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Butterflies are considered edible mushrooms that do not have false poisonous counterparts. That is, from the point of view of mycology, the mushroom picker is not in danger of being poisoned by both real and false boletus. However, exceptions are possible. In some situations, you can be poisoned by oils. In this case, the reasons can be very diverse - mushrooms are a very specific product, which at each stage of collection and preparation is capable of presenting surprises.
Is it possible to get poisoned by edible oils?
Boletus is one of the most popular mushrooms. These are edible gifts of the forest of the second or third category, which can be eaten in various forms. All boletus is not poisonous, that is, you can only be poisoned by it in case of excessive overeating.
Cases of boletus poisoning are recorded quite often. And this does not mean that the mushrooms suddenly became poisonous.
In fact, the reason may lie in several factors:
- Mushrooms can be collected in places where the ecological situation does not correspond to normal conditions.The gifts of the forest are somewhat like sponges and absorb literally everything that is in it from the soil. Having eaten such a mushroom, a person will introduce all harmful substances into his body.
- Cooking canned mushrooms can be potentially dangerous due to non-compliance with the preparation technology.
- Allergy to mushroom carbohydrates. Until recently, a relatively rare phenomenon, but recently it has been recorded more and more often.
- Error in identification of mushrooms during collection.
The most unpleasant thing is that all these factors may not have any decisive significance in themselves, but their combination (at least two) poses a threat not only to the health of the mushroom picker, but also to his life.
Is it possible to get poisoned by false boletus?
Officially, mycology classifies mushrooms that are almost completely similar to false butterflies. They not only have the same color and size, but also the structure of the fruiting body is the same. Mushroom pickers have a slightly different classification of false doubles - they are quite similar in appearance.
All boletus counterparts belonging to the Boletaceae family have a porous hymenophore and are not poisonous.
However, there are many other mushrooms that look very similar to butter mushrooms, but are poisonous. A distinctive feature of false mushrooms in this case is the hymenophore in the form of plates.
Signs of poisoning by false boletus are generally difficult to distinguish from poisoning by ordinary boletus, but they appear a little earlier, and over time the symptoms will become much more noticeable. This situation is explained by the fact that in false oils the concentration of substances harmful to humans is significantly higher.
Is it possible to get poisoned by canned buttermilk?
Since boletus is rich in protein, there are frequent cases of invasion of their fruiting bodies by various bacteria, which can survive the pasteurization process and end up in a can, from where they and their toxins enter the human body.
If butter is improperly stored or processed in the form of salting and pickling, various microorganisms, mainly bacteria, can appear in them. Many of the anaerobic bacteria secrete a specific poison that leads to muscle paralysis. This disease is called botulism. The development of bacteria occurs without air access, inside canned mushroom products.
The symptoms of botulism are:
- dizziness, with occasional headache;
- bloating;
- vision dysfunction;
- confused speech.
The most unpleasant thing about this disease is that the patient himself does not notice his strange behavior. Therefore, if several of these symptoms are combined in one of your relatives, you should take him to the laboratory for tests to identify traces of anaerobic bacteria.
First boletus poisoning: symptoms and signs
Signs of boletus mushroom poisoning:
- A severe headache appears, as well as soreness, akin to a cold viral infection. Aching joints are often observed.
- At first there is slight nausea, which only intensifies over time. Later vomiting develops.
- Intestinal problems: colic, bloating, diarrhea.
- Increase in body temperature. This is a relatively rare phenomenon in poisoning, characteristic primarily of intoxication with mushrooms.
- Low blood pressure, general weakness, loss of consciousness.
In addition to the listed signs and symptoms, poisoning with boletus mushrooms can be accompanied by exacerbation of chronic diseases (especially those associated with diseases of the digestive, excretory and nervous systems).
First aid for oil poisoning
As soon as symptoms of boletus mushroom poisoning are noticed, you should immediately consult a doctor or call an ambulance. In addition, it is necessary to take a number of measures aimed at providing first aid even before the arrival of specialists.
The most important procedure that needs to be done is to flush the victim’s stomach or at least induce vomiting. To do this, you need to let him drink from 1.3 to 1.6 liters of cool water, then press on the back of his tongue and induce vomiting.
If the victim has diarrhea, then he should be given a fairly large dose of sorbents - activated carbon, “white coal”, etc. For an adult, the dose of activated carbon should be at least 10 tablets of 500 mg each.
If there is no diarrhea, then on the contrary they give a laxative (Sorbitol, Polysorb, etc.) and do an enema.
All of the above procedures are necessary to relieve intoxication of the body caused by poisoning.
In what cases should you consult a doctor?
Many people think that after the first signs of boletus poisoning appear, it is enough to provide the victim with the assistance described earlier, and then finish any medical measures. This approach is too careless and irresponsible.Mushroom poisoning can have the most unpleasant consequences for the body, so you need to seek medical help not only in case of obvious signs of mushroom poisoning, but even if you suspect such.
You need to understand that the effect of mushroom toxins on the body is destructive and occurs very quickly. Therefore, visiting a doctor should not only be timely, it should be urgent.
How to avoid oil poisoning
Preventive measures to prevent poisoning from boletus, like any other mushrooms, are quite simple:
- The correct choice of mushrooms is still at the picking stage. Before you put a cut mushroom in a basket or bucket, you should definitely make sure that it is really an edible mushroom. Their hymenophore is always porous.
- Oilseeds have the ability to “pull out” all heavy metal salts and various toxins from the earth. Therefore, it is highly recommended to collect them in environmentally friendly places. No closer than 1 km to industrial enterprises, 100 m from railways and 50 m from roads.
- It is better to collect boletus that has small fruiting bodies, since they are still quite young and have not had time to absorb a large amount of harmful substances.Important! Frankly old mushrooms with cracked caps and stems cannot be collected.
- When collecting, you need to carefully inspect the fruiting bodies so that they are free of dirt and traces of worms.
- Mushrooms should not be stored for more than 1 day.
- When preparing canned food, you should rinse the mushrooms very thoroughly, soak them in salted water and boil them, following all the rules (in particular, boil for at least 20 minutes).If the boletus turns blue during cooking, it must be eaten the same day; it cannot be preserved.
- It is advisable to eat canned boletus before the New Year, since after this time the likelihood of the development of anaerobic bacteria that causes botulism increases significantly.
- Butter is prohibited for pregnant and lactating women, as well as children under 8 years of age. Sometimes this category is expanded even further: people who have had cholecystitis and pancreatitis are prohibited from consuming mushrooms.
- In any case, it should be understood that all mushrooms, even edible boletus, are very heavy food for the human body. They should be used in moderation and with caution.
In addition, at each stage of working with boletus, it is necessary to monitor their condition and its uncharacteristic changes. For example, if after removing the skin from the caps the mushrooms turn black, naturally they should not be eaten. It is necessary to analyze not only external manifestations, but also the smell of mushrooms, their hardness, elasticity, etc.
Conclusion
Many people do not understand how one can be poisoned by boletus mushrooms, because it is believed that these mushrooms and even their false counterparts are at least conditionally edible, and there are no poisonous ones among them. However, we should not forget that the mushroom, which is part of the forest ecosystem, takes part in many metabolic processes; its fruiting body can become a container for some chemical compound that will be unsafe for humans. The cause of boletus poisoning may also have nothing to do with either the environment or a mushroom picker’s mistake during collection. Elementary violations of canning rules, such as unsanitary conditions, can lead to a serious illness - botulism.
