Still Wanted: Amanita smithiana

By: Joe Cohen

Amanita smithiana is unique in North America for how it causes life-threatening renal injury (as well as less severe liver injury). Leading medical toxicology texts claim to know the purported toxin (“allenic norleucine”), and that’s taught to every medical toxicologist in the county. 

But that claim is unproven. The medical and mycological literature contains very little data — only a few case reports with varying degrees of completeness to their presented data. 

Dr. Cowdery’s study seeks to define the range of allenic norleucine content in A. smithiana as the first step in investigating whether this chemical is truly the cause of A. smithiana‘s ability to cause life-threatening poisoning.

The study will use mass spectrometry to analyze the chemistry of suspected Amanita smithiana specimens.

Prior to performing mass spectrometry, the samples will be bar-coded (sequenced) to confirm their identity. (Some samples were collected in 2024 by citizen scientists, including OMS members.) 

To help with the study please collect and submit samples of Amanita smithiana using the following protocol. Note the difference between A. smithiana and a close look-alike, A. silvicola (Woodland Amanita). 

A. smithiana has a longer tapered, spindle-shaped or somewhat bulbous base.	A. silvicola is shorter and has an abruptly bulbous base.

Collection and Submission Protocol

1. Take in situ photographs and upload them to iNaturalist (iNat) or Mushroom Observer (MO) as an observation with location data. It helps to include notes about the immediate surroundings (e.g., nearby trees, general habitat, etc.)
2. Weigh the mushroom.
3. Dehydrate the mushroom.
   Preparation: Cut the mushroom parallel to the stem into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices.
   Preferred dehydration method:
   Food dehydrator, set to 105-125⁰ F, continued until specimens are brittle.
   (This may require 12-48 hours of drying depending on temperature, humidity, and the mushroom’s water content. ).
   Oven drying is potentially another option, dependent on your particular oven and whether it is able to provide an appropriately lower temperature in the 105-125⁰ F range. Some ovens offer proofing, warming, or air sous vide settings which can be appropriate, but otherwise, it is best to avoid the use of an oven that may get too hot and damage DNA or other chemical components.
4. Place it in a package with a slip of paper which includes the iNat or MO observation number and pre-dehydration weight of the mushroom. You may also include your name and whether the photos may be included in a future publication about this research. Absent explicit permission, your photographs will not be used. If you chose to not attach specific location data to the observation for any reason, please consider indicating in which state/county the mushroom was found!
5. Mail to:
   Oregon Poison Center
   Attn: Colleen Cowdery
   3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, CSB 550
   Portland, OR 97239-3011
   
   or
   
   Washington Poison Center
   Attn: Colleen Cowdery; A. smithiana study
   155 NE 100th St, Suite 100
   Seattle, WA 98125

---

1. Colleen Cowdery, MD is Chief Medical Officer of the Washington Poison Center, a former fellow of the Oregon Poison Center, and continues to work with the Oregon Poison Center as a medical toxicologist and researcher. ↩︎
2. Amanita smithiana Seasonality for Oregon and Washington (from iNaturalist). ↩︎

---