Fly Agaric

Don't eat it!

The toadstool of fairies and gnomes, the Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria, is very common. These fungus grow in conjunction with Birch Trees from the early autumn through to the start of winter.

The white pyramidial warts were scraped off and floated in milk to stupefy flies, giving the fungus it's name. The effects of this fungus have been studied for centuries and it has been used by the Lapps and in Shamanism where ever it grows. The hallucinogenic properties are not at all pleasant. Up to 2 hours after ingesting, the central nervous system is affected . Extreme twitching and convulsions precede dizziness, vomiting out the fungus and the falling into a long and death like sleep. On awakening from a dreams full of vivid illusions, the affected person becomes hyperactive, highly elated and every slight movement has to be accomplished with exaggerated physical effort. A massive leap would be required to clear a little stick.

The fungus is eaten avidly by Reindeer who seem to enjoy the bizarre effects. The Lapps learned by observing the reindeer to lessen the side effects and would take the drug by drinking the saved urine of a shaman who was nuts enough who had previously taken the whole dose.

Fly agarics have been linked to Santa Claus. If you take a red coat and white baubled hat, add a character from Lapland that flies around on a sled with Reindeer and jumps effortlessly in and out to chimneys, it could well be the subject of an hallucination.

We all know the phrase going beserk. It is also believed that the berserkers took the fungus to give them courage and agility before going into battle.

Today I very much doubt there are many people that would be stupid enough to try to eat a Fly Agaric. It's not one that would be suggested to even the most experimental of drug takers!