Volume 187, 1 July 2016, Pages 1–8
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva cesta 7, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija
- Received 24 July 2015, Revised 26 January 2016, Accepted 6 April 2016, Available online 7 April 2016
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Fly
control is necessary for maintaining good hygiene on farms. Because
organic farmers are skeptical about chemical pesticides, alternative fly
control remedies are being considered. Amanita muscaria is a
widespread fungus that contains ibotenic acid and muscimol. This fungus
has been used to catch flies for centuries, but traditional recipes are
poorly described, documented and characterized.
Aim of the study
The aim of the present study was to collect the traditional methods for preparing A. muscaria
for catching flies in Karst and Gorjanci and to investigate the
influence of different traditional methods on the release of ibotenic
acid and muscimol from the fungal material.
Materials and methods
The
research was conducted in villages in Karst and in the foothills of
Gorjanci, Slovenia. Data regarding the traditional recipes of A. muscaria
for catching flies were collected through structured interviews with 31
people in Karst and 28 in Gorjanci. Eight preparations were prepared
based on traditional methods, and the amount of ibotenic acid and
muscimol released from the fungal material at five different time points
(0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 24 h) was determined by high-performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC).
Results
Detailed
descriptions of preparations used for catching flies were obtained from
three informants in Karst, who were originally from other parts of
Slovenia, and 13 informants in the foothills of Gorjanci. However, there
were no reports regarding current usage. A total of 9 different methods
were collected. Some methods were simple and included soaking in milk
or water or dripping a little milk onto the mushroom. Others were more
complex and included a combination of heat or mechanical processing and
soaking in milk or water. For all preparations, the release of ibotenic
acid was time-dependent, with the extracted amount increasing over time.
Although milk was used more often than water in the traditional
recipes, the release of both substances was not dependent on the solvent
used. Fungal material that was exclusively soaked in water or milk
released the smallest amount of ibotenic acid and muscimol at each time
point. Additional heat and mechanical processing led to faster release
of ibotenic acid and muscimol from the fungal material.
Conclusions
The tradition of using A. muscaria
for catching flies was present in Gorjanci but not in Karst. The
methods used to prepare the fungal material vary, and these differences
are reflected in the release profile of ibotenic acid.
Graphical abstract
Abbreviations
- IBO, Ibotenic acid;
- MUS, Muscimol;
- HFBA, Heptafluorobutyric acid;
- HPLC, High-performance liquid chromatography
Chemical compounds studied in this article
- Ibotenic acid (PubChem CID: 1233);
- Muscimol (PubChem CID: 4266)
Keywords
- Amanita muscaria;
- Mushroom;
- Fungi;
- Fly control;
- Ibotenic acid;
- Muscimol
