Dangerous Fashion: Dozens of People Hospitalized in Łódź

Prof. Anna Krakowiak from the Toxicology Department of the Central Clinical Hospital in Łódź, in an interview with reporters from Polsat's "Wydarzenia" program, points out that people who consume fly agarics fall into two groups. The first are those seeking hallucinogenic experiences, while the second are those who believe in their pain-relieving and anti-anxiety properties. Experimenting with these mushrooms, however, can have tragic consequences. Several dozen patients were admitted to the Łódź hospital visited by "Wydarzenia" reporters after being poisoned by fly agarics .

Dangerous trend. Dozens of people were hospitalized in Łódź after being poisoned by fly agaric mushrooms.

One of them, a 44-year-old man, was admitted in a state of extreme agitation—he was struggling and screaming—which necessitated the use of coercive measures. As Professor Anna Krakowiak describes, after several days of symptomatic treatment, his condition improved, but due to severe mental disorders, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Another patient, brought from Inowrocław, despite prompt medical intervention, suffered such severe liver damage that a transplant was necessary. However, the most serious cases, experts point out, involve multiple organ damage, which can result in death.

Fly agarics contain poisonous substances such as muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscazone. Despite being considered a "miracle cure" for various ailments in alternative medicine, doctors warn that experimenting with fly agarics can have tragic consequences .

Experts emphasize that there is no safe dose of fly agaric. As Sebastian Piskorski, spokesman for the Polish Mycological Society, explained in an interview with "Wydarzenia," approximately 15 fruiting bodies are considered a lethal dose, but we never know exactly how much toxin is contained in the collected mushrooms.

Violating this ban may cost up to PLN 1 million.

Officials are posting warnings on local sanitary and epidemiological stations' websites against collecting and eating fly agarics. Selling these mushrooms has been illegal in Poland since last year , and violating the ban carries a fine ranging from 20,000 PLN to as much as 1 million PLN.

The toxins found in fly agarics have also been classified as psychoactive substances. However, nothing protects like prudence and common sense.

(Source: Polsat News)