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It is impossible to get poisoned by oyster mushrooms if you follow the technology for collecting and preparing them. However, we must remember that mushrooms are difficult for the digestive system. They can harm the body of elderly people and children, as well as any person with unlimited use.
Is it possible to get poisoned by oyster mushrooms?
Oyster mushrooms are considered edible mushrooms. Experienced mushroom pickers can eat the fruiting body even raw without any special consequences. If we look at it in general, you can even get poisoned by bread if you use it incorrectly. As for oyster mushrooms, the main problem is the difficulty of digestion by the gastrointestinal tract. In other words, mushrooms create heaviness in the stomach when consumed in excess. Oyster mushrooms will cause intoxication in people with chronic liver or gastrointestinal disease.
Oyster mushrooms grown on substrate are considered the safest.
The safest are oyster mushrooms grown independently from mycelium on a clean substrate. However, even such mushrooms can be poisoned in the following cases:
- The cultivation technology has been disrupted.When using contaminated material to prepare the substrate, oyster mushrooms will absorb all harmful substances. Care must be taken to treat fruiting bodies with pesticides.
- Growing in non-ecologically friendly conditions. If the barn where oyster mushrooms are grown is located near a highway, a production facility, or another chemical industry facility, then the mushrooms will absorb the fumes of toxic substances.
- Failure to comply with conservation rules. Most often, they are poisoned with canned mushrooms, which were stored in the basement for a long time, were rolled up in violation of the recipe, and were subjected to poor heat treatment.
Canned mushrooms carry a lot of danger if the seaming was done in violation of the recipe
Oyster mushrooms can not only be grown, but also collected in the forest. The likelihood of poisoning from wild fruiting bodies increases. Oyster mushroom can grow on any single tree or stump. Harvest cannot be harvested near roads or industrial enterprises. The further into the forest, the more environmentally friendly the mushrooms will be.
Another danger is the haste or inexperience of the mushroom picker. A poisonous mushroom similar to oyster mushroom may end up in the basket by mistake. If it is not detected during sorting, poisoning is guaranteed.
Symptoms of oyster mushroom poisoning
Symptoms and signs of oyster mushroom poisoning may vary. It all depends on what caused the intoxication. If poisoning occurs with canned food prepared in violation of the recipe, then the person may experience:
- a sharp increase in temperature;
- attacks of nausea, vomiting;
- indigestion accompanied by frequent visits to the toilet;
- loss of coordination, seizures, temporary loss of consciousness.
Weakening of the body occurs from dehydration due to frequent vomiting.
Poisoning may be accompanied by suffocation, nausea, painful swallowing
Preservation can be fraught with greater danger than just bacteria that cause poisoning. With long-term storage and violation of the canning recipe, botulism occurs inside jars with mushrooms. You can recognize it by the following signs:
- acute abdominal pain in the navel area;
- approximately 30 minutes after the onset of pain syndromes, vomiting begins;
- clarity of vision decreases, objects “float” in the eyes;
- there is pain in the joints and muscles;
- suffocation and painful swallowing occur.
The danger of botulism is that if assistance is not provided in a timely manner, death can occur. If similar signs begin to appear, you should immediately call a doctor.
The symptoms of poisoning from oyster mushrooms collected in contaminated areas will be slightly different. The person will have:
- nausea with vomiting;
- lethargy, tendency to sleep;
- heaviness in the back of the head;
- recurrent or constant headache.
The safest poisoning is considered to be when a person simply overeats mushrooms grown in compliance with technology on an environmentally friendly substrate. Usually such a nuisance ends with heaviness in the stomach. Sometimes gastrointestinal disorders may occur.
First aid for oyster mushroom poisoning
Even if in case of poisoning a doctor is called to the patient, he is not able to instantly reach his destination. The injured person must be given first aid. It is aimed at cleansing the gastrointestinal tract of toxins.The faster this is done, the less toxic substances will spread throughout the body.
Absorbents are the first assistants in case of poisoning
When signs of poisoning appear, the following actions must be taken:
- The victim is given up to 1.5 liters of warm boiled water to drink. You can dissolve several manganese crystals in the liquid. Pressing on the root of the tongue causes an emetic effect. The procedure will help cleanse the stomach. Washing is done at least 2-3 times. The action is stopped when the escaping liquid is clear.
- After gastric lavage, the patient is given absorbents. Any drug available in your home medicine cabinet will do. Most often there is activated carbon, but the best effect will be from Smecta or Enterosgel.
- The process of gastric lavage from poisoning was accompanied by vomiting. The victim's body is dehydrated. The patient needs to drink frequently, but in small portions. Taking 2 tbsp helps a lot. l. every 15 minutes boiled water, sugar-free dried fruit compote. When soldering with plain water, you can add lemon juice with honey or the drug Regidron.
- When the symptoms of poisoning did not appear immediately, and more than two hours have passed after eating mushrooms, gastric lavage will not be enough. Toxins will have time to penetrate the intestinal tract. To remove them, the victim will have to undergo an enema.
If the temperature is elevated, the victim is given Nurofen or another antipyretic drug
- When the body begins to fight the infection, the person's temperature rises. The patient is given any antipyretic drug available in the medicine cabinet.
Timely first aid for mushroom poisoning will help get the victim back on his feet faster.If the intoxication was caused by simple overeating or the toxins were quickly removed from the body, then on the second day the restoration of strength will begin. The gastrointestinal tract normalizes its work. More severe poisonings can leave serious consequences:
- If you happen to be poisoned by forest oyster mushrooms, among which there is an inedible mushroom, then the consequences will depend on the degree of its toxicity. It is even possible that jaundice and pancreatitis may appear.
- The most difficult consequences will occur when the body has been poisoned by botulism. A potent toxin affects the kidneys, heart, and liver.
The manifestation of symptoms of poisoning should be felt by the person consuming oyster mushrooms. If the first bell appears, do not hesitate. It is better to prevent intoxication in advance than to undergo a long course of rehabilitation later.
Prevention of oyster mushroom poisoning
If you follow the rules for collecting, growing, preserving, and preparing oyster mushrooms, then the likelihood of poisoning from edible mushrooms is reduced to zero. Every mushroom picker must learn 4 important rules:
- You cannot collect fruiting bodies from trees growing near roads, enterprises, or landfills. Mushrooms absorb toxins using the sponge method. For oyster mushrooms you need to go deep into the forest or grow them yourself.
- It is important to follow the cooking recipes. Despite the fact that oyster mushrooms are edible mushrooms, they must be boiled before cooking.
- When harvesting in the forest, you need to carefully watch so that no poisonous mushroom gets into the basket. Upon arrival home, the harvest needs to be sorted again.
- It is better to avoid buying mushrooms at the market. It is unknown where they were collected. Dried fruit bodies are especially dangerous.Among them, it is impossible to accurately determine whether another poisonous mushroom has come across.
Oyster mushrooms must be preserved strictly following the recipe.
To prevent botulism bacteria from appearing in a jar of oyster mushrooms, it is necessary to carry out thorough heat treatment. Do not reduce the amount of salt and vinegar indicated in the recipe. Canned oyster mushrooms can be stored for up to 1 year. Even if the preservation looks attractive after the expiration date, it is better not to risk it and get rid of it.
Watch the video for more information about oyster mushrooms:
Conclusion
You can only get poisoned by oyster mushrooms through your own negligence. If this happens, you need not to get lost and provide timely assistance.
