Danger Dust

The fool's funnel mushroom is also known as the false champignon and can easily be confused with the real champignon. Only when the mushroom is damaged by cutting, cooking or digestion, an enzyme releases the poisonous muscarine from this precursor molecule.

In other mushrooms however, muscarine is already present in its active form. It is not uncommon for organisms to show defense and protective reactions when they are damaged, for example by being eaten by animals.

The mixture of free active and "hidden" inactive muscarine, which only becomes active poison when eaten, increases the danger of certain types of mushrooms such as the funnel mushrooms. These results could help doctors and toxicologists to better assess the actual danger of certain types of fungi and treat poisoning more efficiently.