Influence of Preparation Methods on the Concentrations of Lead and Cadmium in Amanita muscaria Products

In recent years, the consumption of <i>Amanita muscaria</i> has gained popularity as a perceived natural alternative to psychoactive substances, often promoted online for its supposed therapeutic properties. However, the safety of such preparations remains largely unverified, particularly with regard to toxic element content. The present study focused on evaluating how different preparation methods affect the concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the most commonly consumed <i>Amanita muscaria</i> products. A total of 50 mushroom caps were collected in October 2024 from the Stąporków Forest District in central Poland. Seven types of preparations were analyzed: dried with skin, dried without skin, tincture (mineralized and direct), boiled, fermented, infusion, and decoction. Samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS); depending on the preparation type, some underwent acid digestion prior to measurement. Statistically significant differences in lead concentrations were observed between the various preparation types (<i>p</i> = 0.002; η² = 0.97). Lead levels in the direct tincture were significantly higher than those in the boiled (<i>p</i> = 0.001), infusion (<i>p</i> = 0.001), decoction (<i>p</i> = 0.009), and dried without skin (<i>p</i> = 0.04) forms. Significant differences in cadmium concentrations were also found (<i>p</i> = 0.006; η² = 0.94), with lower Cd levels in the decoction compared to the dried with skin (<i>p</i> = 0.009) and without skin (<i>p</i> = 0.001), as well as in the fermented form compared to the dried samples (<i>p</i> = 0.03 and <i>p</i> = 0.004, respectively). These findings demonstrate that the type of preparation significantly influences the levels of cadmium and lead in <i>Amanita muscaria</i> products. While aqueous and fermented preparations showed reduced metal concentrations, none can be considered entirely safe, as even lower levels of Cd and Pb may pose health risks with frequent or excessive consumption.