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H&H Winter 08qxd
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Agaricus
Marysia Kratimenos
describes one of the
lesser-known but
important remedies
T
he Fly Agaric fungus is the toad-
stool of fairy tales, a symbol of good
fortune and Christmas, as familiar
as Santa Claus and his reindeer. It is
described as “the quintessential mush-
room”, a potent hallucinogen of deep
shamanic and religious importance.
It is a common sight in the woods of
temperate regions of the northern hemi-
sphere. It probably originated in Siberia
before spreading throughout Europe,
Asia, North and Central America. Un-
fortunately in recent years it has been
hailed as the new “legal high”. Its psycho-
active constituents have led to its misuse
and the dried mushroom is readily avail-
able on “magic mushroom” market stalls.
stem of the mature fungus. As the mush- flies entering the mind. The term “fly”
Botanical facts room grows the characteristic red colour probably also refers to the shamanic
Amanita muscaria, as the Agaricus has develops, punctuated by the white warts. journey between the physical world and
been renamed by botanists, is a large Fungi are devoid of chlorophyll, the the other worlds.
mushroom, up to eight inches in diam- green pigment of plants, which allows Although regarded as poisonous,
eter, and it frequently grows in “fairy them to manufacture their food from air the Amanita is far less toxic than many
rings”, due to its method of spore dis- and sunlight. They belong to a separate other fungi such as the death cap (Aman-
persal. In ancient times these rings of kingdom from plants as they depend on ita phalloides). It is rarely mistaken for
mushrooms were considered a sign of organic material created by other organ- another species except as an immature
fertility and supernatural powers. The isms for their energy; they obtain their button, which can look like a puffball.
fungi grow on rotting leaves beneath nutrients by secreting digestive enzymes Most fatalities occur in young children
beech and pine trees, in the damp of into the food. Their cell wall is made of and those eating the fungus for its hallu-
autumn. Unlike parasitic fungi which chitin, a tough polysaccharide which cinogenic properties. Approximately 1g
destroy plants, the Amanita benefits its insects and crustaceans use in their exter- of muscaria or 50 to 100mg of ibotenic
host tree by enriching the soil. nal skeleton. In essence the fungi span acid would constitute a fatal dose, equiv-
The fungal mycelia grow deep in the the space between plants and animals. alent to ingesting 15 mushroom caps.
earth and the fruiting bodies, the young The common name Fly Agaric The potency of the fungus varies greatly
fungi, emerge enclosed in a warty veil denotes its ancient use as an insecticide according to season, habitat and weather.
reminiscent of a foetal cowl. In bygone (the dried mushroom was sprinkled into Muscimol and ibotenic acid are the psycho-
times babies born in the membrane that milk to stun flies) and also its hallu- active chemicals found in Fly Agaric.
lined the womb were considered witches. cinogenic properties. In medieval times They are close chemically to one another
The remnants of the veil are seen on the insanity was believed to be caused by and the brain chemicals, which explains
14 H&H Winter 2008/2009
the ability of the mushroom to alter con- tees would drink his urine. The hallu- Agaricus the remedy
sciousness and cause “trips”. cinogenic substances are reported to be Agaricus, which was proved by Hahne-
Following ingestion of the Fly active after seven passages through the mann, is a lesser-known homeopathic
Agaric, usually within 30 to 90 minutes, kidneys. Reindeer eat Fly Agaric and remedy, however it remains an impor-
there is often slight nausea and vomit- sometimes the tribesmen would drink tant one. As the fungus is native to
ing. Then the effects on the brain become their urine to obtain the desired state. Siberia, it grows in conditions of extreme
apparent: an initial euphoria, giggling This is undoubtedly the origin of the fly- cold. The rubric “ailments from frost-
and inebriation which can resemble ing reindeer myths. bite” can be a vastly important key to
drunkenness. Indeed Fly Agaric was Amanita combined with cannabis finding this remedy.
added to bootleg liquor to disguise the is believed by many to be the Soma of
low alcohol content. the Vedas, the Ancient Greeks’ ambrosia Other rubrics include:
The second phase of Amanita inges- and the manna of the Bible. Lewis • Ailments from frost, cold, frostbite,
tion is narcotic when one is deeply Carroll described the effects of the com- fright, alcoholism
moved by the wonder of the universe bined hallucinogen. “In a minute or two • Aggravation from motion, coitus,
and visions may occur. The effects can the Caterpillar took the hookah out pressure touch
last for several days. Perception is deeply of its mouth and yawned once or • Headaches with sensation head
altered, colours intensify and the senses twice, and shook itself. Then it got off swollen
merge together, a condition known as the mushroom, and crawled away into • Chorea – involuntary muscle
synesthesia. Colours have smells or the grass, merely remarking as it went, spasms that cease in sleep
sounds; one can taste words or musi- ‘One side will make you grow taller, and • Tubercular types
cal notes. Many artists have the gift of the other side will make you grow • Hydrogenoid diathesesis (Grauvogl)
synesthesia: Van Gogh, Kandinsky, shorter’.” • Loquacity
Mondrian and Baudelaire to mention Lewis Carroll suffered from both • Delirium, confusion
but a few. Mozart reputedly described temporal lobe epilepsy and stammering • Fear of cancer
his music in colours or flavours. – two conditions for which Agaricus is • Chilblains, redness of nose and
Synesthesia occurs when the temp- commonly prescribed and his works pinna with extreme itching
oral lobe of the brain is stimulated, either detail a typical Agaricus epileptic state. • Inco-ordination, muscle spasms
in the context of temporal epilepsy, with
hallucinogenic drugs or in deep religious
or spiritual experiences.
Aldous Huxley describes the won-
drous state of shifting consciousness in
The Doors of Perception. Although
Huxley was actually experimenting with
Anhalonium Lewinii, the peyote mush-
room sacred to Native Americans, his
descriptions of that altered state of
consciousness hold true for Amanita
intoxication. “I was seeing what Adam
saw on the morning of his creation – the
miracle, moment by moment, of naked
existence … The Beatific Vision, Sat Chit
Ananda, Being – awareness – Bliss – for
the first time I understood, not by in-
choate hints or at a distance, but precisely
and completely what those prodigious
syllables referred to.” He was equally
fascinated by the great mystics. He
wanted to experience their world and
believed that mescaline was his passport
there. “Or, short of being born again
as a visionary, a medium, or a musical
genius, how can we ever visit the worlds
which to Blake, to Swedenborg, to
Johann Sebastian Bach, were home?”
Siberian shamans revered the Fly
Agaric. The word shaman means “he or
she who knows”. Shamans underwent
spiritual journeys for the benefit of the
tribe; to traverse the axis mundi in order
to enter the spirit world and receive guid-
ance. Drumming was often deployed to
achieve the trance state. The shaman
would eat of the Fly Agaric and his devo- Photo: British Library Images Online
Winter 2008/2009 H&H 15
Case one problems in children. They are mis- Despite the severity of his condition,
Christopher was a dreamy seven year- chievous, excitable, often “away with Jeremy was cheerful and happy in him-
old, brought to the clinic by his mother. the fairies” and often stammer. In many self. He could see the silver lining in
His teachers were frustrated by his inat- cases their parents have used large quan- every cloud. He had a deep spirituality
tention in class. He was obviously a tities of recreational drugs or alcohol. and bore his suffering stoically. His
bright boy, but did not do well at school. Agaricus is a remedy that should be arthritis had come on after he had been
He was prone to “daydreaming” and considered for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome camping and the weather changed sud-
could not focus in lessons. At times he and for babies born to drug-addicted denly. He was “frost bitten”, “frozen to
could misbehave badly. mothers. the very marrow”, as he described it. His
His mother said that his eyelids well-meaning friends warmed him up
would twitch and then his eyes would Visual problems rapidly in a hot bath and soon after the
glaze over. He would then be unrespon- These are frequent, both in the adults arthritis developed.
sive for several minutes. On question- and children. Apart from twitching of The remedy Agaricus covered every
ing Christopher described synesthesia the eye muscles, there are visual distur- detail of his illness and its causation.
– he was very artistic and he could taste bances, reminiscent of Alice’s fall into Jeremy responded well to it and the
and smell his paintings. He’d go into a the rabbit hole and the distortions of spasms vanished. Slowly the arthritis
trance whilst painting. Flashing lights perception and size, characteristic of improved with continued treatment.
and computer games would also “trance” temporal lobe epilepsy.
him out. The condition was worse in The treatment of epilepsy is obvi- Other conditions
autumn. He travelled to school by bus ously a task for medical homeopaths Agaricus is helpful for many psychiatric
and the light shimmering through the who will prescribe alongside standard conditions, again in conjunction with
trees could precipitate his attacks. anti-epileptic medication. prescribed medication and only in the
It was obvious to me this was not a hands of experienced medically quali-
simple case of inattention and so I asked fied homeopaths. It may help with alco-
for the opinion of a neurologist. He con- hol withdrawal and delirium tremens,
firmed Christopher was suffering with as well as delusional and psychotic states.
temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). His brain Agaricus is also useful for Bell’s palsy,
scan was normal. His mother was offered where a temporary paralysis of the facial
anti-epileptic medication but the neuro- muscles occurs after exposure to a cold
logist said as the condition was mild, he wind. Aconite is the remedy of choice
was happy for her to try homeopathic immediately after the exposure, but
remedies under medical supervision. Agaricus may be prescribed by your doc-
Agaricus worked wonders. Christ- tor as a follow-on remedy particularly
opher’s “trances” stopped completely, if there is a lot of muscle spasm. This
his behaviour improved at school and condition does require a medical diag-
his grades reflected this. He still has the Case two nosis and treatment.
gift of synesthesia, which did bother him Jeremy had a severe inflammatory arthri-
greatly. Once he learnt many great artists tis. All his joints were hot, swollen and Chilblains
suffered from it and TLE, he recognised exquisitely painful. His hips were so sore Agaricus is primarily a remedy for use
how special he was and frequently that he walked with a staggering gait, by medical homeopaths because its
reminded his mother of this! indeed people accused him of being sphere of influence is primarily on
drunk. Conventional painkillers and the nervous system. However, in self-
Multiple sclerosis anti-arthritis drugs gave him stomach prescribing, it is helpful for the treat-
Agaricus is extremely helpful in reduc- problems: intense nausea and acid reflux, ment of chilblains. These are a common
ing the spasms associated with multiple so he was loathe to use them especially problem in the winter months and can
sclerosis and related conditions, for as they had little effect on the pain. cause intense itching and discomfort.
which I have used it successfully on Jeremy had striking muscle spasm, Prevention is better than cure but, if
several occasions. The patients fre- which ceased in his sleep. His body chilblains do develop and are allieviated
quently have an intense fear of devel- would contort with these spasms, and by warmth, Agaricus 6c taken three
oping cancer. Interestingly, some of the he had a bad tic in his left eye. The right times a day may just do the trick.
constituents of the mushroom are pos- shoulder and left leg gave him the most
sibly carcinogenic. Those who respond pain. This diagonal distribution of symp- The materia medica of the fungi is con-
to the remedy often have deep depres- toms is characteristic of Agaricus. He stantly being added to by homeopaths.
sion with their neurological disease, and described the pain as if he were pierced They are a fascinating and very useful
a morbid fascination with their own by hundreds of ice-cold needles. group of remedies.
demise and that of others. Treatment
with Agaricus is helpful in lifting the
mood as well as reducing the spasms.
Marysia Kratimenos MB BS FRCS(Ed) FFHom is on the staff of the RLHH where
Behavioural problems
she is involved in stress clinics, general medicine, paediatrics and neurolinguistic
Some individuals requiring Agaricus
programming. She also teaches on the MFHom course and has a private practice.
show the loquacity and “silliness” seen
in intoxication, particularly the children.
It is a powerful remedy for behavioural
16 H&H Winter 2008/2009
