylon cap and place in the cellar. The tincture should sit for 50 days, after which strain the finished juice. Treatment is carried out with pure juice. Take it 3 teaspoons. per day, be sure to drink a cup of water. During treatment, you should adhere to a diet, namely, exclude smoked and fatty foods. Treatment with pure juice is also prescribed for skin diseases.

Is it possible to use red fly agaric?

This mushroom can only be eaten in dried form. To do this, the caps are dried in a ventilated area until ready. Doctors recommend using them after six months. During this period, the effect of bad substances will become minimal, and the healing properties will remain. Eat no more than 2-4 caps per day, depending on size.

Red fly agaric medicinal properties use in folk medicine

In folk medicine, the medicinal properties of the mushroom are used in the treatment of varicose veins. You need to prepare the following composition: chop 6 mushrooms as finely as possible and place in a liter jar. Close the lid and place under the bed until the juice appears. Decant it and squeeze out the rest of the pulp. The juice must be diluted 1:1 with warm water before use. Apply this tincture with a cotton swab, then wrap the treated areas with a bandage. Treatment is carried out in the morning and before bedtime. The tincture is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days.

Among the people, treatment with a decomposer has worked well for fibroids and mastopathy. They get rid of ear, toothache and headaches.

Fly agaric tincture with vodka for joints

Since their medicinal properties can have an analgesic effect, they are used for joint pain. The tincture is prepared with vodka. Wash and chop fresh mushrooms, leave in the cold for 3 days. Then transfer to a ceramic bowl and pour vodka 1 cm above the pulp. The closed product is infused for 14 days in the basement, then filtered. The use of fly agaric tincture with alcohol is for external use only. It is not applied to open skin, but through 2-3 layers of gauze. In the first days you can use the pulp; after 4 days of infusion, its medicinal properties weaken.

Useful properties of fly agaric

Although everyone talks about the poisonous properties of the mushroom, it continues to be used in traditional and folk medicine. Fly agaric has a lot of useful properties. Many medicines contain substances that are also found in fly agaric. They help eliminate many diseases. The action of the mushroom is beneficial for:

epileptic seizures;
sclerosis;
problems
with the nervous system, for example, excessive excitability.

With the help of special medications, it is possible to cure inflammation in the internal organs and sleep disorders. Many components that make up fly agaric have antibiotic properties. In this way they eliminate blood clots and fight bacteria.

Mushroom extract relieves diseases of the central nervous system, treats neuralgia, osteochondrosis, etc. Tinctures based on red fly agaric have many medicinal properties and treat respiratory diseases. Of course, it will not be possible to cure tuberculosis, but the course of the disease will become less pronounced.

Benefits of fly agaric for animals

Many animals are attracted by the bright color of the mushroom and can’t wait to taste it. The most curious inhabitants of the forest are considered to be:

moose;
deer;
proteins;
the Bears.

Fortunately, for them, the poison of the fly agaric is not so dangerous, and some of its properties even turn out to be medicinal. They allow you to get rid of parasites living inside the body.

Beneficial features

In pharmacology, red fly agaric extract is used to create drugs against sore throat, epilepsy, arthritis, psoriasis, dermatitis and fungi. Remedies from fly agarics help with varicose veins, papillomas, they treat pathologies of the spinal cord, bedsores, vascular spasms, and boils. Depending on the concentration, medicines with mushroom extract can be used externally and orally.

People with cardiovascular diseases can feel the benefits of red fly agarics. In particular, there is an opinion that the extract of these mushrooms has a beneficial effect on people with coronary heart disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. The same mushroom is believed to be beneficial for diabetes and impotence. For the female body, the extract of “magic mushrooms” is also a good helper in some cases. For example, with painful menstruation or during menopause.

French researchers have confirmed that the correctly chosen dosage of red fly agarics affects the body as a sedative, reduces nervousness, anxiety and reduces the effects of stress. Therefore, mushroom extract is often added to anti-insomnia medications. In addition to the French, the Dutch, Finns, Norwegians, British, Japanese, and Italians use fly agaric. Preparations containing mushroom extract are allowed in New Zealand, Denmark, Switzerland, the USA and Russia, but in Australia and Israel the use of fly agarics in medicine is prohibited.

Some researchers consider red fly agarics as an antitumor agent. True, there is no irrefutable evidence of this fact in official science yet. Creams with mushroom extract are useful for the treatment of varicose veins, arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, and gout.

Microdosing of fly agarics

Many people practice microdosing of red fly agaric. Microdosing is taking the mushroom in specific doses throughout the day. Somewhere it is written that this is 0.5-1 grams per day, somewhere it is said that up to 3 grams per day is allowed. It is believed that the beneficial properties of fly agaric are best achieved through microdosing. If you derive the optimal dosage from here, it turns out to be about 1-1.5 grams. For people who are not hypersensitive, the dosage is safe.

Benefits of microdosing

Depression, bad mood, insomnia - you can forget about this and much more forever thanks to the beneficial properties of fly agaric. Moreover, many claim that after microdosing they forget about smoking and drinking alcohol. A person becomes more stress-resistant. He reacts to any stress as if from the outside:

The usual state. We drove through a red light and a thought appeared in my head: I violated, and if there is a camera here, I will receive a fine, how to pay and what to do now. Information spins in circles in your head, and a feeling of guilt appears.
Condition after microdosing. We drove through a red light. The thoughts in my head are something like this: I violated, I’m guilty, I’ll pay the fine and become more attentive. You start thinking about something else.

Experiences and frustrations over trifles disappear, and cold calculation appears. Activity appears, the person becomes collected.

When using microdosing, a person learns to live positively and sees the good first. Gradually a feeling of calm appears, anxiety and disappointment disappear. The brain will learn to generate new methods to satisfy its unmet needs.

The main effects that can be noticed after microdosing:

increased body tone, increased self-confidence;
increasing strength and endurance;
assistance in getting rid of bad habits;
sleep restoration;
prevention of bacterial and viral diseases;
relief from symptoms of depression and anxiety.

After one to two weeks of use, the body’s condition changes for the better. If something hurts, you won't have to take painkillers anymore. Has microdosing and antimicrobial properties.

Where can I get fly agarics for microdosing?

It is recommended to collect and dry fly agarics for microdosing yourself. But this opportunity is not always available to everyone. It is not worth purchasing mushrooms in “capsules”. There is no guarantee that there is anything else there besides dust. Valuable, real hats are another matter. If you buy them, make sure they are no more than a year old.

Fly agarics and cancer

Traditional medicine is unrivaled in its quirks. She can give a lot of valuable and important advice, confirmed by official medicine. There are different types of healers. People testing these methods on themselves do too. Not everything that is advised is useful or effective for a person. That is why traditional medicine borrows effective methods from folk medicine and completely rejects what is unreliable. And the benefits and effectiveness of an infusion of these mushrooms for tumors, unfortunately, are refuted by traditional medicine.

Read also How to cook mushrooms so as not to get poisoned: preventive measures

The situation is even more interesting with lovers of ancient methods and mystical knowledge. In our time, medicine is not ideal, but it has stepped far ahead compared, for example, with medieval healing. At that time, a woman who had fallen into hysterics over the loss of her husband, who died before her eyes, was dragged by force and drowned in a filled bathtub to calm her down. They kept her in a container of water until the unfortunate woman quieted down and fell into the other extreme - indifference and silent despondency.

In addition to the harm from stress, the pain from loss, a shattered psyche was added. Nowadays it is not necessary to do all this. Sedatives and a course of tranquilizers prescribed by a neurologist are enough to cope with the funeral and get used to the loss. This method has been proven and confirmed.

Traditional medicine cannot always cope with cancerous tumors, which gives way to alternative methods. Tincture, the healing power of the Great Amanita, the souls of mushrooms, narcotic intoxication - things are intuitively true. The tincture in which a person firmly believes takes on the power of a placebo. Faith in the soul of the Great Fly Agaric gives courage and reduces the power of stress, which further depresses the body. Thanks to his faith, no matter what, a person is capable of much, including looking for the positive in everything that happens, enduring pain. These are already scientifically proven facts.

Some fly agarics have a narcotic effect, but very little, and with proper preparation. However, fly agaric still remains harmful. Even if you cook a mushroom in ten different waters, the poison remains, only in smaller quantities. He needs more time to weaken his body. Narcotic substances are used in the treatment of cancer in official medicine. When the pain of severely ill patients becomes completely unbearable, they are prescribed medications containing narcotic substances. Unlike tinctures, these are drugs with a constant precise dosage. Usually the doctor knows what, when and how much to prescribe.

Read also: What to do if symptoms of mushroom poisoning appear

Contraindications

An absolute contraindication that does not allow taking fly agaric in any form is pregnancy, breastfeeding. It is strictly forbidden to give mushrooms to children under 18 years of age!

When using medicines based on fly agaric, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the dosage. Follow the rules of personal hygiene, do not pick up the mushroom with your bare hands, and if you accidentally touch it, wash them with soap. Do not allow toxic substances to come into contact with mucous membranes, wounds, or open areas of the skin.

Contraindications for use

The use of drugs based on poisonous mushrooms is absolutely contraindicated for:

pregnancy,
breastfeeding,
in childhood.

Any treatment with drugs based on poisonous amanite is permitted only after consultation with the attending physician. It must be taken into account that the toxic substances of the drugs have a negative effect on all organs; exceeding the dosages specified in the recipes is unacceptable. Before using such treatment, consider all its pros and cons in your situation.

Traditional medicine recipes for various diseases

There are many options for using the mushroom. But, before taking medications internally or using them externally, you need to make sure there are no contraindications and clarify all the properties.

Use in cosmetology

The red fly agaric has also found its application in the field of cosmetology. Let's consider its beneficial properties. The polysaccharides contained in the composition promote cell rejuvenation and improve the condition of the dermis. After completing the course of treatment, the skin looks better, the color is evened out, and expression wrinkles are smoothed out.

Household use

Perhaps this is the first area where fly agaric has found its application. Our ancestors used it to fight insects. Attentive people have noticed that there is moisture on the surface, if insects get on it, they die. But later they proved that they were just drowning, and after being “rescued” they woke up and flew away.

To get rid of flies, mosquitoes, and other insects. Cut the fly agaric, fill it with water/milk, place it on the windowsill, cover with blotting paper. As soon as the insects decide to taste the liquid, they will die immediately. Toxic substances will not leave a single chance of survival.

Recipes for vodka tinctures for joints

Ointments, tinctures, and decoctions are prepared from raw materials. Medicines containing alcohol are the most effective and allow you to more fully use the medicinal properties of fly agaric. Firstly, this neutralizes poisons, secondly, the preparation process is not long, not expensive, and thirdly, the effect of treatment is good. Most popular recipes:

Finely chop the fly agaric and place it in the refrigerator or other cool place for three days. Pour the pieces into a jar, pour 2/3 alcohol or vodka. The liquid level should be one centimeter higher than the level of the mushrooms. Close and store in the pantry for two weeks.
Grind the caps, put them in a jar, fill them with vodka 1:1. Leave for 40 days at a neutral temperature. Strain before use.
Cut the fly agarics, pour into a glass container, close the lid, and place in a cool place for a month. Strain, discard the mushrooms themselves, and reserve the extracted juice. It is used to treat joints.
Rinse the mushrooms, squeeze through cheesecloth into a glass bowl. Add as much vodka as raw materials. The tincture is used for rubbing and compresses.

If there are contraindications, the use of the mushroom is unacceptable, despite its medicinal properties.

Fly agaric for dermatitis

Healers used various methods based on the properties of fly agaric to treat skin diseases. For a medicinal tincture, a maximum of 5 mushrooms are taken. Finely chop (using gloves), place in the bottom of a liter jar. Close the container and place in a warm, dark place for three days. The mushrooms will release juice; on the fourth day, pour vodka, a centimeter above the raw material. The infusion period is three weeks.

Use the prepared product to wipe the affected area. Do not apply to large areas, otherwise an allergy will occur.

Phlebeurysm

Thanks to a lot of useful properties, fly agaric helps with varicose veins. As in the previous case, chop 5 mushrooms and place in a dark place for three days to obtain juice. Drain it, squeeze out the pulp, place in a separate vessel. Dilute the squeezed juice with vodka in a 1:1 ratio. Wipe the sore areas with the prepared product once a day, then secure with an elastic bandage. The shelf life of the juice is maximum 4 days. Dilute with vodka only before use.

How to take medications internally

An effective medicine that helps with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hypertension, and diabetes. Treatment regimens:

The alcohol tincture is taken drop by drop. Frequency: 3 times a day, 15 minutes before meals. Every day the dosage is increased by a drop. Take until there are 20 of them, that is, 20 days. Then the dosage is reduced by a drop daily. When she is left alone again, treatment stops.
The tincture is taken in the morning, ½ teaspoon. Immediately after taking it, it is recommended to dissolve the mummy granule.

Do not exceed the dosage yourself; if you feel worse, immediately stop therapy and go to the hospital.

Outdoor use

As mentioned above, the medicine from fly agaric helps with sore joints. Wet a cotton pad and treat sore spots. There are other ways:

Compress. Moisten gauze or natural fabric, wring it out, and place it on the sore area. On top there is a plastic bag and a woolen scarf. The procedure lasts an hour. As soon as you remove the compress, rinse your skin.
Ointment. Take dry or fresh fly agaric leaves. Dried mushroom ointment lasts longer. Grind the raw material to a pulp, add Vaseline, you get a paste-like substance.

If we talk about tincture with alcohol, it has anticonvulsant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. The medicine helps with many diseases, but if used correctly.

For osteochondrosis

The medicinal properties of fly agaric allow it to be used for problems with the spine and joints. Compresses help with osteochondrosis and other problems with the spine and joints. To relieve pain, rub the tincture into the problem area. Compresses are effective after taking warm baths. Moisten a piece of cloth, apply it to the sore spot, cover with polyethylene or a warm cloth.

Leave for an hour, then remove and wash with warm water. You will be able to notice positive results after a few days. The duration of therapy is a week, after a short break it can be repeated.

Fly agaric - treatment of certain diseases

Lupus treated this way. Chop the caps of fresh mushrooms, sprinkle them with salt, place them in a container, cover with a lid and heat over low heat for 15 minutes. The cooled pulp is applied to the affected areas.
After a stroke, fly agaric tincture is used according to a special scheme. Start with one drop per 50 ml of milk or water, add one drop daily, bringing the amount to 10. Then, in the same way, reduce the dose again to one drop. After a week's break, the course is repeated. This way you can conduct up to 5 courses. During a week-long break, be sure to take enterosorbents.

The tincture is prepared as follows. Only the caps of good, unspoiled mushrooms are suitable. They are placed tightly in a 3-liter bottle, covered with a lid and placed in the cellar for 1.5 months. If there is no cellar, you can bury the jar in the ground to a depth of 70 cm. After the specified time, the contents of the jar are filtered through gauze folded in 5 layers. The resulting liquid is settled and drained from the sediment (decanted in the same way as motorists drain gasoline). Then alcohol is added in a ratio of 4:1 (4 parts of alcohol to one part of the resulting mass). The tincture retains its medicinal properties for at least 4 years.

Treatment regimen for early stage cancer. In the same way as already described after a stroke, gradually increase the dose from 1 drop to 10, drink 10 drops for 5 days, then reduce to 1 drop. Take the tincture once or twice a day - at 21.00 or at 7.00 and at 21.00. During subsequent courses (with a week's break), you can increase the dose to 20 drops. During treatment with tincture, you need to take vitamins C and E, and iodine and selenium preparations, and during breaks, drink herbal infusions that help remove toxins and flax seed.
Externally, the tincture is used to lubricate enlarged lymph nodes, joints, and spine. Do not put alcohol tincture on open wounds. For a compress, gauze soaked in the solution is folded into 4 layers and applied to the surface of the skin until completely dry.
For prevention, drink according to the scheme from 1 to 5 drops, 5 drops for 6 days, also diluted in milk. After a 7-day break, take it again for 11 days. After 3 courses they take a break for a month.

The beneficial properties of fly agaric are not limited to the treatment of the diseases described above, but its use as a medicine requires increased caution. At the slightest sign of poisoning, you need to rinse your stomach, take activated charcoal and a saline laxative, and do an enema with 1 liter of water with the addition of laundry or baby soap.

How to properly collect, prepare and store fly agarics

Grandmothers and grandfathers used fly agaric to fight many diseases and get rid of insects. But for the mushroom to exhibit medicinal properties, it must be properly collected, prepared, and dried.

The main distinguishing feature of the fly agaric is the ring on the stem. You can and should take:

Avoid small but mature mushrooms that are overripe;
Amanitas that are wormy or damaged by other pests cannot be taken;
check the integrity of the caps;
for drying it is better to take the caps; the stems contain medicinal substances, but not enough.

If you are too lazy to dry or have nowhere to pick mushrooms, or you are afraid of doing something wrong, you can buy ready-made fly agaric mushrooms.

To ensure that you always have a supply of mushrooms at home, take care of proper storage to preserve the medicinal properties of fly agaric. The best option is drying. Just like other types of mushrooms, fly agarics contain a lot of moisture. Moreover, if you cut off the fly agaric, then after a few hours it will no longer be suitable for use, the plates will stick together. During the drying process, moisture is lost and can be stored for a long time. The appearance becomes unsightly, the color darkens, there are wrinkles on the surface, the smell is different.

Often the smell is reminiscent of simple mushrooms. As experts say, it depends on the region in which representatives of the species were collected and raised. It is recommended to sort everything out before drying. The cap is divided in half, this makes it possible to detect worms.

Before preparing the healing potion, the mushrooms are finely chopped. At this point, it doesn’t matter how they were dried, or rather, how they were cut. The main thing is not the appearance, but the healing properties. The weight after drying is reduced by 100 times. If initially there was a kilogram of mushrooms, the output will be no more than 10 grams.

Recommended drying temperature

Home conditions are suitable for drying mushrooms. All you need is a small electric oven. String the raw materials onto threads and place them over the stove. You can dry fly agarics in the shade, but provided that there is a breeze and the temperature does not exceed 30 degrees. This is the only way to preserve the beneficial properties. However, all this information comes from those people who do not have enough experience. In practice, it has been proven that drying in the shade will ruin the raw material and it will become unusable.

For proper, safe drying, conditions must be conducive to getting rid of moisture. The fruit part should become completely dry and hard. Recommended temperature is around 50 degrees. Shouldn't go any higher.

What dried fly agaric mushrooms look like

The main condition is that the mushroom is dry over the entire surface. There should be no damp places. If you do not dry it completely, mold, rot, and a foul odor will appear. Completely dry raw materials are light, with a uniform color over the surface. The inside of the plate is plain.

What smell does dried fly agaric have?

The smell depends on the region in which the fly agaric grew and where it was collected. However, everything largely depends on weather conditions. Mushrooms grown in the same region can smell differently, some, as expected, others smell like antibiotics.

Dried fly agarics and dried edible mushrooms can smell different. The storage location and conditions affect. Another fact influences whether the fly agaric managed to throw out spores. In dry weather this happens earlier. A sign is the presence of white foliage around.

Fresh fly agarics are extremely rarely used for oral administration. Dry first, otherwise poisoning may occur.

Other drying methods

If it is not possible to dry fly agarics using the methods described earlier, you can use the oven. Clean the raw materials from sand, pine needles, and other impurities. Do not wash, otherwise excess moisture will accumulate. Prepared mushrooms are laid out on a grid. Discard the baking sheet, otherwise the resulting water will ruin everything.

The minimum initial temperature is 50 degrees. After a couple of hours, when the top wilts, the temperature rises to 70 degrees. After another couple of hours, reduce it to 50 again and dry for another two hours. The door should be slightly open to the width of your palm, this helps to provide the necessary ventilation. As soon as the mushrooms become fragile, we can talk about completing the “procedure”.

If the sun outside is warm enough, you can dry fly agarics under it. The raw materials are strung on threads, with a small distance between them. To protect against flies, cover the top with gauze. A week will pass and everything is ready!

What are they made from fly agarics?

For home use, fly agaric is used to make:

ointments;
alcohol rubbing;
water and alcohol tinctures;
juice;
decoctions.

We advise you to read: The healing properties of hydrogen peroxide

The collected mushrooms can be dried and used to make medicinal tea. When making any preparations from red fly agarics at home, you must take precautions, keep children away from them and wear gloves.

What are the benefits of alcohol tincture?

Alcohol tincture of red fly agaric has the following beneficial properties:

painkillers;
anti-inflammatory;
anticonvulsants;
antitumor.

Alcohol tincture is useful for:

diabetes insipidus;
radiculitis;
diathesis;
tuberculosis;
skin problems;
stomach ulcer;
heart rhythm disturbances.

The alcohol tincture should not be used by people driving vehicles, children under 16 years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Recipes for ointments and rubs for radiculitis

To prepare an ointment for radiculitis and joint pain you will need:

dry fly agaric caps 60 g;
unsalted rendered pork fat 100 g;
pine or spruce resin 20 g;
rye flour 20 g.

Grind the dried caps into powder using a mortar or mill.
Melt the interior fat in a water bath.
Mix the chopped mushroom with rye flour and pour the mixture into the fat.
Add pine resin there.
While stirring the mixture, keep it in the bath until the resin dissolves.

Rub the resulting ointment onto the sore areas before going to bed at night, and apply a warming bandage on top. The ointment is suitable not only for the treatment of radiculitis, it will help with herpes, insect bites, and other skin injuries.

In the field, you can take a fresh fly agaric cap to relieve radiculitis pain. Using available means, grind or finely chop the mushroom. Rub the resulting pulp onto the sore spot.

At home, you can prepare an ointment for radiculitis from fresh fly agaric caps. To do this you need:

fresh mushrooms 500 g;
oil, lean 500 ml.

Separate the caps from the collected mushrooms. There is no need to wash them.
Grind the mushrooms in any way into a paste.
Add vegetable oil and grind everything together. Instead of butter, you can use sour cream.

Rub the resulting ointment into sore spots twice a day and cover with a warming bandage.

Fly agaric juice

For external and internal use, you can prepare juice from fresh red fly agarics. To do this, you need to take all the collected fly agarics and cut off the caps from them. Break the caps into pieces and place in enamel, glass or ceramic dishes. Cover with a saucer and place a weight on top. To do this, you can use a liter jar of water or a stone.

We advise you to read: Caucasian hellebore - use for treatment and weight loss

After two days, drain all the liquid and squeeze out the caps. Store fresh juice in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.

Dried red fly agaric

To prepare red fly agarics for future use, they can be collected and dried. During the drying process, toxic substances are converted into less dangerous compounds. For drying, it is advisable to collect young and mature fruiting bodies, the caps of which are densely dotted with white spots. The best time to collect is August-September. Before drying, the caps are separated from the stems, since the content of active substances in the stems is minimal.

You can dry the caps by laying them out on paper or stringing them on a thread. In the first 2-3 days, drying can be done in the open sun, and after that the fly agarics can be dried under a canopy or indoors. During drying, 100 g of raw mushrooms lose up to 90 g of water. Dried fly agarics can be stored in dry glass jars. You should not store fly agarics for longer than 12 months, during which time they lose up to 50% of their active substances.

Interesting facts and myths

The fly agaric has been known for a long time; it is not surprising that there are so many legends and myths around it. Many people do not know about their credibility, and in vain:

The mushroom is deadly poisonous. This is partly true, but not entirely. Experts say that fly agaric contains fewer toxins than toadstool. The minimum dosage to cause death is 3 kilograms. A person weighing 75 kilograms only needs to consume one mushroom for signs of poisoning to appear.
The Norman Vikings had berserkers. Warriors with a fighting character, they fought and did not spare the enemy. It is known that it was the fly agaric eaten the day before that gave them strength.
Scientists have refuted the insecticidal properties of fly agaric. It has been proven that flies do not die after drinking liquid, but simply drown in the water. Moreover, if you remove a drowned fly, it will wake up and fly again.
Even if you cook fly agaric several times, it will remain poisonous, but not so dangerous.
The Altaians insisted on including the fly agaric in the Red Book. This has not yet been done.
Lovers of quiet hunting believe in a sign: if you encounter a black fly agaric along the way, you can expect trouble.

The fly agaric is incredibly beautiful! If you do not intend to use it for medicinal purposes, leave them unharmed. You can admire the creation of nature and move on.

Traditional medicine recipes

Traditional healers have been using the medicinal properties of the “magic mushroom” for many centuries. Many of the ancient recipes have survived to this day. We have selected the most popular of them. But do not forget, any medicine made from fly agarics has toxic properties. After preparing or using tinctures, be sure to wash your hands well. And finished drugs should be kept away from children.

For dermatitis

To treat various kinds of skin diseases, folk healers resorted to the help of fly agarics. To prepare the medicinal tincture, no more than 5 mushrooms were used. They were finely chopped and placed at the bottom of a liter jar. The vessel was closed and sent for 3 days in a warm but dark place. During this time, the mushrooms should release juice. On the fourth day, vodka was added to the vessel (about 1 cm above the mushrooms) and left for another 3 weeks. The prepared product was used to wipe the skin affected by the disease. Do not apply the product to large areas at once. Treatment should begin with small areas so that the fly agaric extract does not cause allergies.

For varicose veins

As in the previous recipe, 5 fly agaric mushrooms should be crushed and left in a glass vessel until mushroom juice forms. Drain the resulting juice and squeeze the pulp into a separate container. Dilute the juice squeezed from the mushrooms with warm water (in a 1:1 ratio). Wipe the sore areas with the resulting product twice a day, then wrap it with an elastic bandage. The juice squeezed from mushrooms can be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 4 days. The medicine should be diluted with water immediately before applying to the skin.

Where to buy fly agarics and what is the price

There are many places where you can buy fly agarics. These are online resources, simple shops, as well as experienced mushroom pickers who collect mushrooms and prepare them. But if you are not sure of the seller’s integrity or the quality of the raw materials, refuse to purchase.

Remember that before placing an order, you must read the documents confirming the quality of the mushrooms. If the store does not have a license or certificates, you should not trust it.

The average cost of edible fly agarics is 2,340 rubles per 0.1 kilogram. For red with dry caps you will have to pay from 1250 rubles per 50 grams. Unopened mushrooms are not expensive, only 30-40 rubles per 10 grams. The low cost should alert you that perhaps you are being offered low-quality raw materials.

Reviews

Inna, 51 years old

My grandmother suffered from rheumatism for several years. Not long ago she had a new attack. Simple medications no longer helped. She asked me to get fly agaric tincture. At first I was wary of this method of treatment, since I know that the mushroom is poisonous. But I still found it and brought it. My grandmother took a drop every day, increasing it by a drop every day. As soon as we reached 20, we started decreasing in reverse order. A month later, she decided to repeat the course of treatment. What can I say, there are miracles. For two weeks now she has been walking almost without crutches and does not use a walking stick either. After a while we will take another course.

Ivan, 42 years old

My family and I love to go mushroom picking. And on one such trip, my son tripped and fell, injuring his leg. It didn’t seem like he hit it hard, but he couldn’t walk on his own. I remembered that we used to use fly agaric mushrooms in such situations. It’s good that they are found everywhere in the forest. I took two mushrooms, mashed them well, and applied them to the place where it hurt. We sat there for probably two hours. The pain actually began to subside. Of course, it was not possible to recover completely, but at least he could walk with a limp on his own.

Marina, 38 years old

My daughter has a wart. We tried burning it with different methods and even with liquid nitrogen. Unfortunately, there was no result. But she grew and developed complexes about this. I decided to use fly agaric tincture. I lubricated the warts once a day, a drop at a time. Relatives didn’t believe me at all, they said it was dangerous and wouldn’t help at all. But the results became visible. Only 10 days passed and the wart fell off. A year and a half has passed since then, and there have been no relapses.

Galina, 35 years old

I’m not a fan of pills; if something hurts, I always try to treat it with medicinal herbs. I knew about the benefits of fly agaric, but never tried it on myself. Not long ago I began to develop osteochondrosis. The pain is terrible, I can’t turn my head or lie down normally. But this time I didn’t take painkillers. I bought fly agaric tincture. Every day I made compresses with the medicine, when I removed the skin, I washed it and wrapped myself in a woolen scarf. I can say that it has actually become easier. The pain has subsided, the swelling has subsided, and movement is not hampered. If it happens again in the future, I will definitely be treated with fly agaric tincture.

Tincture recipe for cancer patients

Red fly agaric is used to treat tumors of all types. For a liter of vodka you need five mushroom caps. It is believed that the lethal dose is 15 medium caps at one time. In some cases, the cut caps are weighed and poured with vodka in an equal amount. If you collect mushrooms yourself, you need to pick only young ones, without worms. They should be washed and cleaned, then cut, placed in a dark glass container and closed so that air does not penetrate, and buried for a month.

Read also: Is it possible to eat champignons raw if the cap has darkened?

There is a panther mushroom, which is very similar in composition to the red fly agaric, but has a gray cap. It is classified as a toadstool mushroom, characterized by its deadly poison. Some people taste the toadstool and try to eat it. But, as practice shows, it’s better not to eat these mushrooms, whether fried or boiled.

It is allowed to store fly agaric filled with water in the dark at room temperature for a month. After the specified period, the resulting infusion is drained and stored in the refrigerator. It is recommended to use it in increasing order: starting with a drop before meals three times a day and increasing to twenty drops. To reduce the dose - in the same order, and between treatment courses you should take at least a week break. There are only three such courses.

The most effective way to prepare a tincture for cancer pain is considered to be the urine of a male shaman who consumed fly agaric. But for this you need to contact a real shaman in person.