How to isolate poison from mushrooms. Beware of poisonous mushrooms: a selection of famous species

Harmless mushrooms, "elite" white, dubious "cow's lips" and definitely poisonous fly agaric. But is the edibility of mushrooms always obvious? Let's see which mushrooms are the most poisonous.

The most poisonous mushrooms in Russia

Fly agaric is the most famous poisonous mushroom in Russian forests. The red fly agaric has been familiar to everyone since childhood, but he has many brothers who are much more dangerous than himself. The poisonous subspecies include the shell fly agaric, the smelly fly agaric and the pale grebe. Amanita muscaria is poisonous, but fatal cases of poisoning by it are rare. It contains small amounts of the poison muscarine.

Timely seeking medical help leads to recovery. Tincture of red fly agaric is even used for medicinal purposes. And if you believe the Scandinavian legends, then the soldiers were given a small piece of fly agaric before the battle. Those who ate such a “vitamin” became insensitive to pain. This is because the fly agaric contains an alkaloid - bufotetin, which is a strong psychotropic and hallucinogenic substance. The red fly agaric is ubiquitous. Its ripening period is from late June to late autumn. Its bright colors warn of danger and protect the mushroom from encroachment.

The smelly fly agaric is closest to the pale grebe in terms of the content of toxins and toxic substances. But these mushrooms are poisoned very rarely. The unpleasant smell of rotten potatoes does not make you want to try them. It grows from June to October in mixed and coniferous forests. Pale grebe is the most dangerous mushroom growing in Russian forests. A quarter of a hat is enough to poison an adult. At the same time, people who survived the poisoning claim that the mushroom is very tasty. Pale grebe contains amanitotoxin - a terrible poison that is not destroyed by heat treatment. Poisoning with this mushroom is dangerous, primarily because the symptoms do not appear immediately, but a day or even three after eating the mushroom. The chances of survival depend on how healthy the person is and how much toadstool they have eaten. The first symptoms of poisoning are headache, nausea, and weakness. Then there is severe vomiting and diarrhea, the pulse becomes thready, often the liver is enlarged. The cause of death is toxic hepatitis or acute heart failure.

Pale grebe is easy to confuse with russula, greenfinches, champignons. The main distinguishing feature of grebes is a tuberous thickening at the bottom of the leg, the so-called Volvo calyx, from where the fungus grows. On the leg, a white ring is clearly visible.

What other signs can distinguish a poisonous mushroom from an edible one?

The main sign of a poisonous mushroom is the content of deadly substances in it, and not the external “otherness” to “good mushrooms”. Often, poisonous mushrooms have no characteristic signs at all; flakes on a fly agaric hat, for example, can be washed away by rain.

There are many misconceptions that supposedly allow you to distinguish a poisonous mushroom from an edible one. Here are the most common ones.

Poisonous mushrooms have a bitter taste and an unpleasant smell. But the same pale toadstool practically does not smell, and some claim that its smell is similar to the smell of champignon.

The belief that worms and snails do not eat poisonous mushrooms is also false. They gnaw them no less than edible mushrooms. The opinion that a silver spoon will turn black in a decoction of poisonous mushrooms is also incorrect. The spoon darkens on contact with the sulfur contained in mushrooms, regardless of their toxicity.

Onions and garlic turn blue when touched due to the presence of the tyrosinase enzyme in it, and not toxic substances. So which mushrooms can be safely put in a basket, which ones should be avoided, and what are conditionally edible mushrooms?

Conditionally edible and poisonous mushrooms

There is also a group of inedible mushrooms. They do not contain harmful substances, but have a bitter taste and an unpleasant odor. Eating them does not cause poisoning, but may cause mild stomach upset. Inedible mushrooms include, for example, mustard or gall fungus, false chanterelles, emetic russula, etc.

Mushrooms are poisonous and contain toxins that cause poisoning. Such mushrooms retain their qualities after any type of processing: boiling, soaking, salting, drying, etc. Approximately 25 types of mushrooms are considered the most dangerous. Among them are smelly and panther fly agarics, pale grebe, Patuillard fiber, some types of umbrellas and talkers. These mushrooms, of course, need to be known by sight in order to avoid dangerous mistakes when picking.

What is the most poisonous mushroom in the world?

Rumors about his super poisonousness are caused in many respects by his unusual appearance. Another name for this mushroom is strawberries with cream. Indeed, at first glance, it is very similar to this dessert, and even the aroma resembles a delicious treat. The surface of the mushroom is velvety, white, strewn with scarlet drops. These drops are secreted by the fungus itself - in this way it lures the insects that it feeds on. With age, the mushroom loses its beauty and becomes an inconspicuous brown color. Also, with age, sharp outgrowths appear along the edges of the cap, in which spores ripen. Hence the word "tooth" in the title.

Until recently, this fungus was found in the forests of North America, Australia and Europe. But the facts of its growth are already known in Russian forests, for example, in the Komi Republic.

Picking mushrooms is an interesting and exciting activity, but you need to approach it with all seriousness in order to avoid sad consequences.

By the way, mushrooms are among the largest creatures in the world because of the huge myceliums. According to the site, even the largest tree in the world, the sequoia, is inferior to them in size.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

Before you put a mushroom in your mouth, you must be sure that you are eating an edible mushroom, as there are a small number of species in the world that are poisonous. Most of them will only cause an upset stomach, but there are those that, if ingested, will cause no small harm to it and can even cause death. Below is a list with photos of the ten most poisonous and deadly species of mushrooms for humans.

Olive omfalot is a poisonous mushroom that grows in wooded areas on rotten stumps, rotten trunks of deciduous trees in Europe, mainly in the Crimea. Notable for its bioluminescence properties. In appearance, it resembles a fox, but unlike it, the olive omphalot has an unpleasant odor and contains the illudin S toxin, which, when ingested, leads to very severe pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Russula stinging is widespread in the northern hemisphere in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. With proper processing, this mushroom is conditionally suitable for food, but it tastes bitter, with a pronounced pungency. Raw is poisonous, it contains the poison muscarine. Eating even a small amount of raw mushroom leads to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

Panther Amanita grows in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests in the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere. The mushroom is highly poisonous and contains poisons such as muscarine and mycoatropine that act on the central nervous system, as well as a number of toxic alkaloids that cause gastrointestinal disorders, hallucinations and can lead to death.

On the seventh line in the list of the most dangerous and poisonous mushrooms in the world is Foliotina wrinkled - a poisonous mushroom that grows in Europe, Asia and North America. Contains a strong poison called amatoxins, which is very toxic to the liver and is the cause of many deaths. Sometimes these mushrooms are confused with blue psilocybe.

Greenfinch grows in small groups in dry coniferous forests on sandy soils in North America and Europe. Until recently, it was considered a good edible mushroom, but after the publication in 2001 of a report of poisoning when eating a large number of greenfinches (12 cases, 3 of them fatal), it is suspected of being poisonous. Symptoms of poisoning include muscle weakness, pain, cramps, nausea, and sweating.

Sulphur-yellow honey fungus is a highly poisonous mushroom found on all continents except Africa and Antarctica. Grow on old stumps of deciduous and coniferous trees in August-November. When eaten, the fungus causes severe, sometimes fatal poisoning. Symptoms appear after a few hours and are accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, diarrhea and bloating, sometimes blurred vision and even paralysis.

The thin pig is a poisonous mushroom common in moist deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, gardens, forest belts of the Northern Hemisphere in regions with a temperate climate. The mushroom has long been considered conditionally edible, but now its toxicity has been proven. Prolonged use of thin pigs in food leads to severe poisoning, especially in people with diseased kidneys. Potentially fatal complications include acute renal failure, shock, respiratory failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Amanita ocreata, also known as the "angel of death", is a deadly poisonous mushroom from the Amanita family. Distributed in mixed forests mainly in the northeastern part of North America from Washington to Baja California. Contains alpha-amanitin and other amatoxins that cause the death of liver cells and other organs, as well as a violation of protein synthesis. Complications of poisoning include increased intracranial pressure, intracranial hemorrhage, sepsis, pancreatitis, acute renal failure, and cardiac arrest. Death usually occurs 6–16 days after poisoning.

Pale grebe is the most poisonous mushroom in the world. It is the cause of most fatal poisonings that occur after eating mushrooms. It grows in almost all types of forests in Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa. Likes dark, damp places. Contains two types of toxins, amanitin and phalloidin, which cause liver and kidney failure, and often the only way to avoid death is to transplant them. It is estimated that even half of the pale grebe contains enough toxin to kill an adult human. In addition, the toxicity of the mushroom does not decrease after it has been cooked, frozen, or dried. Sometimes they are mistakenly collected instead of champignons and green russula.

Mushrooms are a tasty and healthy product that both adults and children cannot resist. But you need to be very careful when collecting and cooking mushrooms, because sometimes it is difficult to distinguish an edible species from an inedible one, which can lead to serious consequences and even death. An analysis of statistics showed that amateur mushroom pickers most often suffer from poisoning with a pale toadstool - people who decide to go into the forest for their own pleasure, not even knowing the elementary rules.

In order to protect yourself from poisoning and the consequences that follow it, you need to understand the distinctive features of the pale grebe:

• The body is represented by a shape that looks like an egg.
• The mushroom is almost completely covered with a transparent film. You can feel it if you run your hand over the mushroom.
• The hat of a greenish or light gray shade does not exceed 15 cm, and the shape differs depending on the location and age of the fungus and can be represented as a flat or hemispherical shape.
• The fleshy flesh is white in color, which does not change even if damage occurs.
• Volvo, which reaches a width of approximately 4-5 cm. This feature can be considered one of the most important, since it is almost never found in edible mushrooms.

Despite the fact that the pale grebe has distinctive features that would seem to help mushroom lovers when picking, mistakes still happen. Confusion occurs for two reasons, namely:

1. Inattention and simple self-confidence. Many people think that they can easily detect a poisonous mushroom, and therefore do not pay attention to such recommendations.
2. An accident that can be explained by similarities between different mushrooms.

At the same time, ordinary academic awareness can save the day and save consumers from severe poisoning. So, we suggest using an example to consider similar mushrooms and determine the features that will make it possible to distinguish:

• greenfinches and russula, although similar in color, do not have Volvo rings. Therefore, no matter how much you would like to quickly cope with the task and collect mushrooms, we advise you to look at the base and the leg, at the bottom of which is the same Volvo.
• champignons undergo age-related changes that lead to the fact that the cap plates become brown.
• floats that not only do not have a ring, but are also too small to be confused.

REMEMBER! In order not to be mistaken, you should not cut off the mushroom caps, because this will not allow you to see the Volvo and the rings of the pale toadstool - deadly to humans due to the presence of such a toxin as amanitotoxin.

What happens if you eat a pale toadstool?

Toadstool is a deadly fungus, and therefore eating it is strictly prohibited. As a result, severe poisoning appears, which will be accompanied by severe pain, colic and convulsions, causing death.

The consequence of poisoning with pale toadstool is a rapidly developing and progressive phalloidin syndrome, which manifests itself in the gradual destruction of such organs as the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, under the influence of toxins, which are found in large quantities in the fungus, necrosis soon develops.

Elderly people and children who have a weakened immune system most often die from such poisoning, which makes it incapable of resisting poisonous toxins at least for the first time. It is known that even a piece of a pale toadstool, not to mention a whole mushroom, may be enough for a fatal outcome. Do not be mistaken about the fact that with high-quality heat treatment, all harmful properties will disappear, and the fungus will become safe for humans, as this is not true.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW! Not only the body of the fungus is poisonous, but also the spores that are carried with the wind are very dangerous for humans. Indeed, when hit by a spore, even an edible delicious mushroom can turn into a deadly weapon! Therefore, you should not pick mushrooms where you saw a pale grebe.

Amanitotoxin or why is the poison of the pale toadstool deadly?

Pale grebe contains two completely different groups of toxins, which differ in the strength and speed of their impact on the human body:

• alpha-amanites (amanitotoxins);
• phalloidins.

Amanitotoxins are toxins that, although they act more slowly than phalloidins, are more dangerous. This is due to the fact that their lethal dose is many times less than any other poison. They are not weakened or destroyed by drying or heat treatment, they are not digested and certainly not absorbed. After the toxins pass through the intestines, they enter one of the most vulnerable places - the liver - the organ to which all the power of the killing poison is directed.

In addition, toxins cause such negative consequences as:

• the gradual destruction of cells, which causes degeneration of the liver;
• drop in glucose levels to a critical point;
• destruction of the nervous system, which is clearly manifested in the last stages of poisoning with white toadstools.

What are the symptoms of toadstool poisoning?

Poisoning proceeds unevenly, has several stages, which are accompanied by certain symptoms. Signs may differ depending on the number of toadstools eaten, that is, on the “portion” of poison that has entered the body, as well as on the state of the person himself (general health, age, gender, and even the presence of chronic diseases).

There are several stages that have their own specific characteristics:

1. The first (latent) period, during which a person feels great and does not feel even the slightest discomfort. This state lasts up to 40 hours. If it is possible to somehow detect that the food taken was poisonous, then the chance of saving a person increases. But, this happens extremely rarely, which negatively affects the subsequent state, because toxins penetrate the blood with great speed and begin to confidently move towards the ultimate goal - the destruction of the body.
2. The second period does not appear immediately, which can mislead a person and make him think about ordinary food poisoning. Symptoms begin to appear after a day, but sometimes the appearance of signs of poisoning occurs as early as 5-6 days.

At this time, the condition worsens every minute, and poor health manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• severe diarrhea, in which the diarrhea is not only a strange yellowish color, but also has a watery texture. After a while, small blood clots may also appear;
• vomiting and violation of the water balance in the body. When trying to drink at least a couple of sips of water, vomiting resumes with greater force;
• the appearance of spasms and terrible pains in the intestines and abdomen;
• dizziness, weakness, and severe headache (sometimes, pounding in the temples);
• increased heart rate and lower blood pressure;
• deterioration of visual reflexes, which leads to the fact that the picture before the eyes is very blurry;
• cramps that cause severe pain in the legs;
• minimal or no urination.

1. The third period, in which there is a significant improvement in the state, unfortunately, imaginary. Despite the fact that the symptoms disappear, the body continues to break down, which is especially evident in such an analysis as blood biochemistry. Doctors even consider this ten-hour period the most dangerous, because drowsiness often occurs, against the background of which death occurs as a result of collapse.
2. The fourth period, in which all organs are affected. At the last stage, all signs of poisoning resume with renewed vigor. In addition, the eyes and oral cavity acquire an unpleasant yellow color, and pain is also manifested in the hypochondrium, especially on the right. In severe poisoning, failure quickly develops: liver and kidney, which lead to a quick and painful death.

Of course, death does not occur in all cases. A favorable outcome can be influenced by several reasons, including the good health of the victim (strong heart, excellent condition of the vessels and nervous system), as well as a mild degree of poisoning, in which recovery takes only a few days. With serious intoxication, it may take more than one week or even a month, but if all medical recommendations are followed, the organs will fully recover, and the yellow color will disappear in the first few weeks.

First "home" help in case of signs of poisoning

Despite the fact that, in this case, it will be practically useless and will not bring absolutely any positive effect. If it seems to you that the poisoning was provoked by a pale toadstool, then you should immediately call a doctor or go to the hospital yourself, in which all the necessary tests will be carried out. Seeing a specialist within the first 36 hours is a great chance for a full recovery. By the way, even if signs of poisoning appear in one person, then you need to start treating everyone who could also taste poisonous mushrooms, because slowing down can lead to death.

Therefore, first aid is relevant only until the ambulance arrives. To begin with, it is recommended to rinse the stomach, clearing it of everything, including pale toadstools. It will be enough to drink up to 2 liters of water, depending on the mass, and “pull out” all the contents. It will not be superfluous to take activated charcoal in the usual proportion.

REMEMBER! Self-medication must be minimized, because it can harm the patient.

Features of treatment for poisoning with pale toadstool

It is not easy to cope with such poisoning, since it not only affects the gastrointestinal tract, but penetrates into the blood almost instantly. The actions that are carried out in the hospital are quite simple, but this does not mean that they should be repeated at home:

• gastric lavage, which is carried out regardless of the presence of vomiting, since particles of pale toadstool can still be inside;
• Since there is no special antidote, drugs such as benzene-penicillin, silibinin, and sometimes citric acid are used. At the same time, the quantity and order of application, which are calculated by doctors, are important, based on the stage of poisoning, the health and condition of the person;
• elimination of an important problem - dehydration, which is provoked by vomiting. The patient is put on a dropper, and various devices are introduced intravenously. If necessary, the victim is given salt water, which should replenish the amount of chlorides in the body;
• carrying out forced diuresis and hemosorption, which help in the removal of harmful substances;
• prescribing cardiac drugs that the heart needs to restore proper functioning;
• the use of proteolytic substances that are aimed at preventing disseminated intravascular coagulation;
• special therapy (hepatic), which is carried out by replenishing vitamins belonging to group B.

The main thing to remember is that treatment is more effective when treated early. Pale toadstool poisoning is very dangerous and can lead to serious consequences, including death. Therefore, once again we warn you that you should not carry out the treatment yourself, because for this there are specialists who know what needs to be done and what actions to take.

How to protect yourself from mushroom poisoning?

Caution is the first and most important rule to remember when you are going to the forest for mushrooms. Always remember that if there is at least some doubt that the mushroom is edible, you should not tempt fate and try it, as this can adversely affect health and result in severe poisoning.

We offer a few rules that will help you save your own life:

• often poisoning occurs when a person accidentally mixes or confuses a pale toadstool with an edible mushroom (for example,);
• a distinctive feature of the disease is the manifestation of symptoms in the form of vomiting and diarrhea after a long time;
• if one of the group members is poisoned, you should also seek help and pass all the necessary tests.

Mushroom poisoning
Prevention of mushroom poisoning
First aid for mushroom poisoning
Medical care (doctor's summary)

How to collect, cook, dry, marinate, ferment, salt and preserve mushrooms - see page MUSHROOMS

Meeting with a mushroom is always fraught with danger - by eating it, you can get an incomparable gastronomic pleasure or get poisoned. This halo of unpredictability and deceit has been surrounding mushrooms for millions of years, because the mushroom kingdom is one of the oldest. The same halo predetermined the history of the relationship between the fungus and man, in which there is only one step from love to hate. Mushrooms hid, people hunted them, and mushrooms became trophies, and people became winners. But at the last moment, the mushroom dealt a mortal blow and plunged the person.

Even ancient Greek and Roman writers and historians reported numerous fatal mushroom poisonings. The Roman emperor Claudius, who did not get along with his wife Agrippina and, unlike her, did not know how to recognize edible "mushrooms" from pale grebes, was far from the only titled victim of mushrooms. It was their fault that the French king Charles VI, Pope Clement VII and many others died. Even then, scientists tried to explain the nature of mushroom poison. For a long time there was an official version that the mushroom absorbs toxic substances from its environment. The same circumstance explained the rapid growth of mushrooms near snake holes, garbage dumps, cemetery fences or thickets of poisonous plants. Ecologically clean forests and meadows, where poisonous mushrooms, for some reason, also grow by leaps and bounds, were not taken into account. It is no coincidence that the most terrible spectacle of the 20th century was called nothing more than a nuclear mushroom. As a result, people have become fearful of mushrooms and still often refuse them altogether so as not to put themselves at risk. And all from a lack of knowledge ...

Obviously, the fear of mushrooms is the same prejudice as the fear of thunder or a solar eclipse. It is enough to study them to stop being afraid. For this, there is mycology - the science of fungi, which is in no way inferior to zoology or botany.

In addition to the fact that the mushroom excites the imagination - and not only the fly agaric, endowed with psychotropic substances, but also any other representative of the mysterious world of "mycota", which gives rise to many questions and doubts - it is also very tasty. Today's menu of mankind cannot be imagined without mushrooms. And it is simply impossible to find a proper comparison or replacement for them. Mushrooms contain a lot of protein, so they are very nutritious, as well as fats, minerals, iron, calcium, zinc, iodine, potassium, phosphorus. Moreover, in hats, which, so to speak, are closer to the head, there is always more phosphorus than in the legs.

However, do not forget about toxins - poisonous substances, from which the historical reputation of mushrooms has suffered so much. These toxins can affect a variety of organs of the human body - not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the central nervous system, which the Mayans and Scythians were well aware of. Having eaten a fly agaric or some kind of tiger row, a person can cry or laugh for two hours in a row, be unconscious or in the thrall of hallucinations. However, to achieve fatal poisoning with neurotropic toxins, you need to eat 3-4 kilograms of red fly agaric in one sitting. And this, you see, few are capable of. The most dangerous are the toxins of the pale toadstool and the smelly fly agaric, which affect the liver, kidneys and heart and invariably lead a person to death. The biggest danger of these toxins is that the first two days they do not make themselves felt with the help of any symptoms. When the first signs of poisoning appear, it is already too late, because by this time the internal organs are mortally affected. The most insidious among this group is the orange-red cobweb toxin, which manifests its effect only two weeks after the fatal dinner and affects the kidneys to death, and then the entire musculoskeletal system.

Certainly poisonous species of mushrooms in Europe, there are about a hundred. Of these, only eight are deadly poisonous. The most poisonous fungus is probably Galerina sulciceps, which grows in Java and Sri Lanka. Even one eaten fruit leads to death in half an hour or an hour. In Europe and North America, the most poisonous are the pale grebe, the white fly agaric (spring) and the smelly fly agaric. Before poisoning them in 90% of cases ended in death. Today, mortality due to these fungi has been reduced to 40%. Toxic substances in fungi arise as a specific metabolic product. They can be isolated and subjected to chemical analysis, which helps to find an antidote and determine the correct method of treatment.

Mushrooms that are considered edible can also become poisonous under certain conditions. This applies to old mushrooms in which poisonous microorganisms have multiplied; to mushrooms grown in the forest, which was treated with pesticides or herbicides designed to destroy harmful insects and weeds, and, finally, to mushrooms found along the roads, which could accumulate poisonous heavy metals - mercury, lead, cadmium. In some cases, signs of mild poisoning occur if a person is sick, overly sensitive, mentally exhausted, or, simply put, overeating mushrooms. You can also get poisoned by mushrooms, which become harmless and edible only after appropriate heat treatment, and in their raw form are poisonous.

Such, for example, are autumn honey agaric, olive-brown tannery and some others. Without any fear and in its raw form, you can only use milkweed, Judas' ear and porcini mushrooms - spruce, oak, pine, pine. Children suffer the most from mushroom poisoning, and the percentage of deaths is the highest here. Children should not be allowed to eat raw mushrooms at all, and boiled good mushrooms in large quantities.

It is impossible to deduce a universally valid rule: how to distinguish poisonous mushrooms from edible species. The only reliable guarantee against poisoning is knowledge of the mycological characteristics of individual species, the differences between them.

The main principle of collection should be as follows: everyone puts in a basket only those mushrooms that he knows well and knows how to distinguish in any conditions, moreover, he knows how young and old fruiting bodies look like, what they look like in dry weather and what they look like in rain, etc. d.

Mushroom poisoning can be divided into several types, depending on which group these or those mushrooms that cause poisoning belong to, and what poisons they contain.

In order not to become a victim of poisoning, you need to know well all types of poisonous mushrooms: fly agaric, fibers, entol, etc. The only sure way to protect yourself is to always adhere to the rule: never eat unknown mushrooms, firmly learn the main signs of poisonous and inedible mushrooms. It is necessary to have an idea about the signs of poisoning, about the properties of mushroom poisons.

Remember also that flies never land on poisonous mushrooms, and they are usually not wormy.

The most dangerous mushrooms contain poisonous cyclopeptides (phallotoxins). These are various fly agarics, further galleries and some small types of umbrellas. Inexperienced mushroom pickers often mistake poisonous mushrooms of this group for edible ones: pale grebes - for green russula, greenfinches, gray rows; fly agaric white and smelly - for champignons; bordered gallery - for honey agaric or winter mushroom (velvety flammulina).

The first signs of poisoning appear after 6-24, and sometimes even after 48 hours. Severe diarrhea, vomiting, profuse urination, convulsions, thirst begin. Approximately three days after the poisoning, a period of apparent relief sets in. However, it is soon replaced by the appearance of jaundice, and the patient dies from impaired liver function. Poisoning can be relatively successfully treated with thioctacid, penicillin, vitamins C and K.

The most poisonous, deadly to humans is the pale grebe, for which no antidote has yet been found.

The first signs of poisoning appear only after 6-12 hours, and sometimes even after a day, when the poisons have already penetrated into the blood and managed to act on all the most important organs: the hematopoietic, digestive, nervous system, and when it is no longer possible to help the victim. That is why it is so necessary to know all the signs of this mushroom.

Pale grebe grows in deciduous and mixed forests. The cap of the mushroom is at first hemispherical, later prostrate, 5-10, sometimes up to 15 cm in diameter, white, olive, greenish-olive in color, darker and silky towards the center. The skin is thin, covered with rapidly disappearing flocculent remains of the bedspread. The leg is cylindrical, gradually narrowed upwards, with a membranous ring, white or slightly greenish. At the base, the leg is swollen and covered with a free bag-like wrapper (Volva) of greenish or white color. Young mushrooms are wrapped in a white film. The plates are white, the flesh is fleshy, brittle, the smell is sharp, mushroom.

Always remember the three main commandments:
1. If you come across a suspicious faded mushroom with a tuberous club at the root - do not tear it. This is a poisonous mushroom.
2. If you come across an unknown agaric-umbrella, the club-shaped leg of which, like in a well, is hidden in a galosh bag or in a case, do not tear it. This mushroom is certain death.
3. If you come across an unfamiliar consumptive-pale mushroom with a clean handkerchief on the leg - do not tear it and you will be alive and well.

At all stages of its development, the pale grebe contains poisonous substances in the fruiting body. For fatal poisoning of a person, 0.02-0.03 g of phalloidin is enough. 100 g of pale grebe contains 0.02 g of this poison. The concentration of poison in the pale grebe varies by month and depending on the place of growth. The most poisonous pale grebe in the dry season.

The poison of the pale toadstool is completely insoluble in water (poison does not disappear when boiled in several waters), does not disintegrate when dried, and does not collapse under the influence of the juices of the gastrointestinal tract. When it enters the bloodstream, severe pains in the abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea begin, cold sweat appears, the limbs become cold, the pulse is disturbed.

The closest relatives of the pale toadstool in terms of toxicity are stinky, panther and grebe-shaped fly agaric containing ibotenic acid, mycoatropine and muskimol (Amanita muscaria, A. regalis, A. gemmata, A. pantherina) and, most likely, mycenae (Mycena pure).

Poisonous mushrooms of this group are sometimes confused with edible fly agarics - gray-pink and gray (thick). The smelly fly agaric has a hat up to 7 cm in diameter, hemispherical, conical, white, slightly yellowish upwards, slightly mucous. The leg is white, hairy. The ring is white. The fungus has an unpleasant odor and is deadly poisonous.

Very severe poisoning causes grebe-shaped fly agaric. Its cap is up to 7-10 cm in diameter, hemispherical, then flat-convex, slightly sticky, smooth, initially white, then with a hint of lemon skin, yellowish-greenish or lemon yellow, with large off-white shreds, with thick white , under the skin with yellowish flesh with the smell of sprouted potatoes that have been lying in the cellar for a long time. The plates are weakly adherent or free, white or slightly yellowish, with a flocculent coating along the edges, and the stalk is swollen at the base, slightly expanded at the plates, solid, white or yellowish, with a yellowish hanging ring, yellowish or brownish wrapper, adherent from below, bending away from legs like rims.

The first signs of poisoning appear after 30 minutes. They are expressed in palpitations, weak sweating, agitation and a typical individual state of alcoholic intoxication that manifests itself in each person. After an hour or two, these phenomena pass, they do not pose a mortal danger. Hallucinations can occur only when using a certain, geographically isolated form of the red fly agaric. This poisoning is treated with physostigmine, and in some cases with atropine. It is recommended to induce vomiting in the victim and wash his stomach. Among the mushrooms containing the poisonous alkaloid muscazone are representatives of many genera, but primarily fly agaric, white talkers, mycenae, oyster mushrooms.

Among the highly poisonous mushrooms is gray, or panther, fly agaric. Hat up to 10 cm in diameter, hemispherical or bell-shaped, gray-brown in color, with small white flakes on the surface arranged in circles. The plates are frequent, free, white. The stem is central, swollen at the base, with a white trim. At the top of the leg is a white ring. Grows in deciduous forests on different soils, bears fruit in June-October. Amanita muscaria contains hyoscyamine, a poisonous substance that affects the nervous system.

The red fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) has a spherical cap at first, later convex, with white flakes on the surface. The plates are white or yellowish, frequent, wide. The leg is white with a tuberous thickening at the bottom, with concentric rims. In the upper part of the leg there is a membranous coverlet. The poison of the red fly agaric acts almost immediately, causing suffocation, convulsions, fainting, excites the nervous system and causes hallucinations.

In low, damp places, usually among seams in pine forests, the porphyry fly agaric (Amanita porphyria and Amanita cilrina) lives. Its cap is no more than 7 cm in diameter, hemispherical or convex, convex or flat with age, smooth, violet or purple-gray-brown, with a few large off-white shreds or without them, with white, under the skin - with its shade, pulp, with the smell of dampness, with adherent white plates.

The stalk is solid, later becomes hollow, evenly widened towards the base, grayish-white, with a thin brownish ring and a sac-like loose wrapper that has grown only at the very tip of the stalk. These mushrooms contain the poisonous substance bufotenin. Poisoning occurs only after the use of these mushrooms in large quantities or by sick people. Signs of fly agaric poisoning appear 1.5-2 hours after consumption: nausea, vomiting, severe salivation, abdominal pain, suffocation, convulsions, later - delirium, hallucinations.

It must be remembered that twin mushrooms often grow next to good mushrooms - poisonous mushrooms, very similar to edible ones, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal poisoning. These twin mushrooms include false mushrooms. They grow, like edible mushrooms, in close groups on or near stumps. There are two varieties of false mushrooms: sulfur-yellow and brick-red. The sulfur-yellow honey agaric very often grows on the same stump with the summer one. Therefore, when collecting mushrooms, you need to be careful. Edible mushrooms can be distinguished from false ones by the color of the plates. In summer, autumn and winter, the plates are always white, cream and never darken. In the false sulfur-yellow honey agaric, the plates are sulfur-yellow, in the brick-red - whitish-cream, quickly darken and become lilac-brown or blackish-olive.

There is a double in the porcini fungus - the gall fungus. It is easy to distinguish it from white: as soon as you cut the flesh with a knife, it immediately turns pink. In white fungus, the flesh is always white, a light mesh is located along the entire leg. In the gallbladder, the upper part of the leg is covered with a dark mesh. The mushroom is very bitter in taste.

The counterpart of the porcini mushroom is the satanic mushroom. Cap up to 22 cm in diameter, grayish-white with pale brown spots. The surface of the cap is smooth, dry, matte. The leg is straight, tuberous, yellowish-red at the base. The smell of poisonous pulp is unpleasant. The satanic, or devilish, mushroom differs from the white one in that its tubular layer is reddish. On a thick leg - a red mesh pattern. The reddish flesh at the break becomes purple. The mushroom is very bitter in taste. Whites have no such signs.

Among the mushrooms containing poisonous substances orellanin, grismalin, cortinarin, are cobwebs and related species.

The first signs of poisoning by them appear only after 3-14 days, sometimes later. Urine excretion increases, stomach pains and vomiting begin, a feeling of dryness in the mouth appears. The kidneys stop functioning and death occurs. Specific treatment of poisoning is not possible. In such cases, it is important to preserve kidney function. Poisonous mushrooms of this group are often confused with edible cobwebs.

Double moss fly and lattice - pepper mushroom. It is easy to distinguish it by the reddish-cherry hue of the pores of the tubes and legs, especially in its upper part, by the flesh slightly reddening at the break, and most importantly, by the peppery-burning taste.

Some lines contain the hemolytic poison monomethyl hydrazine. The first signs of poisoning appear after 6-12, and sometimes after 2 hours. They are expressed in a feeling of fatigue, headaches, dizziness, stomach cramps and vomiting, which lasts one to two days. Then comes jaundice and impaired liver function. Poisoning sometimes ends in death. In this case, we are talking about a thermolabile poison, and such mushrooms, if they are boiled for about 15 minutes from the beginning of the boil, and then drained, become edible.

There are mushroom lovers who consider the young fruiting bodies of dung beetles a great delicacy. However, such a delicacy is akin to a delicacy from the Japanese fugu fish (aka pufferfish). Passionate lovers of this delicacy run the risk of being poisoned by its deadly poison when eating. As they say, hunting is worse than bondage! Some dung beetles and talkers contain coprin (Coprinus alramentarius, apparently also C. micaceus and Clilocybe clavipes).

Signs of koprin poisoning appear only if after mushroom food (even after two days) a person has consumed alcohol. Then, about 30 minutes after drinking, redness of the face and the whole body, increased heart rate, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting begin. All this passes in 2-4 hours, but can be repeated several times with each new use of alcohol. This poisoning is not fatal, but alcohol is strictly contraindicated in treatment.

There are also fungi that cause stomach and intestinal disorders (gastrointestinal). This group includes many different species. Among them are champignons and related species, some mushrooms in the raw state, volnushka, gray-pink milkweed, sulfur-yellow false honeycomb, etc.

The first signs of poisoning also occur after 30 minutes.

They are expressed in nausea, headache, stomach cramps, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea. Such poisonings are only occasionally fatal. After washing the stomach and intestines and taking sedative drugs, complete recovery occurs in one to three days.

Poisonous mushrooms in this group are often confused with related edible species.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms Indians from the ancient Mexican and Aztec tribes ate during ritual ceremonies. These mushrooms they called teonanatakl. "Cactusians", admirers of the teachings of Carlos Castaneda, eat hallucinogenic mushrooms with special enthusiasm. We now have fans of eating hallucin mushrooms containing psilocin and psilocybin.

The first signs of poisoning appear after 30-60 minutes. Pleasant visual and auditory hallucinations begin, lasting about two hours. There is no mortal danger. Poisoning can be treated with chlorpromazine.

And although psilocybin is used in modern medicine to treat some mental illnesses, however, its abuse destroys the human personality and leads to drug addiction.

The mushroom that causes allergic diseases is a thin pig, classified as edible by many mushroom lovers.

Signs of poisoning with it may appear after a few hours or even years, depending on the susceptibility of a particular person. Dizziness, colic, diarrhea, pain in the pelvic area begin, blood appears in the urine. Impaired kidney function can sometimes be fatal. Treatment is to maintain kidney function.

The thin pig was previously considered an edible mushroom and was collected in large quantities. In some old mushroom atlases, it is also classified as edible.

Thus, even those mushrooms that disguise themselves as edible are not so difficult to recognize. It is only necessary to remember the main distinguishing features of poisonous and inedible mushrooms, and this will always help to avoid mistakes when collecting.

Another rule is knowing how to use mushrooms. There is a whole group of species - conditionally edible mushrooms that require additional special processing before eating. For example, morel mushrooms contain a highly toxic substance - gelvellic acid, which causes severe, often fatal poisoning. Helvellic acid is destroyed by boiling or prolonged air drying. Therefore, before use, morels should be cut, washed and boiled for 10-15 minutes, the broth should be poured without trying, since gelvellic acid passes into it during cooking. Boiled mushrooms need to be washed again, squeezed, and only after that cook food from them. Morels also become harmless after drying in air; after drying, they can be consumed after 1.5-2 months.

Poisoning occurs when eating not only inedible mushrooms, but also edible overripe and dried ones. Mushrooms are a perishable product. If they are not dismantled within a few hours (especially those collected in wet weather), the mushrooms soften and quickly become unusable. Decomposition begins in old fruiting bodies, some decay products are poisonous.

And finally, the last piece of advice - do not abuse food from mushrooms. Do not forget that mushrooms are mainly a protein product, that the main part of their proteins is mushroom fiber, which is either digested with difficulty and to a small extent, or practically not digested at all (for example, chanterelles and mushrooms). Do not eat a lot of mushrooms at night, when processing raw mushrooms, try to cut them smaller, chop them, use more mushroom powder from dried mushrooms.

The clinical picture of poisoning: usually a few hours after eating poisonous mushrooms, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, headache, dizziness appear. After poisoning with a pale toadstool, from the second day there is often a rise in temperature, an increase and soreness of the liver, jaundice, tachycardia, hypotension.

Lethal outcomes usually occur due to acute liver dystrophy. Autopsy reveals fatty degeneration of the liver, kidneys, heart, skeletal muscles.

First aid for mushroom poisoning

Methods and techniques for helping with mushroom poisoning are basically the same as for poisoning with poisonous plants.
It is necessary to immediately induce vomiting, wash the stomach, give activated charcoal, or carbolene, or white clay, milk and saline laxative.
It is necessary to put the victim to bed, attach a heating pad to the legs and drink water or strong tea.
Alcoholic drinks are strictly prohibited. they facilitate the spread of poison in the body.

mushroom poisoning
Physician's abstract

Mushroom poisoning refers to biological poisoning, it can be caused by actually poisonous mushrooms (pale toadstool, fly agaric, false mushrooms, false raincoats), conditionally edible mushrooms that secrete milky juice when broken (raincoats, ink fungus, or dung beetle, morels, lines, etc.). as a result of inept or improper culinary processing, and even edible mushrooms, called "mutants" (accumulation in the mycelium of toxic substances that acquire qualitatively new properties, including decomposition products of proteins harmful to humans in old fruiting bodies, as well as products vital activity of accustomed insects and worms).
Mushrooms are a product that is difficult to digest in the intestines. It is not recommended to eat mushrooms for pregnant and lactating women, they are contraindicated for children under 8 years old (regardless of the method and time of preparation).

On the territory of our country, cases of acute poisoning by poisonous mushrooms are recorded annually, the peak of which occurs at the end of summer.
Acute mushroom poisoning is much more severe than other food poisoning.
The main reason for these poisonings is the low awareness of the population about edible and non-edible mushrooms.
As a rule, the first instance where patients with symptoms of poisoning go is the emergency medical service (EMS). In this case, the wrong treatment tactics can lead to tragic consequences.
It should be remembered that children and the elderly are most susceptible to mushroom poisoning.

Various alkaloids (the most dangerous heat-resistant ones) of poisonous mushrooms have a selective effect on individual organs and systems: the cardiovascular system always suffers, the kidneys are often affected, less often the gastrointestinal tract (gastroenteritis develops - resinoid and gyromitr syndromes), liver (phalloid syndrome, and also koprinovy ​​syndrome - an effect similar to disulfiram when taking alcohol) and the central nervous system, in some cases there are combined lesions of organs (kidneys and liver with orelian and muscarinic syndrome).
The selective toxic effect of mushrooms depends on the alkaloids contained in them: pale grebe (phalloidin and amanitin) causes hepato- and nephrotoxic effects, fly agaric (muscarin and mycoatropine) - neurotoxic (anticholinergic), psilocybin mushrooms (psilocin, psilocybin, baocybin) - narcotic (hallucinatory ), lines and morels (gelvelic acid) - hematotoxic (hemolytic), neurotoxic (convulsive), nephro- and hepatotoxic action.
Mushroom poisonings are usually accidental (the victims are sure that they consumed edible mushrooms) and often run in families.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning develop in a range of 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Mushroom poisoning is distinguished with a short incubation period (less than 3 hours), in which a neurotoxic effect quickly develops - pantherine or muscarine syndrome, an irritant effect on the gastrointestinal tract - a resinoid syndrome or an antabuse-like syndrome (protocarpine syndrome). These poisonings are caused by fly agaric, volushki, false mushrooms, false champignons, satanic mushroom, dung beetle. Amanita contains muscarine, which causes mydriasis, bradycardia, vomiting, increased sweating, salivation, and abdominal pain (pantherine syndrome). In more severe cases, severe shortness of breath, bronchorrhea, slowing of the pulse and a drop in blood pressure appear, convulsions, delirium, hallucinations and coma are possible.
In addition, fly agaric contains muscimol, which in some cases causes the appearance of tachycardia and miosis. In typical cases, the clinic develops within 2 hours, and with mild poisoning, recovery occurs in a day. In case of poisoning with volnushki, also containing muscarine, the clinical picture (muscarinic syndrome) resembles fly agaric poisoning (bronchorea, bradycardia, intestinal cramps, nausea, vomiting, miosis).
In case of poisoning with false mushrooms or champignons, as well as with a satanic mushroom, dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting (resinoid syndrome) develop rapidly, children may have dehydration, hypovolemia, convulsions, oligo- or anuria. Changes in the pupil are nonspecific - it can be both miosis and mydriasis.
Dung beetle poisoning develops only if alcoholic beverages were consumed along with the fungus (antabuse effect). In this case, tachycardia, hypotension, hyperemia of the face appear, in severe cases - loss of consciousness (protocarpine syndrome). Clinical manifestations begin after 2-3 hours, and after another 1-2 hours, the symptoms of poisoning regress. With repeated alcohol intake, a relapse of the poisoning clinic is possible. All described mushroom poisonings with a short incubation period are usually not severe. Lethality is 1%.

Poisoning with a long incubation period (more than 3 hours) includes poisoning with lines, morels and pale grebe. Stitches and morels (the peak of poisoning by these fungi occurs in early spring), containing gelvelic acid, without prior heat treatment, cause the breakdown of red blood cells (acute hemolysis).
The lines also contain hydromethrin, a toxic substance that resembles the poison of a pale toadstool in action. Hydromethrin is a water-soluble poison. When boiling mushrooms, after 10-15 minutes, the poison passes into the broth. The incubation period is more than 3-6 hours. The following syndromes are distinguished in the clinic: gastrointestinal (dyspepsia, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), cardiovascular (hypotension, up to exotoxic shock), hepatic (acutely appeared hepatomegaly, jaundice, liver failure, in the blood a significant increase in the activity of the liver enzymes), renal (acute renal failure), hemolytic (after 1-2 days).
Cases of instant death are described when using a large number of lines. Mortality in this poisoning reaches 50%.

Pale grebe is often confused with russula, which leads to severe poisoning. Pale grebe and related species of poisonous mushrooms contain extremely toxic compounds: fallotoxins (phalloidin, falloin, fallocidin, phallizin, phallin) and amanitotoxins (alpha-, beta-, gamma-amanitins, amanite, amanullin).
For the development of severe intoxication, it is enough to eat at least a small part of the fungus. Toxins, absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, largely accumulate in the liver (up to 60%) and kidneys (about 3%). Phallotoxins after 6-12 hours have a specific hepatotoxic effect. Amanitotoxins act more slowly - 24-48 hours, but their toxic effect is 15-20 times higher than that of phallotoxins.
The incubation period is from 6 hours to 3 days, toxins circulate in the blood for no more than 48 hours. Prolonged and delayed action of individual toxic substances contained in the pale grebe causes gradually increasing clinical symptoms with multiple organ disorders.
Within 2-3 days from the moment of poisoning, changes in the patient's condition are unpredictable. Develop gastrointestinal disorders (vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, dyselectrolytemia), which last up to 3 days. Then there may be a light interval, but more often the phase of damage to parenchymal organs immediately begins - toxic hepatitis develops (anicteric form), the level of AsAt rises, then Alat (exceeding the value of 1500 mg% is considered a poor prognostic sign), hepatic coma, may be DIC.
The recovery period is long - 2-5 months. In 20% of cases, after poisoning, the process becomes chronic (chronic toxic hepatitis).
In case of poisoning with a pale grebe and its varieties, late treatment (on the 2nd-5th day) in most cases is unsuccessful. Mortality in these poisonings is high - 50-75%.

At the prehospital stage, when the first signs of acute mushroom poisoning appear, patients are subject to a thorough medical examination. When questioning the patient, one should try to establish the type of mushrooms eaten, their volume, method of processing, the fact of using a decoction for food, and the possible number of victims.
Therapeutic measures should be aimed at the speedy removal of poisonous mushrooms from the body. Regardless of the time elapsed since the poisoning, the stomach is washed through a tube with 10-15 liters of water at room temperature and 30-50 g of activated charcoal is injected. A saline laxative inside is also used (30-40 g of magnesium or sodium sulfate dissolved in 150-200 ml of water). Make cleansing or siphon enemas. Forced diuresis is started: 6-10 liters of fluid and 40-60 mg of lasix are administered intravenously (after 1-2 liters of fluid injected).
Fluid loss is compensated for by drinking plenty of Ringer's solution, intravenous drip of solutions of potassium, sodium such as disol or trisol, 5 percent. glucose solution, 0.9 percent. sodium chloride solution. With repeated vomiting and diarrhea, polyglucin is administered in 400 ml. The total volume of injected fluid is determined by the degree of hypovolemia.
In case of agitation or convulsions, 2-4 ml of 0.5 percent is administered intramuscularly. diazepam solution.
In a coma and paralysis of the respiratory center, intubation is carried out and artificial ventilation of the lungs is carried out. In case of poisoning with toadstools, the patient is urgently hospitalized.
In a hospital on the first day after poisoning, hemosorption is carried out (less often - hemodialysis, hemofiltration, peritoneal dialysis, lymphosorption, lymphodilysis), blood clotting is corrected (heparin).
In case of fly agaric poisoning, 1-2 ml of 0.1 percent. atropine solution (intravenously or subcutaneously) repeatedly, until the symptoms of poisoning stop.
Olga TKACHEVA, professor.
Vladimir MOSKVICHEV, candidate of medical sciences.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, MGMSU.
National scientific and practical society of emergency medical care.
June 2004

mushroom pharmacy

Mushrooms are not only a delicious delicacy or deadly poison, they are also capable of reviving life. For example, the same larch tinder fungus, which was sung by the ancient Greek Dioscorides 19 centuries ago, was considered a traditional cure for tuberculosis until the present century and even served as a profitable commodity for Russia. In 1870 alone, Russia exported 8 tons of dried tinder fungus to Europe. Even during the time of Vladimir Monomakh, the healing properties of the "birch fungus" - chaga were discovered. They even tried to treat Monomakh with chaga for lip cancer, as historians believe. Russian "Healers" of the 18th century advised rubbing frostbitten parts of the body with porcini mushroom extract. In Europe in the Middle Ages, morel juice was used to treat eye diseases.

Huge medical resources of mushrooms are fully used in China, Japan, Tibet. Shiitake and winter mushroom are especially popular. Shiitake lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, and has recently been found to have anti-tumor abilities and can even fight AIDS. The winter fungus also retards the growth of cancers. In Japan, this mushroom is grown on farms, annually about 100 thousand tons. By the way, it can also be found in Russia under the name "winter mushroom" - this is the latest mushroom, it grows until November and does not die even under snow. And the Japanese mushroom "name-ko" is also used against cancer and various viral diseases.

Judas' ear, a cartilaginous fungus that grows on fallen trees, is specially grown in the Far East to fight throat diseases.

The medicinal properties of "veselka" are known - a tincture of these dry mushrooms heals wounds. In the Urals, they treat rheumatism with a tincture of “round sarcosome”, or red fly agaric, of course, using it not inside, but as a rub. White fungus is considered an excellent prophylactic against gastrointestinal diseases and even against malignant tumors. Mushrooms growing under spruce trees are especially effective. Butterdish treats gout, camelina retards the growth of tubercle bacillus. Greenfinch prevents blood clotting. Autumn mushroom is used as a mild laxative. Oyster mushroom has anti-viral and anti-cancer properties. An infusion of chaga helps with ulcers, gastritis, colitis and has a general tonic effect. As for cancerous tumors, chaga can affect them only at the earliest stage of the disease.

Puffball prevents the development of leukemia, and in the UK since the last century, this magnificent delicacy mushroom has been used against smallpox, urticaria and laryngitis.

All these properties of mushrooms - contradictory, mutually exclusive and difficult to explain - will not soon receive an exhaustive scientific explanation. They still remain a mystery to us. And yet, there is no need to be afraid of black truffle sauce, fried "syangu" with beef and dry white soup.

Recommended Reliable Disposal
action of poisonous mushrooms

In modern biology, three fundamentally different biological kingdoms are distinguished:
- plants,
- animals
- and mushrooms.

Complete biological taxonometry - kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, subspecies, variety, specific organism.

Cell membranes (shells) of representatives of the third biological kingdom - fungi, consist of cellulose, which is practically indigestible by humans. Therefore, for human nutrition, any tables of substances contained in mushrooms are meaningless. It is important not only the presence of substances in something, but, most importantly in nutrition, the possibility of their perception by the body.

Cellulosic cell walls can be very successfully digested by beavers - therefore they can eat sawdust, which also has cellulose cell walls, and in which there are no less useful nutrients than wheat, but people do not. Therefore, for people, mushrooms are just a food product that provides additional food ballast to load the intestines and stimulate peristalsis (that's why they are especially useful in weight loss diets - they ate a lot, tasty and didn’t get anything nutritious).

It must always be taken into account that among obviously non-poisonous mushrooms growing in pure nature, on average, one per 10 thousand mushrooms must mutate, becoming to one degree or another, but quite strongly toxic, usually not deadly poisonous, but causing very severe poisoning. Here we are talking about mushrooms growing in healthy normal conditions, and not in ecologically poisoned areas (see maps of ecologically polluted areas in Russia) or along roadsides - both automobile and railway.

It is possible to really recognize whether this usually edible mushroom has become poisonous or not, only in laboratory conditions by feeding the extract from it to laboratory animals and subsequent observation - there is no other reliable way.

Because mushroom toxicity is especially dangerous for children under 8 years old, pregnant women and the elderly, it is better for these people to completely refrain from using wild mushrooms in food.

Mushrooms grown artificially from specially selected myceliums for decades mutate extremely rarely, therefore they are practically safe in nutrition (the chance of being poisoned by them is so negligible that it can be ignored), but they do not have the proper pronounced mushroom taste, usually inherent in wild mushrooms.

MUSHROOM POWDER - full disclosure of mushroom taste and reliable protection against mushroom poison

In order to “explode” the cellulose cell membranes of mushrooms that are indigestible by humans (indestructible during heat treatment) and fully reveal the mushroom taste, aroma and many useful nutrients, fresh mushrooms must first be well frozen.

Unconditionally edible mushrooms (poisonous after drying and grinding will remain poisonous), sorted and peeled, are thoroughly rinsed in a bowl of water from dust and sand, slightly shaken off and dried.

In a conventional freezer, we freeze at a temperature of -18 gr. From at least 3 days. The sharp crystals of frozen water arising from freezing inside the cells will break through all the cell membranes and fully reveal the real excellent taste of mushrooms contained inside the cells.

Then properly frozen mushrooms must be dried. To do this, you can dry the mushrooms in the cold (as clothes are dried in the cold) or immediately and exactly frozen place them in a dry environment at a temperature of +60, maximum +80 gr. C (but not higher! - otherwise the mushroom taste and smell will evaporate).

To do this, scatter frozen mushrooms in a thin layer on writing paper (it is better to put paper in two layers), laid out on a cleanly washed baking sheet (so as not to introduce unnecessary odors) and place in a preheated stove oven.

When drying in an electric oven, we simply maintain the desired temperature (in no case exceed it), periodically ventilating the oven to remove water vapor evaporating from the mushrooms.

When drying in a gas oven, heat it to the desired temperature, then turn off the gas (because the gas burns to carbon dioxide and water, the air in the gas oven is very humid, and we need to dry it), ventilate the preheated oven to update the air in it and load into it our baking sheet with frozen mushrooms. When the temperature drops, periodically remove the baking sheet with mushrooms, heat the gas oven again, when it reaches + 70-80 gr. Turn it off and ventilate it, then put the baking sheet in it again. And so on until completely dry.

The simplest thing is to dry frozen mushrooms in a Russian oven that has cooled to the desired temperature. We simply put a baking sheet with mushrooms in it for the whole day or at night and, without any additional manipulations, leave it until the stove cools down completely. But not everyone has a Russian stove at hand.

Dried at a temperature of + 60-70 gr. Mushrooms can then be dried a little in the dark (this is important) at normal temperature, if there is no high humidity.

Completely dried mushrooms (after drying, do not store them for a long time so that the flavoring substances do not oxidize) grind into a fine powder, you can use it in a coffee grinder, thoroughly washed from coffee, and put the powder in a clean glass jar with a tightly closed lid (screw or polyethylene).

As a result, from earlier to the brim of a table littered with a large slide of raw mushrooms, less than a liter can of dry mushroom powder will remain.

After soaking all the mushrooms, mix the powder thoroughly with a clean spoon. Even if there was one deadly poisonous mushroom for every thousand of the original mushrooms, its toxins will be in a small proportion in the total mixed mass and will no longer even have a noticeable harmful effect (of course, if we did not grind only specially selected pale grebes into our powder).

For extra preservation, you can add 5-10% (or not add) non-iodized table salt - iodized salt will kill most of the mushroom flavor pretty quickly.

Store mushroom powder in a tightly closed glass jar and only in complete darkness.

For daily use, periodically pour the right amount into a small glass jar, also tightly closed, because. mushroom powder eagerly absorbs all extraneous odors.

The permissible period of proper storage of mushroom powder (tightly closed in the dark in a cool place) is at least 2-3 years. On and after 5 years, it remains great in taste.

Add to hot dishes only after removing them from the heat and cooling for some time. After adding the mushroom powder, immediately pour (or lay out) the dish on plates and serve immediately.

You can also add, like ground pepper, right during meals to taste. It can be added to cold dishes (salads, etc.) in advance, but also shortly before serving (10-20 minutes).

Mushroom powder does not need heat treatment, and it harms it.

One day you should set up a culinary experiment - pour mushroom powder into a weakly boiling soup (or into porridge, or into another dish cooked on the stove). Immediately there will be a magnificent mushroom smell and taste of the dish. After boiling for 2-3 minutes, the amazing smell of mushrooms will almost disappear, the mushroom taste will become many times smaller than the original one.

NOTE. The best mushroom powder comes from porcini mushrooms. Boletus and boletus are also good. Mushroom powder from artificially grown mushrooms is much less aromatic and tasty than from wild mushrooms - it must be added 3-4 times more.

In any case, the addition of mushroom powder gives a much stronger mushroom aroma and taste than the addition of the appropriate amount of these mushrooms.

The main causes of poisoning are ignorance of the differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms, carelessness when collecting "forest meat". Sometimes you can get poisoned by quite good edible mushrooms eaten in large quantities (this is dangerous for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or liver), as well as overripe, old fruiting bodies in which decay products have accumulated.

People knew about the poisonous properties of some mushrooms many centuries ago. Historians testify that poisonous mushrooms became a formidable weapon in the struggle for power in the hands of court intriguers. This weapon worked flawlessly: the poisoning came on suddenly, and the doctors were powerless to help. Thus, a great lover of mushroom dishes, the Roman emperor Claudius, Pope Clement VII, the French king Charles VI, and others died.

Approximately 80 species of poisonous mushrooms grow in Europe, of which about 20 are very poisonous. They grow from early spring to late autumn.

The nature of poisoning depends on the chemical composition of poisonous mushrooms. Most poisonous mushrooms cause mild, short-lived illnesses, of which gastrointestinal disturbances are the most common. However, some types of poisonous mushrooms cause severe poisoning with a fatal outcome. It should be noted that the consequences of mushroom poisoning depend, in addition to the type of mushroom, also on the age and health of the victim, the amount of mushrooms eaten. Proper treatment is possible only with an unmistakable determination of the type of poisonous mushroom.

To facilitate the task of providing immediate assistance, the following main syndromes (groups of signs) are considered in clinical toxicology, which are characteristic of acute poisoning with poisonous mushrooms.

Consciousness Disorder Syndrome. It is due to the direct effect of the poison on the cerebral cortex, as well as the disorders of cerebral circulation and oxygen deficiency caused by it.

Syndrome of respiratory failure. It is often observed in coma, when the respiratory center is depressed. Disorders of the act of breathing also occur due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles, which greatly complicates the course of poisoning. Severe respiratory dysfunction occurs with toxic pulmonary edema and airway obstruction.

Blood lesion syndrome. It is characterized by inactivation of hemoglobin, a decrease in the oxygen capacity of the blood.

Syndrome of circulatory disorders. Almost always accompanies acute poisoning. The causes of dysfunction of the cardiovascular system can be: inhibition of the vasomotor center, dysfunction of the adrenal glands, increased permeability of the walls of blood vessels, etc.

Syndrome of violation of thermoregulation. It is observed in many poisonings and is manifested by a decrease or increase in body temperature. These shifts in the body are the result, on the one hand, of a slowdown in metabolic processes and increased heat transfer, and on the other hand, the absorption of toxic products of tissue decay into the blood, and disorders in the supply of oxygen to the brain.

convulsive syndrome. As a rule, it is an indicator of a severe or extremely severe course of poisoning. Seizures occur as a result of an acute oxygen starvation of the brain or as a result of the specific action of poisons on the central nervous structures.

Syndrome of mental disorders. It is typical for poisoning with poisons that selectively act on the central nervous system.

Syndrome of damage to the liver and kidneys. It accompanies many types of intoxication, in which these organs become objects of direct exposure to poisons or suffer due to the influence of toxic metabolic products and the breakdown of tissue structures on them.

Syndrome of disturbance of water and electrolyte balance and acid-base balance. In acute poisoning, it is mainly a consequence of a disorder in the function of the digestive and excretory systems, as well as secretory organs. In this case, dehydration of the body, a violation of redox processes in tissues, and the accumulation of underoxidized metabolic products are possible.

As already noted, affecting the body in different quantities, the same substance causes an unequal effect. The minimum effective, or threshold, dose (concentration) of a toxic substance is its smallest amount that causes obvious, but reversible changes in vital activity. The minimum toxic dose is already a much larger amount of poison, causing severe poisoning with a complex of characteristic pathological changes in the body, but without a fatal outcome. The stronger the poison, the closer the values ​​of the minimum effective and minimum toxic doses. In addition to those mentioned, in toxicology it is also customary to consider lethal (lethal) doses and concentrations of poisons, that is, those amounts that lead a person (or animal) to death if left untreated. Lethal doses are determined as a result of animal experiments. In experimental toxicology, the most commonly used mean lethal dose (DL 50) or concentration (CL 50) of poison, at which 50% of experimental animals die. If their 100% death is observed, then such a dose or concentration is designated as absolute lethal (DL 100 and CL 100) - Toxicity (toxicity) is determined by the reciprocal of DL 50 (CL 50): 1 / DL 50 (1 / CL fifty).

According to the nature of the impact of poisonous mushrooms on humans, they can be divided into three groups.

The first is mushrooms with a local stimulating effect. Most of the poisonous mushrooms of this group cause mild poisoning, mainly gastric and intestinal disorders. With such poisoning, nausea, abdominal pain, sweating, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes fainting are noted. Symptoms of poisoning appear 1-2 hours after eating mushrooms. This group includes some species of the genus Agaricus: yellow-skinned mushroom (A. xanthodermus Gen.), motley mushroom (A. meleagris (J. Schaeff.) Imbach), Meller mushroom (A. moelleri S. Wasser); some species of the genus Tricholoma: white-brown rowing (T. albobrunnea Quel.), tiger rowing (T. pardinum Quel.), destructive rowing (T. pessundatum (Fr.) Quel.), yellowish-gray entoloma (Entoloma lividum Quel. ). This also includes volnushka (Lactarius torminosus Fr.), some types of russula, etc., edible only after 10-15 minutes of boiling (pour out the broth!).

The second group consists of mushrooms with a pronounced effect on the nerve centers. These include mushrooms containing poisonous substances, mainly muscarine and muscaridine. Symptoms of poisoning appear 0.5-4 hours after eating mushrooms. Signs of poisoning - severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, increased sweating, fits of laughter, crying, hallucinations. This group includes some species of the genus Amanita: red fly agaric (A. muscaria (L.: Fr.) Hook.), panther fly agaric (A. pantherina (DC: Fr.) Seer.), Patujar fiber (Inocybe patoullardii Bres.) and etc.; some species of the genus Clitocybe: white talker (C. candicans (Pers.: Fr.) Kumm.), whitish talker (C. dealbata (Sow.: Fr.) Kumm.), poisonous reddish talker (C. rivulosa (Pers.: Fr.) Quel.), some species of the genera Psilocybe, Stropharia, etc.

In poisonous fly agarics of this group, toxins are present in small quantities. For example, the content of muscarine in the red fly agaric is 0.0003-0.0016% of the raw mass of the fungus. From 125 kg of red fly agaric, 0.25 g of pure muscarin chloride was obtained, the lethal dose of which for a person is 0.5 g.

In the study of the red fly agaric, muscarine was the first to be isolated (in 1906), although, as already noted, its content is negligible and it is not the cause of the main symptoms of poisoning. The first preparations of muscarine were contaminated with acetylcholine and other cholines. Only a few decades after the isolation of muscarine, its structure was elucidated. The chemical composition of muscarine is defined as a trimethylammonium derivative:

Subsequently, six more toxins with muscarine-like activity were isolated from the red fly agaric, namely muscaridine, acetylcholine, and others. The chemical structure of muscaridine:

Chemical structure of acetylcholine:

At present, a method has been developed for the synthesis of muscarine for scientific purposes from an easily prepared synthetic amino acid derivative - D, L-acetylchlorocropylglycine.

Species of the genus Psilocybe are characterized by a particularly strong hallucinogenic effect: Cuban psilocybe (P. cubensis (Earle) Sing.), Mexican psilocybe (P. mexicana Heim), Sapotec psilocybe (P. sapotecorum Heim). Hallucinations were noted in people who ate mushrooms of this genus raw or drank tinctures from them. Chemical analysis of mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe, mainly Mexican psilocybe or Cuban psilocybe, revealed an active ingredient with hallucinogenic properties. It was called psilocybin. Psilocybin is a phosphate ester of 4-hydroxydimethyltryptamine, an indole derivative. Chemical structure of psilocybin:

The dephosphorylated psilocybin derivative psilocin (4-hydroxy-N-N-tryptamine) also has a hallucinogenic effect. Chemical structure of psilocin:

In addition to psilocybin and psilocin, two more alkaloids, baeocystin and norbeocystin, have been isolated from mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe. Although they are contained in scanty amounts, they cause a pathological process in the cerebral cortex, during which serotin is formed, its appearance, as well as a violation of tryptophan metabolism, leads to mental illness. In recent years, it has been possible to obtain psilocin and psilocybin synthetically. In some cases, psilocybin has been beneficial in the treatment of the mentally ill, since the nature of its effects depends on the dose taken. 1 mg of psilocybin induces a state of intoxication in a person after 20-30 minutes. 0.002-0.004 g of psilocybin, when taken orally, causes a state of detachment from reality, general nervous relaxation, sometimes combined with a feeling of physical fatigue, and often weightlessness. Increasing the dose to 0.01 g changes the sense of space and time, causes illusions, hallucinations, and a drowsy state, during which long-forgotten events and experiences are often reproduced in memory.

Psilocin and Psilocybin are found both in mushrooms of a number of species of the genus Psilocybe, and in many fungi of the genera Panaeolus, Conocybe, Stropharia, Psathyrella.

The third group consists of mushrooms with a pronounced plasma-toxic effect. This group includes the most dangerous, deadly poisonous mushrooms. This is primarily a pale grebe (Amanita phalloides (Vaill.: Fr.) Secr.) and smelly fly agaric (A. virosa Lam.: Secr.) and white fly agaric (A. verna (Bull.) Pers.), lepiota brick red (Lepiota helveola Bres.), brown-red lepiota (L. brunneoincarnata Chod. et Mart.), sulfur yellow false honey agaric (Hypholoma fasciculare (Huds.: Fr.) Kumm.), false brick red honey agaric ( H. sublateritium (Fr.) Quel.), orange-red cobweb (Cortinarius orellanus (Fr.) Fr.) and related species.

The latent period in case of poisoning lasts from 8 hours to 14 days. Poisons enter the stomach, but their presence there does not cause obvious signs of poisoning. Even when poisons, picked up by the blood, reach all organs, at first no disturbances in their activity are noticeable. Signs of poisoning become pronounced after the substances reach the brain and affect the nerve centers that regulate the functions of individual organs. As a result of increased activity of the muscles of the stomach, gastric juice and mucus begin to intensively stand out, which cause vomiting and diarrhea. The body becomes dehydrated, blood thickens, unquenchable thirst begins, lips and nails turn blue, hands and feet get cold, convulsions appear. Later, the poisons paralyze the nerves that regulate the functioning of the blood vessels, as a result of which blood is retained in them. Blood pressure drops. At this time, fatty degeneration of the liver, kidneys, and heart occurs. The patient's condition deteriorates sharply, almost always death occurs.

Mushrooms with a pronounced plasmotoxic effect contain toxic substances - phalloidin, falloin, phallocin, phallizin, α-, β-, γ and σ-amanitins, amanin, etc. All these poisons are cyclopeptides, are based on an indole core and are very toxic. The lethal dose for mice weighing about 20 g is: α-amanitin - 2.5 μg (lethal outcome occurs after 5 days), β-amanitin - 5-8 μg (lethal outcome after 3 days), γ-amanitin - 10-20 mcg, phalloidin - 40 mcg (lethal outcome after 3 days), phalloin -20 - 30 mcg (lethal outcome after 7 days). For a person weighing 65-75 kg, the lethal dose is 0.02-0.03 g of poisons. 100 g of fresh pale grebe contains 10 mg of phalloidin, 8 mg of α-amanitin, 5 mg of β-amanitin and about 0.5 mg of γ-amanitin.

All poisons with a pronounced plasmotoxic effect can be divided into two main groups: a) more poisonous, but slow-acting amanitins, giving a violet color with a solution of cinnamic aldehyde in HCl vapor, b) less poisonous, but faster acting (for example, phalloidin), giving blue stain with the same reagent. An intermediate position is occupied by amanin, which gives a blue coloration, but has a slow effect (DL 50 = 0.5 mg/kg of a white mouse).

Let us characterize in more detail the poisons of the most dangerous mushrooms: pale grebe, white fly agaric and orange-red cobweb.

Thanks to the research of many authors, ten toxic substances have been isolated and identified from the pale grebe, but a number of substances isolated from it have not yet been sufficiently studied and their chemical nature has not been established. The identified toxins of the pale toadstool are divided into two groups according to their effect on the cell: phallatoxins, which affect the endoplasmic reticulum, and amatoxins, which affect the cell nucleus. All toadstool toxins are cyclopeptides containing an indole ring and closed systems of rings, the ends of which are linked by amino acid residues.

According to T. Wieland and R. Jack, five phallatoxins have been identified: phalloidin, phallin, phallacidin, phallisin, and phallin (the only phallatoxin that decomposes when boiled). All phallatoxins have a similar chemical composition and structure, differing in side chains (D):

Desoxidesmethylfalloin (norfalloin)

The side chains of phallatoxins are a derivative of leucine, which in all phallatoxins found in nature in the γ-position contains a hydroxyl group - OH. This was the basis for the assumption that the hydroxyl group - OH is especially important for the manifestation of the toxic effect of phallatoxins. However, this assumption was soon refuted, since the artificially obtained derivative of phalloidin - norfalloin, or deoxydesmethylfalloin, which does not contain a hydroxyl group - OH, turned out to be toxic. T. Wieland and R. Jack suggested that the effect of phallatoxins depends on the presence of the S atom that binds the indole ring to the outer ring.

Five amatoxins have been identified: α-, β-, γ and σ-amanitins and amanin. In 1968, σ-, ϕ-, ω-amanitines were isolated, but their chemical structure requires further study and refinement. Amatoxins also have a common backbone containing an indole ring in a thiol-bridged ring system (we are talking about the O = S - group), and the side chains are derivatives of isoleucine. As shown by T. Wieland and A. Buku, the hydroxyl group -OH in the γ-position on isoleucine derivatives is very important for the manifestation of the toxic effect of amatoxins, as opposed to phallatoxins. All amatoxins contain it.

And amanulin, a substance naturally occurring in the pale toadstool, which has a chemical structure similar to amatoxins, but does not contain a hydroxyl group in the γ-position - OH, is not poisonous. Its chemical structure is as follows:

An unusually interesting discovery that marked the beginning of a new direction in the study of toxins of the pale grebe was the discovery of antamanid.

Antamanide, a cyclopeptide contained in the pale grebe, is not only non-toxic, but, on the contrary, reduces the toxic effect of phalloidin and, to a certain extent, α-amanitin. Thus, 10 mg of antamanid (per 1 kg of live weight of white mice) protect them from the action of 50 mg of phalloidin, i.e., 0.5 mg of antamanid are effective against 5 mg of phalloidin. Antamanid was obtained synthetically, but it has not yet found practical application, since its effect is manifested only if it enters the body simultaneously with the toxins of the pale toadstool. In the fruiting body of the pale grebe in its natural state, antamanid is contained in such a small amount that it does not affect the action of its toxins. Further study of the mechanism of action of antamanid may suggest effective measures to combat the most poisonous fungus in the world - pale grebe.

Until recently, the prevailing opinion was that the white fly agaric contains the same set of toxins as the pale grebe, although at the beginning of the 20th century. it was suggested that the morphological features of both species should also correspond to the features of the set of toxins. However, only in 1970, T. Staroy and M. Curtillo studied and determined the chemical nature of the white fly agaric toxin. From 10 kg of fresh white fly agaric carpophores, they isolated 2.5 g of a toxin, which they called virozin. The molecular weight of virozin is 20,000. Its toxicity is equated to that of α-amanitin. It has been proven that the largest amount of virozin is contained in the pulp of the cap and volva, and it is relatively less in the blades and pulp of the leg. The toxic effect of virozin in experiments on various animals was manifested in stagnation of blood, destruction of the kidneys, fatty degeneration of the liver, and a decrease in the volume of the spleen. Large doses of virozin cause imbalance and paralysis.

Like the pale grebe, the white fly agaric contains a substance that is an antagonist of virozin. With a molecular weight of 1000, it blocks approximately 80% of the toxicity of the fungus (i.e., it is much more effective than grebe antamanid).

The history of the study of the orange-red cobweb as a poisonous mushroom is very interesting. In 1952, in the vicinity of Poznan and Bydgoszcz (Poland), there were mass poisonings of people with similar symptoms, often with a fatal outcome. In all cases, the victims ate a mushroom, later identified by mycologists as orange-red cobweb, for 3-14 days before the onset of signs of poisoning. This long interval made it difficult to establish a link between poisoning and consumption of this fungus. And only animal studies have proven the involvement of the orange-red cobweb in poisoning in Poznan and some other regions of Poland.

The poisons of the orange-red cobweb in their structure and action are closest to the poisons of the pale grebe. The venom of the orange-red cobweb "orellanin" was discovered and obtained in crystalline form by S. Grzhimala. At present, it has been accurately proven that Grzhimala's "orellanin" is the combined substance of the entire group of poisons of the orange-red cobweb, numbering ten toxins. Four of them (grzhimalin, bezonin α- and β-cortinarin) were obtained in sufficient quantities and relatively well studied. All orange-red cobweb toxins are polypeptides, but their structure has not yet been finally deciphered. The poisons of this fungus are resistant; they are found in carpophores that have lain in the herbarium for a long period of time. So, M. Moser, when studying herbarium specimens of a fungus 20 years ago, found toxins in them.

Symptoms of orange-red cobweb poisoning appear after a long latent period (3-14 days). In victims from the Poznań area, symptoms of poisoning appeared in the following periods: 6 people on the 3rd day; 21 people on the 4th day; 7 people on the 5th day; 3 people on the 7th day; 24 people on the 8-10-11th day; 20 people on the 11-14th day.

The picture of poisoning is as follows: dryness and burning in the mouth, intense thirst, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills (temperature is elevated in very rare cases), headache and pain in the lumbar region. Later, failure occurs with oliguria and albuminuria, and uremia is often observed, causing death.

Let us dwell on one more category of mushrooms, the toxicity of which is manifested when they are simultaneously consumed with alcoholic beverages. These are some species of the genus Coprinus, for example, gray dung beetle (C. atramentarius (Bull.: Fr.) Fr.), flickering dung beetle (C. micaceus (Bull.: Fr.) Fr.), club-footed dung beetle (Clitocybe clavipes (Pers. : Fr.) Kumm.), olive-brown oak tree (Boletus luridus Fr.). When using these mushrooms with alcohol, after 0.5-2 hours, reddening of the face is noted, then most of the body becomes purple. The tip of the nose and earlobes remain pale. At the same time, fever, palpitations, intense thirst, vomiting, diarrhea appear, the pulse quickens, speech becomes difficult, vision is impaired. After some time, all these symptoms disappear, but reappear if alcohol is consumed again the next day. The poison isolated from gray dung beetle (hydroxycyclopropylglutamine) was named coprin. Dissolving in alcohol, it penetrates into the blood, and then into the liver. Koprin poisoning is similar to tetrathiurambisulfide poisoning.

Let us dwell very briefly on mushroom poisonings, which are the result of improper or inept preparation of conditionally edible mushrooms, the decoction of which must be poured after boiling. This form of poisoning is caused by such types of fungi: milky with caustic burning juice, russula with a very sharp, burning and pungent taste, etc. Signs of poisoning (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) appear 0.5-4 hours after eating mushrooms. Recovery usually occurs within a day. By their nature, these poisonings are no different from ordinary gastrointestinal disorders and do not have such peculiar symptoms that are observed in other forms of mushroom poisoning. Poisoning can also be caused by edible mushrooms if there is a delay in their processing after collection. Overripe, flabby and wormy mushrooms spoil especially quickly. They do not need to be eaten.

Individuals are idiosyncratic to fungi. In this case, eating even good edible mushrooms leads to poisoning, which proceeds very rapidly (sharp abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, itchy rash). Such people should avoid mushroom dishes. In diseases of the liver, kidneys, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, mushrooms are contraindicated.

Prevention and first aid for mushroom poisoning. Most mushroom poisons are destroyed during heat treatment and long-term storage, however, the toxins of some fungi (for example, pale grebe) are resistant to heating and drying, as well as when exposed to acids and sunlight. The nature of many toxins of a number of poisonous cap mushrooms has not yet been sufficiently studied. Therefore, strict control over the mushrooms used in food is necessary. When picking mushrooms individually, there is a hard rule to follow: if the nutritional value of a particular type of mushroom is unknown or uncertain, do not pick it.

The organization of industrial harvesting and processing of edible mushrooms is unthinkable without observing the GOSTs established on them. Mushroom pickers and employees of mushroom reception points, mushroom factories should: a) be well versed in the species diversity of mushrooms, accurately distinguish edible mushrooms from inedible, conditionally edible and poisonous ones; b) use for processing only benign and fresh collections of mushrooms; c) strictly adhere to the established mushroom processing technologies, bearing in mind that even good edible mushrooms, if the instructions for their processing are not followed, can cause poisoning.

For any mushroom poisoning, it is necessary to provide urgent medical care on the spot, before hospitalization. At the same time, visits to the clinic by the victims themselves should be avoided, since many fungal toxins cause serious circulatory disorders and heart activity. Before the doctor arrives, the victim should be put to bed and given 4-5 glasses of boiled water at room temperature or a soda solution (one teaspoon per glass of water) or a weak (pinkish) solution of potassium permanganate. After that, they induce vomiting by pressing the back end of the spoon (or finger) on the root of the tongue. This gastric lavage is repeated 5-6 times. In order to remove poison from the intestines, a laxative is given (for an adult - two tablespoons of magnesium sulfate or Epsom salts per glass of water, for a preschool child, this dose is halved). The victim should drink a laxative immediately after each gastric lavage. The intestines are cleansed with an enema (an adult is given 1.2 liters of water, a glass for a preschooler).

To alleviate the condition of the victim, it is recommended to put a heating pad on his stomach and feet. With cramps of the calf muscles, mustard plasters are placed on the shins. Dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea is compensated by cool strong tea, coffee or lightly salted water. With private shallow breathing - artificial respiration according to the "mouth-to-mouth" or "mouth-to-nose" method. Usually, after all the measures taken, the victim feels better after 1-1.5 hours, but if the doctor insists on hospitalization, it should not be abandoned, since there is no guarantee that the poison is completely removed from the body.

Noteworthy is the method of treating poisoning with pale toadstool with teoctic acid, as well as with the antibiotic abiocin, ercefurin and ascorbic acid.

Dangerous Prejudice. It is often believed that there are special, "simple" tricks that indicate whether mushrooms are edible. It should be said with all categoricalness: there are no simple, fast and reliable ways to determine whether mushrooms are poisonous or edible. The only sure way to protect yourself from poisoning is to never eat unknown mushrooms, to firmly master the basic botanical signs of poisonous and inedible mushrooms and be able to use them.

Here are a number of incorrect ways to recognize mushrooms. We emphasize once again: in fact, all of them are devoid of any basis whatsoever and it is impossible to focus on them.

A silver spoon or a silver coin dipped into a decoction of mushrooms turns black if there are poisonous mushrooms in the pan. The darkening of silver objects depends on the chemical action of sulfur-containing amino acids on silver, resulting in the formation of black sulphide silver. These amino acids are found in both edible and poisonous mushrooms.

If the head of onion or garlic turns brown when cooked together with mushrooms, then among them there are poisonous. Both poisonous and edible mushrooms can cause browning of onions or garlic, depending on the presence of the tyrosinase enzyme in them.

Insect larvae and snails do not eat poisonous mushrooms. Insect larvae and snails eat both edible and poisonous mushrooms.

Poisonous mushrooms must necessarily cause sour milk. Souring of milk occurs under the influence of enzymes such as pepsin and organic acids, which can be found in both edible and poisonous mushrooms.

Poisonous mushrooms must have an unpleasant smell, and edible mushrooms must have a pleasant smell.. The smell of the deadly poisonous fungus of pale toadstool is no different from the smell of champignon.

All mushrooms are edible when young.. Pale grebe is equally deadly poisonous both in young and in adulthood.

So, in no case should one rely on these imaginary methods of recognizing mushrooms that attract with simplicity and ease. Only by studying the differences between poisonous mushrooms and edible mushrooms well can mushroom poisoning be avoided.

I. A. Dudka, S. P. Wasser, Mushrooms reference book of mycologist and mushroom picker, 1987

OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO