Thai Students Hospitalised After Death Cap Stew

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Thai Students Hospitalised After Death Cap Stew

A group of language students from Thailand are recovering in a Swedish hospital after making a home cooked meal with poisonous mushrooms.

Despite consulting a book about the dos and don’ts of mushroom picking in Sweden, the 10 students still proceeded to make the mistake of picking poisonous fungi, possibly including the potentially-deadly death cap mushrooms while foraging for their dinner.

“They could have died,” said Urban Safwenberg, at the emergency healthcare services in the Uppsala University Hospital. “As it could be a case of poisoning we have taken all 10 in for care. Early intervention can be decisive to prevent fatalities if it concerns a death cap or fly agaric mushroom,” added Safwenberg in an interview with broadcaster TV4 Nyherterna Uppsala.

Soon after guzzling down their potentially lethal meal, the group experienced symptoms of diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Mushroom picking is a popular pastime at this time of year in Sweden and the country’s forests have produced a bumper crop in 2010. As the conditions are right for all kinds of mushrooms to flourish, however, poisoning incidents have also risen dramatically.

Source: http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?news_id=7350&coun_code=se

SCANDASIA

-- 2010-09-27

[Thaddeus]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

[sibeymai]

Should have gone mushroom picking in Mullimbimby instead.

[SamritT]

Magic mushroom?

[PattayaParent]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

[cusanus]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

Not very much, no, but you're a fool either way. I've been picking and eating for 50 years, but still mistook some young Clarkeinda trachoides for shaggy manes near Chiang Mai. I'm told that eight people died near there after eating them a couple of years ago at a group dinner. I wouldn't let the hospital touch me, I'd rather die than be walking around with someone else's liver. My blood pressure was 56/55 when I left. I'm hardly able to eat a mushroom of any kind since. Think of a Big Bang on both ends at the same time. Or how about a dual valve firehouse? No, sir, that experience left an impression, good thing I keep in good physical shape or I wouldn't have pulled through. As near as I can tell, these are more lethal than death caps, which are usually fatal. I read that they're quite a problem in China; otherwise, don't hear about them very often. Recommend you look at some pictures of these if you're into mushroom hunting, these are really bad, and there's quite a few in Thailand. Message me for some if you like (photos, not mushrooms, Einstein).

[canmaninpat]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

The Darwinian process in action

[Jimi007]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

Not very much, no, but you're a fool either way. I've been picking and eating for 50 years, but still mistook some young Clarkeinda trachoides for shaggy manes near Chiang Mai. I'm told that eight people died near there after eating them a couple of years ago at a group dinner. I wouldn't let the hospital touch me, I'd rather die than be walking around with someone else's liver. My blood pressure was 56/55 when I left. I'm hardly able to eat a mushroom of any kind since. Think of a Big Bang on both ends at the same time. Or how about a dual valve firehouse? No, sir, that experience left an impression, good thing I keep in good physical shape or I wouldn't have pulled through. As near as I can tell, these are more lethal than death caps, which are usually fatal. I read that they're quite a problem in China; otherwise, don't hear about them very often. Recommend you look at some pictures of these if you're into mushroom hunting, these are really bad, and there's quite a few in Thailand. Message me for some if you like (photos, not mushrooms, Einstein).

I read almost every year around where I have a house in California that some group, many times an Asian family, pick deadly wild mushrooms and have liver failure. Death caps are all around that area. I've seen them many times. We have a fungus fair every fall that's quite impressive. I have books on wild mushrooms, but I've always been afraid to pick them, just for the reason you stated...

[dasy]

Here's what it looks like and the description. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_phalloides

Cheers and happy baking

Should have gone mushroom picking in Mullimbimby instead.

Edited September 27, 2010 by dasy

[tomyummer]

Let's stick to buying from the super markets rather than saving a few dollars. Free mushrooms...hospital visit...free mushrooms...chances of dying and puking your internals out...

[Thaddeus]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

The Darwinian process in action

And really didn't deserve the red a kind gentleman gave me.

[souvenirdeparis]

looking at pics doesn't help; you've got to have someone from the place show you the edible species . Some are easy to know, others

are difficult to tell apart ;looking at the book was their mistake, gave them false confidence . To answer a post, no, they weren't looking for magic mushrooms .The psylocibins commonly found in Europe are tiny and can't be mistaken for edible ones , and shouldn't send one to hospital; nobody would dare eat the deadly ammanites .I'd never touch a Thaï mushroom with a three foot pole ( just touching then touching your face near the eye can be an experience one doesn't forget).

[souvenirdeparis]

reminds me of the mousserons ( : mush rooms) east of France after Tchernobyl; nobody ate them of course, so they were all around the meadows, growing incredibly big and fat and appealing. Wild hogs in Europe still show high radio activity from mushrooms .

[agudbuk]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

The Darwinian process in action

And really didn't deserve the red a kind gentleman gave me.

I'll let you have a green to compensate.

Some people just don't understand black humour or irony

[katana]

There was a similar story reported recently on the BBC website. Two Thai women mistakenly ate some death cap mushrooms on the Isle of Wight, with one of them dying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8574915.stm

Edited September 27, 2010 by katana

[Thaddeus]

To answer a post, no, they weren't looking for magic mushrooms.

I think that it could be safe to assume that they are not poor farm boys for a couple of reasons, firstly, if they were at least one or more of them would have been able to spot a dodgy mushroom without the aid of a book, and secondly, what would a bunch of farm boys be doing in Sweden anyway.

Foraging for food? would a non farm boy Thai do that. I'm not so sure, but I think there is a very good chance they were actually looking for more than a snack.

[agudbuk]

I heard that there are a number of Thai workers in the forests of Sweden at this time of year who earn money from the collection of wild forest berries. That would put Thai people in the right place at the right time picking their own "wrong" snack

[edgarfriendly]

10 ten students and none could see they were NOT the edible kind....?

hmmm.

and how much would a kilo of market mushrooms cost in sweden?

too much for 10 ten foreign exchange students to gather?

hmmm.

im glad MY brain works.

ef

[Kilgore Trout]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

They don't look anything alike; psilocybn mushrooms usually only grow out of piles of crap and only at night. The fly agaric mushrooms these folks ate are stout mushrooms with a red cap and white spots; like the one in alice and wonderland.The ones they ate though, as well as being highly toxic do contain a hallucinogen; bufetonin I believe which no one in their right mind would take for fun; it creates nightmare like effects and can cause people to go insane. I believe its similar to belladonna. Shamen in China would ingest them but in order to make less toxic someone else would eat the mushroom and the shamen would drink his urine.

[Jirapa]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

It looks like those big mushrooms you see in fairy tales, bright red on top with white spots and white stalks. You know the ones! the ones that pixies, imps and caterpillars smoking bongs sit on. They're really dangerous but if anyone's interested peel off the red and white spotted skin and bake it in the oven on a really low heat for an hour or till on the skin turns easily to dust when rubbed between your fingers. Throw away the rest of the mushroom as the white meat of the mushroom can kill you. You can eat the dried out skin but the safest way to take it is to smoke it as the more you smoke the more of a hit you get and smoke a lot and you will hallucinate.

I'm not condoning anyone getting high on legal highs or illicit ones but if you are going to experiment with death caps do it right!

[onnut]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

They don't look anything alike; psilocybn mushrooms usually only grow out of piles of crap and only at night. The fly agaric mushrooms these folks ate are stout mushrooms with a red cap and white spots; like the one in alice and wonderland.The ones they ate though, as well as being highly toxic do contain a hallucinogen; bufetonin I believe which no one in their right mind would take for fun; it creates nightmare like effects and can cause people to go insane. I believe its similar to belladonna. Shamen in China would ingest them but in order to make less toxic someone else would eat the mushroom and the shamen would drink his urine.

The Vikings did that before going on their travels. the women would eat the mushrooms and then bottle their urin and the vikings would drink it before going ashore in the country they were about to rape and pillage. it made them go crazy and gave them some courage.

Edited September 27, 2010 by onnut

[Jirapa]

They're 10 Thai students in Europe who had a book and must speak a bit of English and "Death Cap" speaks for itself. If it was called "Happy Smiley Goodtime" I could understand picking and eating it. Let's face it I'm not too used to snakes as I don't see that many but if I saw a red one with white spots I wouldn't pick it up. Obviously they were looking for a high as death caps are legendary!

[Jirapa]

Magic mushroom?

Maybe what they were looking for but got the wrong thing.

does the death cap look like the magic mushroom?

It looks like those big mushrooms you see in fairy tales, bright red on top with white spots and white stalks. You know the ones! the ones that pixies, imps and caterpillars smoking bongs sit on. They're really dangerous but if anyone's interested peel off the red and white spotted skin and bake it in the oven on a really low heat for an hour or till on the skin turns easily to dust when rubbed between your fingers. Throw away the rest of the mushroom as the white meat of the mushroom can kill you. You can eat the dried out skin but the safest way to take it is to smoke it as the more you smoke the more of a hit you get and smoke a lot and you will hallucinate.

I'm not condoning anyone getting high on legal highs or illicit ones but if you are going to experiment with death caps do it right!

They're 10 Thai students in Europe who had a book and must speak a bit of English and "Death Cap" speaks for itself. If it was called "Happy Smiley Goodtime" I could understand picking and eating it. Let's face it I'm not too used to snakes as I don't see that many but if I saw a red one with white spots I wouldn't pick it up. Obviously they were looking for a high as death caps/flyagarric are legendary!

[animatic]

I have on rare occasion eaten wild mushrooms,but not before vetting them with

no less than three accurately color photographed, and concurring descriptive reference books were consulted. And then in tiny quantities for an hour or more before actual making a meal of it.

It is not a recommended practice, if your scientific reading skills are not up to snuff.

Edited September 27, 2010 by animatic

[Tokay]

The Darwinian process in action

Amen to that.

[asiawatcher]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

Enough said...

[block2]

Magic mushroom?

"experienced symptoms of diarrhoea and stomach cramps."

That is not magic mushrooms....

magic mushrooms make a lovely cuppa

[bangkokbruce]

They consulted a book and still didn't learn anything.

Enough said...

Sounds like the University students in my village...didnt learn a dam_n thing and still living with their parents and no job. TIT

[fire and ice]

But ALL mushrooms are disgusting!! :bah:

They are the most foul thing in existence & all should be regarded as poison.

YEEEECCH!!

:bah:

[-jr-]

The ability of posters here to laugh at other people's misfortune astounded me. Sympathy is apparently too much to ask for.