Red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria L.)

The red fly agaric is a poisonous mushroom, a member of the Fly agaric family (Amanitaceae).

Description:

Cap 10-20 cm, in young mushrooms almost spherical, in mature mushrooms convex or flat, with a slightly striped edge. The skin is bright red or orange, with large white or slightly yellowish warts. The flesh is white, slightly yellowish under the skin. The plates are free, wide, white. The leg is white, solid, club-shaped, with a swollen base, covered with rows of white flaky warts – the remnants of an adherent Volvo, on the upper part of the leg there is a white or yellowish, softly hanging ring. Spores are colorless, smooth, ellipsoidal, 8-10 x 6-7 µ.

Contains active substances:

In addition to the highly poisonous alkaloids muscarine and muscaridine, which cause severe poisoning, the fruiting bodies of the red fly agaric contain the coloring antibiotic substance muscarufin. According to its chemical nature, muscarufine, an orange-red pigment, belongs to polyporic acid derivatives, which are distinguished by antitumor activity.

Medicinal use:

The red fly agaric is used in homeopathy for the preparation of the product “Agaricus muscarius”, which has a fairly wide application: for vasospasm, epileptic and choreic conditions, multiple sclerosis, tonsillitis, functional disorders of the spinal cord, also during a difficult menopausal period. The red fly agaric is used in folk medicine. Extracts and tinctures from its fruiting bodies are used in the treatment of rheumatic pains. Mushrooms are kept cut for 1-2 days, then the juice is squeezed out (or chopped mushrooms are taken), alcohol is added, buried in the ground for 9 days (to ensure a uniform temperature), sometimes they simply insist on alcohol, used as rubbing for rheumatism. There is another way to prepare fly agaric extracts: the fly agaric fruiting bodies are put in a pot, smeared with dough, and baked in the oven. Then strain the juice, which is stored in a tightly sealed container.