Why is white toadstool dangerous?

From mushrooms. This product is a rich source of vitamins and protein. Mushrooms have been used as food since ancient times, and to this day they have not lost their attractiveness. But there are species that hide a deadly threat. One of the considered pale (white) grebe. The second name is green fly agaric. Eating this mushroom for most people ends in failure, 90 out of 100 cases are fatal. Sometimes even the most avid mushroom pickers make a mistake. To prevent a tragedy, you need to know exactly what the white grebe looks like and in what regions it is found.

Where is the fungus distributed?

The most prominent representative is the fly agaric, it belongs to this genus. It occurs in the temperate climatic zone of the Eurasian and North American continents. The fungus grows in fertile or mixed soils, often adjacent to trees such as birch, oak and linden. Mostly it can be found in a broad-leaved or deciduous forest, but there are times when a toadstool is found in parks. It is practically not found on sandy soil and in coniferous forests.

Description of the mushroom

In order to avoid mistakes when collecting edible mushrooms, you need to carefully study the description of the white toadstool:

• Small mushroom, has a film coating.
• The diameter of the hat can vary from 6 to 12 cm. It has a pale green, yellowish or white tint. The color is darker towards the center of the cap. In the process of growth, the hat changes shape: initially it can be flat or egg-shaped, then it changes to open. In a young mushroom, the surface of the cap is covered with flakes, which disappear with time.
• Underneath, the hat hides white plates. Throughout the time they do not change their color. When touched, they have a soft texture.
• Mushroom pulp is white. If you break it, the color will not change.
• Pale (white) grebe has a sweetish taste and pleasant aroma, but the old mushroom smells very nasty.
• The shape of the leg is cylindrical. At the very base, which is wrapped in a Volvo in the form of a torn bowl, it has a thickening. There is a skirt at the top of the leg. The color of the stem is predominantly white, sometimes with a yellow or green tint.

Similarity to edible mushrooms

Often, mushroom pickers confuse pale grebe with, since they are very similar in appearance. But still there are distinguishing features:

• The white toadstool mushroom has a membranous tuberous thickening on the stem (at the very base), which the russula does not have.
• The edible mushroom lacks a skirt.

Upon closer inspection, the above differences can be easily seen.

Pale grebe has certain similarities with champignon, and sometimes these mushrooms are quite difficult to distinguish from each other. The differences are not as noticeable as those of russula, but still they are:

• The plates located under the cap of the poisonous mushroom are painted white, but in champignon they are always brown or pink.
• If you make a break, the flesh of an edible mushroom will acquire a red or yellowish tint. The color of the toadstool does not change.
• Champignons have a pronounced aroma, while in a poisonous mushroom, the aroma is barely perceptible.
• Worms and insects bypass the toadstool, but they love to feast on edible representatives of the mushroom kingdom.

Young champignons cannot be distinguished from a poisonous mushroom, so it is not recommended to cut them.

Symptoms of poisoning

Pale grebe can be considered not only poisonous, but also the most insidious mushroom. By taste and smell, it is difficult to distinguish it from edible. Even heat treatment is not able to neutralize the effect of the poison. Its concentration is so strong that in most cases it leads to severe poisoning, and then to death. The insidiousness lies in the fact that the symptoms of intoxication do not appear immediately. After the white toadstool has been eaten, it can take from 6 to 12 hours, or even more than a day, before the poison makes itself felt.

The main symptoms of poisoning:

• Vomiting and nausea are permanent.
• The stool is liquid. Has an unpleasant smell. After a while, mucus and blood are observed in it.
• Dehydration occurs. The person is thirsty and the skin becomes dry.
• On the 3-4th day, false relief begins. This period can last 2-4 days.
• The patient develops acute renal and hepatic failure.
• Skin color becomes yellow.
• Nosebleeds and subcutaneous hemorrhages are observed.
• Consciousness becomes twilight and loses clarity.
• The pulse is rapid, superficial. Blood pressure drops.

Medical assistance should be provided as soon as the first manifestations of poisoning occur, otherwise a person may die on the 10-12th day.

First aid

If there is a suspicion that a pale (white) grebe has become the cause of the poisoning, you should immediately call for emergency help. Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to carry out procedures that help alleviate the condition:

• If nausea and vomiting are absent, you need to flush the stomach. The patient needs to drink plenty of water and by pressing the root of the tongue induce vomiting.
• Give the poisoned person a laxative to help the body get rid of toxins.
• Use sorbents: "Smecta", activated carbon, etc.

Before the arrival of the ambulance, such procedures will be enough.

Remember! It is enough for a person to eat 1/3 of the toadstool mushroom cap to get a lethal dose of poison.