Picking mushrooms in Huldah forest (video editor: Maya Ben-Nissen, photography: Ziv Reinstein)
If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you probably also watched the Smurfs' plots.
This cheerful group, which faces the harassment of the evil Gargamel, lives inside a red mushroom with white dots, which has become one of the distinctive symbols of the well-known children's series.
The lesser known fact about this series (even for its devout viewers) is that the same red mushroom, which for many children around the world was depicted as a rather lovable home - is nothing less than the fly artist (Amanita muscaria), a poisonous mushroom, the consumption of which can cause, among other things, severe hallucinations.
So, although this red mushroom is not found in Israel, its 3 relatives from the amaranth family are among those responsible for the worst poisonings that have occurred in our country.
Now, a new study presented at the first Israeli wild mushroom conference and published soon in KKL-Junk's "Yer" magazine and Mycology magazine - expands the existing knowledge about poisoning in Israel: among other things, the study found that about 40 percent of poisonings occur among children up to the age of 6. These figures are also disturbing because since the outbreak of the Corona epidemic in 2020, there has been an increase in poisoning cases in Israel.
There is no easy way to distinguish between a poisonous mushroom and an edible one.
False artist's mushroom (Photo: Alona Bikatova)
According to a survey by the Association for Wild Mushrooms in Israel, in our country there are close to 750 known species of mushrooms: 135 species of which are good for food, about 600 are on the range between edible under certain conditions and suspected of being toxic or about which there is a lack of information, 3 species contain hallucinogens ( psychoactive substances that may cause hallucinations) and 3 species - the spring artist (Amanita verna) with the fleshy "hat", the death artist (Amanita phalloides) with its spherical dome and the scarlet maritain (Lepiota brunneoincarnata) with the brown "hat" - contain toxins (from the cyclopeptide group ) that inhibit the protein production mechanism in the body, damage mainly the liver and that their consumption can cause death.
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The new study was conducted by Dr. Dalia Levinson, a mycologist (mushroom researcher) from the Shamir Institute for Research and the student Aviad Gaon, Dr. Alona Bikatova from Kew Gardens in England, in collaboration with Prof. Didi Benator and Dr. Yael Luria from the National Institute for Poisoning Information in the Medical District Rambam, and was presented at the first conference on wild mushrooms in Israel, organized by the Association for Wild Mushrooms in Israel, the Israel Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, KKL-Junk, the Shamir Institute, Miguel - a scientific research institute in the Galilee, the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Tel Hai Academic College.
The study shows that 2020 was a turning point in Israeli-mushroom relations: with the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, more residents went out into the nature close to their homes, and the interest in collecting wild mushrooms grew.
However, along with the interest, came the poisonings.
In addition, according to Levinson, various publications on social networks - by picking guides as well as by independent mushroom enthusiasts - have an impact on the trend in question.
"The discovery of mushrooms is reminiscent of hunting, in that it arouses excitement, and also our curiosity and our sense of adventure," she explains.
The corona virus was a turning point.
A poisonous summer leafy green mushroom (photo: Yehudit Golan)
According to Levinson, the mushrooms themselves also added to the upward trend in question, because they had optimal conditions for them: in 2020, the precipitation reached us even when the weather was hot and humid, and all of this led to their increased appearance.
Toxic or non-toxic, that is the question
The new study found that in 2010-2020 there were 614 cases of poisoning from wild mushrooms.
Compared to other countries, we are actually in a not bad situation: while only 0.17 percent of all inquiries about poisoning in Israel were due to eating a poisonous mushroom, in Switzerland, for example, it is 1.7 percent.
Of those 614 cases, 41 percent occurred among adults (over the age of 18), 39 percent occurred among children up to the age of 6, and 9 percent among teenagers aged 13-16.
In addition, these cases were more common among men.
According to Levinson, children tend to be curious and therefore they taste different things that pop in their path and on the ground, among others - mushrooms.
Apart from the artists and the scarlet moth that are responsible for the most severe poisonings - mushrooms of the type Inocybe, which contain a poison that causes, among other things, an increased secretion of saliva and sweat, constriction of the pupils and a drop in blood pressure, and summer leaf greens (Chlorophyllum molybdites) that cause severe disturbances in the digestive system - are the ones that caused the poisonings the most common in Israel.
Do not collect without a qualified guide.
A swamp artist is eaten (Photo: Tamar Levinson)
While most poisonings occur in the winter, since this is the season when most mushrooms emerge above the ground, the summer leafy green actually grows in the summer (as its name suggests), in grasses, and is therefore responsible for most cases of poisoning in the warm months.
And if you're also used to the fact that the "correct" setting for picking mushrooms that turn out to be deadly is a forest, you might be surprised to learn that lawns - public and domestic - were the habitat that led to the greatest number of poisonings.
How do you continue to collect but also protect yourself from poisoning?
"Differentiating poisonous mushrooms from edible mushrooms cannot rely on smell, taste or cooking that will neutralize the toxins - because they contain substances that are resistant to heat," explains Levinson.
Therefore, she recommends not to collect without a qualified guide or without prior and in-depth knowledge.
"Publicizing the poisoning cases and raising awareness among the public about the dangers of picking could help reduce the poisoning cases. In addition, it is important to keep children away from mushrooms that grow in lawns."
However, and although their incorrect use may cause illness and even death, mushrooms are essential for all of us: they are responsible for the breakdown and recycling of natural substances, contribute to the growth of trees and plants and are used to produce various medicines, such as penicillin.
Due to all these - it would be appropriate if we protected them better from human harm.
"Climatic changes such as dry years and accelerated urbanization processes that cause the reduction of natural areas - harm their distribution," Levinson explains.
In addition, Israel is a semi-desert country, so the amount of mushrooms here is small compared to other regions.
Therefore, the importance of nature reserves to protect the distribution of mushrooms is crucial.
"Without nature reserves in Israel, where harvesting is prohibited, their situation would probably be worse," says Levinson.
"That's why we need to guide the public to preserve nature and pick more modestly, so that the mushrooms will continue to grow here in the years to come."
The article was prepared by Azula - the news agency of the Israeli Association for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
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