Mushroom phobia is NOT unfounded.
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Man, 82, dies from eating wild mushrooms
By Catherine Saillant
March 12, 2009 [/COLOR]
An adventurous spirit, Angelo Crippa often foraged for wild mushrooms in the hills above Santa Barbara.
But the 82-year-old's lifelong hobby turned tragic when he mistakenly picked the wrong ones in a wooded park near Arroyo Burro Beach, sautéing them with a steak for what would be his last meal.
Crippa died a week ago at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, seven days after he ate a heaping plate of the deadly
Amanita ocreata mushrooms, said his wife, Joan Crippa.
Known as "death angel" for its snow-white appearance, the fungus has deadly toxins that worked their way through Crippa's system, sickening him and eventually causing his liver to fail.
Family members had often warned Crippa against indulging in his passion for hunting wild mushrooms, an activity he learned from his Italian immigrant parents, his wife said.
"You couldn't tell him anything because he'd been so lucky for 82 years," she said.
Illness caused by eating poisonous mushrooms is not unusual. In California last year, 895 people were sickened by mushrooms, health officials say. Of those, five had major health problems, such as liver failure leading to coma, liver transplant or renal failure requiring dialysis. One died. Most cases result in mild symptoms such as dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps, according to officials at the California Poison Control System.
I have eaten hundreds of wild mushrooms in my day and had access to unlimited supply. In any case.... I still went ahead and learned ALL of the wild mushrooms which grew in my state. Instead of knowing only the one you want, it's better to know them all. It takes only one copycat growing amongst the halu's to bring you to ur knees.... maybe permanently.
Know them all...at least ur local varieties.