What is dangerous mushroom white toadstool?

Many people are very fond of dishes made from mushrooms. This product is a rich source of vitamins and protein. Mushrooms were used for food in ancient times, and to this day they have not lost their appeal. But there are species that conceal a mortal threat. One of the most poisonous mushrooms is a pale (white) toadstool. The second name is the green fly agaric. Eating this fungus for most people ends up badly, 90 out of 100 cases is a fatal outcome. Sometimes even the most inveterate 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 meets.

Where is the mushroom spread?

The most vivid representative of poisonous mushrooms is the fly agaric, this pale toadstool refers specifically to this genus . It occurs in the temperate climatic zone of the Eurasian and North American continents. The fungus grows on fertile or mixed soils, often adjacent to trees such as birches, oaks and limes. Mostly it can be found in a broad-leaved or deciduous forest, but there are cases when a toadstool is found in the territories of parks. On the sandy ground and in coniferous forests is practically not found.

Description of mushroom

In order not to make mistakes when collecting edible mushrooms, you need to carefully study the description of the white toadstool:

• Small fungus, has a film coating.
• The diameter of the hat can vary from 6 to 12 cm. It has a pale green, yellowish or white hue. The color of the cap is darker. During growth, the hat changes its shape: initially it may be flat or egg-shaped, then it changes to the outstretched. In a young mushroom, the surface of the cap is covered with flakes, which eventually disappear.
• Under a hat hides the plates of white color. Throughout the time they do not change their color. When feeling, they have a soft structure.
• Mushroom pulp is white. If it is broken, the color will not change.
• Pale (white) toadstool has a sweetish taste and a pleasant aroma, but the old mushroom smells very disgusting.
• The shape of the foot is cylindrical. At the very base, which is wrapped by the volva in the form of a torn bowl, it has a thickening. In the upper part of the leg is a skirt. The color of the peduncle is predominantly white, sometimes with a yellow or green tint.

Similarity with edible mushrooms

Often, mushroom pickers confuse a pale toadstool with a green russet, since in appearance they are very similar. But nevertheless there are distinctive signs:

• Mushroom white toadstool has on the stem (at the very base) a filmy tuberous thickening, which is absent in the russula.
• The edible fungus lacks a skirt.

At close examination it is easy to notice the above differences.

Pale toadstool has some similarities with champignon, and sometimes these mushrooms are quite difficult to distinguish from each other. Differences are not as noticeable as in a rush, but they are:

• Plates, located under the cap of a poisonous mushroom, are painted white, but with mushrooms they are always brown or pink.
• If you make a break, the edible fungus will acquire a red or yellowish tint. The toadstool color will not change.
• Champignons have a pronounced flavor, whereas the poisonous mushroom flavor is barely catchable.
• Worms and insects bypass the toadstool side, but they like to eat edible representatives of the mushroom kingdom.

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

Symptoms of poisoning

Pale toadstool can be considered not only a poisonous, but also the most insidious fungus. By taste and smell it is difficult to distinguish it from edible. Even the heat treatment is not capable of neutralizing the action of the poison. Its concentration is so strong that in most cases it leads to severe poisoning, and then to death. Insidiousness lies in the fact that the symptoms of intoxication are not immediately apparent. After eating a white toadstool, it can take 6 to 12 hours, or even more than a day, before the poison will make itself felt.

The main symptoms of poisoning:

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

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

First Aid

If there is a suspicion that the poison was caused by a pale (white) grebe, you should immediately call for emergency help. Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to conduct procedures that facilitate the relief of the condition:

• If there is no nausea and vomiting, you should wash your stomach. The patient needs to drink a lot of water and with the help of pressing the root of the tongue cause vomiting.
• Give poisoned laxative to help the body get rid of toxins.
• Use sorbents: Smecta, activated carbon, etc.

Before the ambulance arrives, such procedures will be enough.

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