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Smelly fly agaric (Amanita virosa) is a dangerous mushroom of the Amanite family, of the order Lamellar. It has several names: fetid, snow-white or white toadstool. Its use in food is fraught with severe poisoning and death.
Description of the stinky fly agaric
In order not to grab inedible specimens in the basket, you must familiarize yourself with their description and photo.
Description of the hat
The smelly fly agaric hat (pictured) has a wide-conical shape, reaches a diameter of 12 cm. The color is white, shiny. When it rains, the surface becomes slightly sticky. The flesh of the cap is white and has an unpleasant aroma.
The plates under the cap are also white. They are formed freely, often. Spores are globular, smooth, white in color.
Leg description
The leg is even, elongated up to 7 cm in length. Its diameter does not exceed 1-1.5 cm. At the base, you can notice a thickening. The color is snow-white. A delicate white ring is formed on the leg. It quickly disappears, leaving behind a ring-shaped girdle.
Doubles and their differences
Amanita muscaria has several similar types:
- spring forms a flatter cap. It grows in warm regions, differs from the smelly specimens in the season of appearance. Deadly poisonous;
- ovoid differs in a larger Volvo. Along the edges of the cap, threadlike processes and flakes are visible, according to which mushroom pickers determine this particular type of fly agaric. The ring on the stem is small, creamy ocher. This species is listed in the Red Book of the Krasnodar Territory. Considered conditionally edible;
- death cap depending on the growing conditions, it may not have a greenish cap, but a whitish one, therefore it is sometimes confused with a stinking fly agaric. Toadstool is poisonous, mushrooms are equivalent in the degree of poisoning;
- float white Is an albino variety of the gray float. The main difference is the absence of a ring, but this is an unreliable sign, since it is destroyed in adult fly agaric. The mushroom is edible, but not highly nutritious;
- coppice champignon has a whitish-cream cap, so it can be confused with stinking fly agaric. The difference is that the mushroom plates darken with age, acquiring an almost black color; in the stinky mushroom, the plates remain snow-white. Champignon is edible, so you should be extremely careful during harvesting.
Where and how it grows
Amanita muscaria chooses forests with spruces and blueberries. Distributed in the northern part of the temperate climatic zone. Grows in coniferous and mixed forests, on wet sandstones.
Edible stinky fly agaric or poisonous
The smelly fly agaric contains muscarine, a toxic alkaloid that affects the human nervous system. Eating fly agarics of this species can turn into a tragic outcome.
Symptoms of poisoning with a stinky fly agaric
Symptoms that occur after eating smelly fly agaric resemble signs of poisoning with pale toadstool. The danger is that the body gives alarm signals too late, about 6-24 hours after eating a mushroom dish. During this time, irreversible changes occur: the liver is destroyed and a person cannot survive without a transplant of this organ.
The main symptoms of poisoning:
- intolerable abdominal pain;
- weakness bordering on fainting;
- incessant vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- intense thirst;
- disruption of the heart is manifested in a decrease in blood pressure to critical values, tachycardia is noted;
- blood glucose levels decrease (hypoglycemia);
- in severe cases, a delusional state occurs.
After 1-2 days, the symptoms subside, but the body does not recover from the illness. This is the period of "false recovery", after which the death of the patient is possible.
First aid for white toadstool poisoning
In case of poisoning with smelly fly agaric, you cannot do without medical assistance.
Algorithm for providing first aid:
- Before the ambulance arrives, the victim is given gastric lavage. To do this, use warm water. The patient is given several glasses of liquid at once, after which vomiting occurs.
- Activated carbon is given to drink at the rate of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight.
- Regidron is used for dehydration.
- You can drink tea, milk.
- In case of chills, they cover, heating pads are applied to the limbs.
It contains silymarin, which effectively restores liver cells. In the scientific literature, there are separate reports regarding the effectiveness of intravenous use of silymarin for poisoning with amanita. But it is not recommended to use such methods without a doctor's prescription.
In a hospital, acidosis is corrected, the water-electrolyte balance is restored. With the rapid destruction of the liver, an organ transplant operation is necessary. Sometimes this is the only chance for salvation.
Conclusion
Amanita muscaria is a poisonous mushroom that is easily confused with edible species. Poisoning in most cases is fatal. At the first sign of poisoning, urgent hospitalization is required. When collecting mushrooms, you should take only known specimens that are not in doubt.
