Mushrooms vary widely in toxicity, even within the same species, depending on local conditions etc. Once can ingest small amounts of 20 “death caps” without harm, and get sick from the 21st.
Considering that it kills by damaging one’s internal organs, the liver and kidneys, I’d use discretion as the better part of valour! There are better ways to ID mushrooms than by taste. Death caps are, allegedly, supposed to taste pretty good …
The fox glove or dog bane besides being poison alsp produces a very useful and strong fiber.
Testing stems for fiber strength is another thing I do somewhat compulsively. I have this long standing hope that I will discover a new strong natural fiber that we can use for bow strings. Primitive bows are required to use natural fiber strings and the linen we buy today is not as strong as the linen used 100 years ago. I have no idea why. I actually have discovered a few fibers strong enough to be considered useful and rediscovered some that have been used for centuries but are not often talked about.
If I were to find something with an interesting taste I would identify and research the plant before I ate any kind of quantities.
I wouldn’t taste poisonous mushrooms either (as I think was clear from my previous post), but the point is, it can be done safely even for the most poisonous of species. To quote expert mycologist Roger Phillips in this book:
No - it wasn’t a feathery leaf like wild carrot - and it was growing in swampy woodland next to a stream - I’m 99% certain it was Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)
Clearly, different experts evidently say different things on this particular point.
Some say you can taste even the most poisionous species (which the “Death Cap” definitely is - it is responsible for some 90% of mushroom poisioning deaths), and you have kindly linked to one; others say “don’t even touch this and put your finger in your mouth” - points I have linked to.
When I see a difference of opinions on the part of the experts, I would be inclined to err on the side of those recommending caution … I would not state that the point has been proved that tasting small amounts is harmless.
I don’t disagree that it is best to err on the side of caution - and in fact, I believe that’s what your cited sources are already doing, in emphasising the risk that way.
Perhaps. There is no real way of knowing that, though.
Much of the expert opinion on this sort of issue is based on anecdote. One could equally well think that the expert saying “tasing small amounts is harmless” is basing that on his personal experiences of doing just that - which could be based on (a) luck, or (b) his own personal reactions. Suceptibility to these types of poisions is very much an individual thing, though. This guy may not be as suceptible as some others. Also, one questions just how often a recognized expert on mushroom identification has actually put some of the “Death Cap” in his mouth. He himself notes there are other ways of IDing them: “… in practice you will soon learn to recognize and so avoid tasting the main poisonous species”. I would presume he learned long ago what the “Death Cap” looks like.
For obvious reasons, there is nothing like a scientific study of people mouthing small amounts of the “Death Cap” available.
Or… my expert could be spot on and yours could be overplaying the risks (because that’s not actually a bad idea when trying to get the message across to the general public). The science behind the calculation of fatal doses has been very well researched and it simply isn’t reasonable to assert that you can seriously poison yourself by just touching them and then putting your fingers in your mouth. I don’t believe there will be a single reported case of someone coming to harm from slight contact with death caps.
Of course it’s not a good idea to collect them in the same container as edible species, because that’s an accident waiting to happen, and it’s not even necessary to use the sense of taste to identify death caps.
I don’t think anyone is alleging that you would die from such a slight contact. However, there is lots of room between “dying” and “perfectly safe”.
I disagree that the effects of doses of the toxins in Death Caps are well known. The problem is that these effects vary considerably by individual, and the mushrooms vary considerably in toxicity.
The problem here is that few people just taste them and spit them out. It just isn’t a very common occurance. For one, those with an interest in mushroom taxonomy usually recognize the “Death Cap” - and would, naturally, be reluctant to put some in their mouth.
In any event, getting slightly ill from mushroom poisioning would probably go unreported. One of the features of poisioning by Death Cap is that the symptoms show up a long time after contact - up to two days. That’s why even in fatal cases it often takes a long time to find the culprit - the poisioned person simply doesn’t connect their distress with the mushroom they ate hours or even days ago.
Sounds similar to pica. If you do it and regret it, why do you keep doing it? Is it an irresistible compulsion? This might be a facet of OCD. Tasting random non-food items that have made your mouth numb before sounds pretty dangerous.
Aside from Datura and Dogbane should I be worried about touching any plant? I saw the recomendation to wear gloves when working with Lily of the Valley, which seems to be a bit overcautious…
I suspect this is another situation where individual tolerances vary widely, or there are other (unreported) factors.*
I grow Brugmansias (a genus related to Datura, and also poisonous). In fall I strip the leaves off by hand in preparation for taking the potted plants indoors for their dormant period. I don’t wear gloves when doing this and have never had any reaction whatsoever.
If Datura was highly toxic to the touch, there’d be tons of reported casualties in areas where jimsonweed grows rampantly. Doesn’t seem to have happened.
