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Japanese Use Of Beni-Tengu-Dake (Amanita Muscaria) And The Efficacy Of Traditional Detoxification Methods, Allan Grady Phipps

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The poisonous fruiting bodies of Amanita muscaria (L. ex Fr.) Pers, ex Hook, are harvested by rural inhabitants of Sanada Town, Japan. These mountain villagers consume beni-tengu-take as a local delicacy, despite its potential hallucinogenic effects. The Japanese use several methods to detoxify beni-tengu-take, but believe pickling the mushrooms to be the safest. Other methods of preparation include grilling and drying the mushrooms. I documented the preparation and consumption of each detoxification method through local interviews with Japanese informants. I then used ion-interaction rp-HPLC to quantify the hallucinogenic compounds, ibotenic acid and muscimol, and determined the efficacy of each traditional …