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Volnushki are very common in the forests of northern Russia. These mushrooms are considered conditionally edible due to the bitter, acrid, milky juice contained in the pulp, but after special processing they can be eaten. But, unfortunately, poisoning with volnushka is also not uncommon. It may be the result of the fact that the mushrooms were not soaked or boiled, they were cooked incorrectly, or the resulting dish was stored for too long.
In addition, if a person for whom such mushrooms are contraindicated for health reasons decides to eat a meal made from mushrooms, this can also have bad consequences. At the first signs of poisoning, it is necessary to immediately provide emergency assistance to the victim and be sure to consult a doctor.
What types of waves are there?
It is customary to call several types of tubular mushrooms belonging to the genus Milky.They grow on moist soil in mixed forests, usually near birch trees, and are often also visible along roads and in wide open clearings. The wave season lasts a long time - from June to October. Mushroom pickers usually find them in large groups, combining several dozen young and old specimens.
The three most common types of trumpets in Russia are very similar to each other and are considered conditionally edible:
- Volnushka pink, or Volnyanka, Volzhanka, Krasulya, decoction. It is characterized by a convex cap with a diameter of 5 to 15 cm, which becomes flat with age with a small notch in the middle. Its color is pale or grayish pink; on the surface of the skin of the mushroom there is a clearly visible pattern of concentric circles (“waves”) of a darker color, diverging from the center to downward curved, slightly pubescent edges. The stem is pink, dense, cylindrical, 3-7 cm long and up to 2 cm thick. The flesh of these mushrooms is white or light cream in color, with a faint pine smell. Acrid white juice appears abundantly at the fracture.
- Volnushka white, or whitefish. It is very similar to the pink wave described above, but is a little smaller, less massive in appearance and prefers sunnier, open places. The size of its cap is 3-8 cm, it is white, convex in a young mushroom and becomes funnel-shaped in an older one. There are also concentric circles on its surface, their color is yellowish. The stem of this mushroom is up to 4 cm long, pinkish in color. It, like the cap, is covered with light pubescence. The flesh of the mushroom is not very hard, white; at the site of damage, bitter juice is released, which looks like milk.
- Marsh mothweed, or pale milkweed, gray russet. Less popular among mushroom lovers than the previous two types, however, after pre-processing, pickles are often also prepared from it for the winter. Its cap can be from 3 to 8 cm in diameter, with dry, wet or slightly sticky skin on the surface. It is usually grayish or even gray-purple in color, with a darker color in the middle. The stem of the mushroom is long (up to 8 cm) and 1-2 cm thick, colored slightly lighter than the cap in brown tones. The pulp is thin, brittle, white or grayish, practically odorless. The milky, caustic juice of this mushroom becomes grayish when exposed to air, and when completely dry it acquires a gray-green color.
In what cases can you be poisoned by volnushki?
In a number of countries in Central and Southern Europe (Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, France), the mushrooms are considered not just inedible, but poisonous mushrooms. However, in Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Finland) they are enjoyed fried or boiled, after being well soaked and processed in boiling water. Since ancient times, in the villages of Belarus and Russia they have not been afraid to salt, stew, or pickle volushki, collecting them in whole baskets during the season. Undoubtedly, you need to know well how these mushrooms should be prepared so that they can be eaten without fear of poisoning, and who should not eat dishes from the mushrooms at all in order to avoid troubles.
Violation of the rules for preparing mushrooms for cooking
The most common cause of poisoning is violation of the rules for pre-processing freshly harvested trumpets. It happens that inexperienced mushroom pickers do not pay enough attention to this step. Such frivolity can lead to intestinal upset or manifest itself in mild or moderate poisoning.
Here are the basic recommendations that must be strictly followed by those who are planning to prepare trumpets:
- Immediately upon returning from the forest, the mushrooms must be sorted out - wormy and spoiled ones must be discarded, blades of grass, twigs and other debris must be removed, and the caps must be cleaned of any remaining leaves and moss;
- the lower third of the stem of each wave must be cut off and discarded;
- remove the “fringe” from the mushroom caps by carefully prying up its edge with a sharp knife and removing it towards the center;
- rinse the waves well in cold water;
- cut large specimens of mushrooms into 3-4 parts;
- place the volushki in a wide enamel container and fill with cold water in which salt is dissolved (50 g per 1 liter) so that it completely covers them;
- cover the mushrooms with a wide saucer and soak for 3 days, changing the water every 4-6 hours to avoid souring.
Violation of dosage and recipe during preparation
According to reviews from mushroom pickers, you can be poisoned by mushrooms if the preparation technology is not clearly followed, the proportions of key ingredients are incorrectly calculated and all the necessary subtleties are not taken into account.
Whatever culinary recipe is taken as a basis, you must adhere to several general rules:
- To prepare the vast majority of dishes, fresh mushrooms must first be boiled in one or more waters, but in any case the first broth must be drained, and then the mushrooms must be washed with cold water;
- if it was not possible to process and cook these mushrooms immediately after picking or purchasing, it is advisable to leave them in the refrigerator whole and unwashed;
- You should definitely use clean knives and kitchen utensils, and it is also important that these items are not made of copper, tin or cast iron;
- ready-made dishes from boiled, stewed or fried trumpets cannot be stored in the refrigerator for more than a day to avoid poisoning;
- It is advisable to eat canned pickles or marinades from these mushrooms as soon as possible after the jar has been opened.
I would especially like to dwell on some of the subtleties of the recipe for such a popular method of preparing trumpets for future use as pickling.
The so-called cold pickling of these mushrooms (without heat treatment) has many of its own characteristics:
- to avoid poisoning, it is carried out only in wooden barrels or glass jars;
- at the stage of soaking the trumpets in water, in addition to salt, be sure to add a little citric acid (2 g per 1 l);
- it is necessary to ensure that the mushrooms are completely immersed in the brine;
- after soaking, be sure to rinse the waves;
- You can eat such pickling no earlier than 40-60 days after preparation;
- before serving the salted trumpets to the table, they are filled with clean cold water for 1-2 hours in order to get rid of excess salt;
- Such mushrooms are stored in the cold at temperatures from 0 to 10 ° C, but not more than 12 months.
There are also necessary rules for fried mushrooms prepared for future use using the “hot” method - preserved in a glass container along with spices and brine:
- after soaking, the mushrooms are washed and excess water is allowed to drain;
- then the volushki are poured with clean water and boiled for 15-25 minutes until the product settles to the bottom of the pan;
- these mushrooms are preserved in half-liter jars washed with soda and sterilized, rolling them with tin lids;
- such volushki can be served after 2 weeks;
- Preparations made from these mushrooms should be stored in a dark place at a temperature of 16-18 °C.
Violation of the rules of use for those who have gastrointestinal diseases
It must be remembered that eating any dishes made from trumpets is contraindicated for people with acute and chronic diseases of the digestive system.
In particular, poisoning by these mushrooms can occur in those who suffer from:
- low acidity of gastric juice;
- cholecystitis;
- pancreatitis or gastritis.
Waves are prohibited for those who have had their gallbladder or pancreas removed, as well as if less than six months have passed after any surgery on the digestive organs.
The list of contraindications also includes individual intolerance to these mushrooms, which can result in an allergic reaction.
Other reasons
Despite the rich chemical composition and beneficial properties of mushrooms, they, like all mushrooms, are difficult to digest in the stomach, are a very strong allergen, and are also capable of accumulating toxic, radioactive substances and heavy metal salts contained in the air, soil and water.Moreover, any failure to comply with the rules for pre-processing or preparing fried eggs further increases the risk of food poisoning from them.
That is why any dishes made from these mushrooms must be excluded from the diet of pregnant and lactating women, as well as children under 7 years of age.
After the age of seven, mushrooms should be given to children extremely carefully and in small quantities. Doctors advise starting with relatively safe oyster mushrooms or champignons that have undergone thorough heat treatment. Of the forest mushrooms, porcini and saffron milk caps are considered optimal for further gradual “acquaintance.” It is advisable to give the child a try as late as possible, and only in boiled or stewed form. Fried mushrooms, marinades or pickles are not dishes for children.
Symptoms of volnushka poisoning
Symptoms and signs of flunca poisoning usually become noticeable within 1-6 hours and manifest as severe gastrointestinal distress:
- feeling of weakness, dizziness;
- attacks of nausea leading to vomiting;
- stomach ache;
- loose stool occurs.
This picture is typical for type 4 (the mildest) mushroom poisoning. The disease usually lasts 1-2 days, then recovery gradually occurs.
Symptoms of botulinum toxin poisoning appear 0.5-3 days after eating a contaminated product:
- headache;
- difficulty swallowing;
- feeling of dry mouth;
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
- convulsions;
- blurred vision (objects appear double or blurry before the eyes).
You should know that botulism is deadly. If one or two signs of such poisoning are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor without wasting time. Self-medication in this case is contraindicated.
On how to recognize mushroom poisoning and how to properly collect “gifts of the forest” to avoid health problems, see the video:
First aid for volnushka poisoning
Even though poisoning with volushkas if they are prepared incorrectly, as a rule, does not lead to death, the victim in any case should be provided with first aid measures. They will improve the condition of the body and will help eliminate toxic substances.
It is necessary to induce vomiting as quickly as possible. To do this, dissolve 1 tbsp in a glass of warm water. l. table salt or 1 tsp. mustard powder and give the victim a drink. It will even be enough to give a person with signs of poisoning cool, clean water to drink, and then press firmly with two fingers on the root of his tongue. This will trigger the gag reflex and help flush out the stomach. At the end of the procedure, you need to give the person suffering from poisoning activated carbon (10 tablets) or any similar sorbent.
Also (if there is no loose stool) it is necessary to give a cleansing enema.
Then the victim of mushroom poisoning should be put to bed with warm heating pads applied to the legs and arms.Be sure to give him plenty of strong tea or lightly salted water - this will help the body replenish fluid loss.
Treatment for volnushka poisoning
If this is necessary, the doctor will refer the victim of flunca poisoning for inpatient treatment to the toxicology department. There he will undergo gastric lavage using a medical tube. Additionally, a saline laxative will be prescribed and the body will be intoxicated using intravenous infusions of the necessary solutions and medications.
In what cases should you consult a doctor?
If there is any suspicion of mushroom poisoning, a doctor should be called as soon as possible.
Delay is especially dangerous if:
- poisoning is severe (accompanied by convulsions, hallucinations or loss of consciousness);
- it cannot be ruled out that it could have been caused not by a mushroom, but by another poisonous mushroom that accidentally fell into the basket or into the dish being prepared;
- pregnant women, children or the elderly were poisoned.
All mushrooms that have not been eaten must be preserved; laboratory testing of them will allow a more accurate diagnosis to be made.
And finally, even if all the signs of poisoning have disappeared after a few days, you should still not neglect to consult a doctor: serious complications may appear later.
Conclusion
Poisoning with mushrooms, as a rule, can occur due to the fact that these mushrooms were poorly processed after collection, the dish was prepared incorrectly, or it was stored in violation of the necessary conditions.In addition, for some categories of people, in particular, pregnant and lactating women, children under 7 years of age and people with certain health problems, eating volushka is strictly contraindicated. Despite the fact that poisoning with these mushrooms is usually relatively mild and does not lead to death, at the first signs of intoxication it is necessary to immediately provide first aid to the victim and consult a doctor.
