Content
- 1 What does a pale toadstool look like?
- 2 Where and when does the pale toadstool grow
- 3 Why is the pale toadstool dangerous for humans?
- 4 Is pale toadstool used in traditional medicine
- 5 How to recognize a pale toadstool
- 6 How to get rid of the pale toadstool on the site
- 7 Conclusion
Among the many representatives of the mushroom kingdom, there is a separate category of mushrooms, the use of which poses an extreme danger to human health. There are not so many such species, but anyone who is going to "quietly hunt" in the forest must know them "by sight". Among such especially dangerous mushrooms is the pale grebe, a photo and description of which are presented below.
What does a pale toadstool look like?
The pale grebe is a typical representative of the genus Amanitovyh (fly agaric). They are characterized by a cap-toothed umbrella shape with a long, even cylindrical stem and a rounded flat (at an early age, egg-shaped) cap.
Pale toadstool (green fly agaric, white fly agaric) is quite easily identified in the forest, however, cases of fatal poisoning by them occur regularly. Therefore, with the onset of the season, you need to be as careful and accurate as possible in picking mushrooms. The consequences of eating poisonous specimens can lead to the most sad results.
Description of the hat
A small toadstool is egg-shaped. As the mushroom grows, the cap begins to straighten, its edges rise more and more, the shape becomes semicircular or semi-oval, and then everything is flat. At the same time, its diameter can reach 10-12 cm. The upper part of the cap is covered with a smooth light dirty greenish or olive skin, in the center its color is more saturated, on the periphery it is light, sometimes almost white. The edges are slightly curved downwards.
The photo below shows what a pale grebe looks like at various stages of development of the fruiting body.
The reverse side of the cap is white, the plates are pronounced, even, soft, do not grow together with the stem.
Leg description
The leg of the green fly agaric has a cylindrical or truncated-conical shape with a slight thickening downward. Usually it is flat, it can be slightly curved. It often reaches 15 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter. The color of the leg is white; a moiré pattern may be present on the surface. The ring is located in the upper part of the leg, it is wide, filmy, falling, and may disappear with age.
Volvo (tuberous thickening at the base of the leg) is pronounced, white, lobed, usually up to half of it is in the ground.
What group of mushrooms does the pale toadstool belong to?
Among all mushrooms that are dangerous to human life and health, pale grebe occupies a special position. She belongs to the third, most dangerous group. Its representatives do not just cause food poisoning or disorders of the central nervous system. In this group are deadly poisonous mushrooms, the use of which will lead to death.
What does a pale toadstool smell like?
The green fly agaric does not have the specific mushroom smell that is common to many other species. In some specimens, it may be weak, slightly sweetish, vaguely reminiscent of raw potatoes. In many ways, the smell depends on the area in which the mushroom grew, as well as on its age.
How the pale toadstool reproduces
The green fly agaric reproduces by spores. They are white and round. Ripe spores are carried by wind and water. They are poisonous, like all parts of the fruiting body of the green fly agaric.
Where and when does the pale toadstool grow
A pale grebe grows not only in Russia, but also in Europe, Asia, and also in North America. Found in mixed or deciduous forests of the temperate climatic zone. Often forms mycorrhiza with oak, as well as linden, beech, walnut, other deciduous and broad-leaved trees. It is not very common, it grows mainly in small groups, as well as single specimens.
The first mushrooms appear in mid-July, fruiting continues until October.
Why is the pale toadstool dangerous for humans?
Amanita muscaria is recognized as one of the most dangerous mushrooms for humans. The lethal dose is approximately 1/3 of an adult fungus, which is approximately 30 g. According to statistics, 90% of poisoning with a pale toadstool ends in the death of the victim. Even if a person is lucky and the dose of toxins is not fatal, the treatment will be difficult and lengthy, and the body may never fully recover.
The action of the venom of the pale toadstool
The effect of the pale toadstool that affects the human body is due to the poisonous substances contained in it. The pulp of her fruiting body contains the following toxins:
- Amatoxins (amanin, α, β, γ-amanitins, amanulin).
- Phallotoxins (phalloidin, phallisin, phallicidin, phalloin).
All of them act mainly on the kidneys, as well as on the liver, causing its toxic hepatitis and subsequent necrosis.
Is there an antidote for pale toadstool
The following medicines are used as antidotes for pale toadstool poisoning:
- Benzylpenicillin.
- Silibinin (Legalon).
- Acetylcysteine.
Signs of pale toadstool poisoning
Symptoms suggesting a possible death cap poisoning appear with a noticeable delay. The first signs can appear only after 6-24, and in some cases even after 48 hours from the moment the fungus enters the body. This complicates the timely diagnosis and leads to the fact that most of the toxins contained in the fruiting bodies have time to be completely absorbed into the blood. Because of this temporary delay, urgent measures taken to save the victim are no longer as effective.
Here are the most common primary symptoms and signs of toadstool poisoning.
- Periodic pain and cramps in the abdomen.
- Nausea, uncontrollable vomiting.
- Frequent diarrhea with mucous discharge, sometimes with blood.
- Confusion of consciousness.
- Constant thirst.
Usually on the third day, the victim's state of health improves. However, this is a deceptive state, the intoxication of the body continues at this time.
After 2-4 days, signs of liver destruction appear: jaundice, darkening of urine. The heartbeat increases, the pulse becomes uneven, signs of hypertension appear. The structure of the blood changes, it becomes thick, quickly coagulates. As a rule, death occurs on days 10-12 due to acute heart failure, kidney or liver failure.
What happens if you eat a pale toadstool
The severity of the consequences for the human body when eating green fly agaric directly depends on the amount of mushrooms eaten, as well as on the time that has passed since the ingress of toxins into the body, the correctness and speed of taking measures to save a person.
However, practice shows that even qualified medical assistance in most cases does not help, and 9 out of 10 poisoned people die. A fatal dose of toadstool poisons for an adult is contained in one medium-sized mushroom. Toxins have a stronger effect on children; in this case, death occurs within 1-2 days.
First aid for pale toadstool poisoning
It is impossible to provide qualified medical care at home. Therefore, if you suspect mushroom poisoning (any, not necessarily pale toadstool), you should not treat yourself. It is necessary to call an ambulance or take the victim to the nearest hospital.
Before the arrival of doctors, you need to do the following.
- Rinse the victim's stomach, forcing him to drink a large amount of lightly salted or potassium permanganate-colored water, and then induce vomiting. Food samples should be retained for mycological examination for correct diagnosis.
- Restore the water-salt balance of the victim's body by giving him small doses of Rehydron solution or slightly salted water.
- Give the victim any available enterosorbent: activated carbon (0.5-1 g per 1 kg of the victim's body weight), Polysorb-MP, Enterosgel, etc.
- Provide bed rest.
Are there any known fatal deaths from the toadstool?
Unfortunately, deaths after eating pale toadstools are recorded annually. The figure below shows the statistics of mushroom poisoning in general:
Approximately 10% of the total number of deaths is caused by the consumption of green fly agaric. It is difficult to give exact figures, since detailed statistics are not kept. The largest number of poisonings is recorded in the Central Black Earth Region of Russia. For example, in the Voronezh region in 1992, 40 people died from mushroom poisoning, 23 of whom were children.
Cases of death after eating pale toadstools are also recorded in other countries. The video below shows news stories of Belarusian TV channels dedicated to this topic.
Is pale toadstool used in traditional medicine
Information on the use of pale toadstool in folk medicine is vague and vague. In some sources there is information about the use of microdoses of the fungus as antidotes for the treatment of poisoning, but this practice raises great doubts. Traditional medicine does not attribute any beneficial properties to the green fly agaric, however, there is information about the developments being carried out at the German Center for Cancer Research. Scientists of this hospital conducted a series of successful tests on mice, in which a toxin isolated from the green fly agaric, α-amanitin, was used to suppress cancer cells. Research in this area is ongoing.
How to recognize a pale toadstool
The pale grebe is highly variable, but it is not difficult to visually identify it. To do this, you need to clearly know all its distinctive features. The main ones are a wide ring in the upper part of the leg and a large tuberous volva.
How does pale toadstool differ from other poisonous mushrooms
The pale grebe is similar in description to other fly agarics, especially the smelly and grebe. However, the white dotted growths on the cap, characteristic of many other Amanitov species, do not always appear in her. In addition to external differences, the composition of the toxic substances contained in the fruit bodies is also different. The toxins in the fruiting bodies of the green fly agaric do not decompose during heat treatment and are not removed from the pulp when soaked, therefore the mushroom remains poisonous after any type of processing.
What edible mushrooms does pale toadstool look like and how to tell them apart
At a young age, pale toadstool bears a certain resemblance to some edible mushrooms. This is the reason for the mistakes of mushroom pickers when harvesting. Therefore, it is very important to take your time during the "quiet hunt", carefully examine the cut mushrooms and throw them away at the slightest suspicion. It must be remembered that if it enters the basket with pale toadstool mushrooms, neighboring specimens will become infected and the entire crop will have to be thrown away.
How to distinguish a pale toadstool from a cap
The ringed cap, or podolotnik, is a fairly common mushroom of the Gossamer family. It is often found in Central Russia as well as in the western regions. It has good taste and is a desirable prey for many mushroom pickers. Unlike the green fly agaric, its cap has a semicircular shape and does not become flat with age. It is slightly brown, with a pinkish tinge, very much like an eggshell. The surface of the cap is covered with a mealy bloom.
There are a number of differences between the cap and the pale toadstool. The reverse side of the cap of the mushroom becomes brown with age, while in the green fly agaric it always remains white. There are no white flakes or scales on the surface of the cap.
From champignon
The easiest way to distinguish mushrooms from pale toadstools is by the color of the plates on the bottom of the cap. In the green fly agaric, they are always white and do not change color with the age of the mushroom.
In a young champignon, the color of the plates is pink, and as the mushroom ages, it becomes more and more brown.
From green tea
Zelenushka, or green ryadovka, is a lamellar edible mushroom of the Ryadovkov family. You can distinguish it from a pale toadstool by the following features:
- Plates of a row of green have a lemon or greenish-yellow color. In a pale toadstool, they are always white.
- The shape of the greenfinch hat is flat-convex. Amanita muscaria has bell-shaped.
- The green row completely lacks a ring on the leg, and it itself is noticeably shorter.
The color of the rowing leg is green - yellow or yellow-green. The toadstool has a white leg.
From greenish and green russula
Young specimens of pale toadstool and green or greenish russula can be very similar. However, there are a number of differences between them:
- The russula completely lacks the ring on the leg, characteristic of the green fly agaric, and also completely lacks the volva.
- The russula's plates are fragile and brittle, and the leg is thicker and denser.
How to recognize a pale toadstool when cooking
Unfortunately, there is no reliable way to determine the presence of pale toadstool toxins in mushroom broth.
Techniques based on changing the color of the broth that remains after boiling mushrooms, darkening a silver spoon placed in it, blue onions or garlic, etc. will not give a 100% guarantee, so they cannot be used. The most effective measure to avoid poisoning is to completely abandon the use of mushrooms at the slightest suspicion of the presence of green fly agaric among them.
How to get rid of the pale toadstool on the site
A pale toadstool can sometimes grow in a garden or in a backyard. You need to get rid of it as quickly as possible. In the green fly agaric, all parts are poisonous, even the spores and mycelium. The mushroom must be removed from the ground, and the soil in the area where it grew must be turned over so that the threads of the mycelium remain open. So the sun's rays will quickly destroy them. After that, the site must be completely dug up. So that the mushrooms do not appear again, the soil is treated with a 0.2% solution of copper sulfate.
Often, fungi develop in areas with abundant litter of fallen leaves, twigs and dry grass. To prevent this from happening, you need to remove plant debris, old rotten wood in time. The soil in shaded areas should be loosened regularly to avoid excessive moisture.
Conclusion
The pale toadstool, photo and description of which are given in the article, is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world. Perhaps in the future, scientists will find a way to use the substances contained in it for the benefit of humanity, but so far this has not happened. Therefore, you need to pick mushrooms as carefully as possible and in no case eat those that resemble a green fly agaric.
