Content
Not all types of russula can be safely eaten. Russula stinging is a beautiful mushroom with a red cap that can cause food poisoning. It attracts lovers of quiet hunting with its appearance, but you should always remember that it is better to leave the brightest and most beautiful mushrooms where they grow. In addition, russula emetic and edible red russula are practically the same; they are easy to confuse, especially for an inexperienced mushroom picker.
Where do Russulas grow?
These representatives of the Russula family can be found on the edges of deciduous forests, less often - coniferous ones. They prefer moisture and acidic, peaty soil rich in organic matter. Also, burning russula is common in swamps and rocky areas covered with mosses. It grows in small families, often single specimens, and loves the proximity of edible representatives of the Russula family, so it can easily end up in the basket of an inexperienced mushroom picker. Russula stinging is widespread throughout Russia, in places where there are peat bogs and forests nearby.
What do russula emetics look like?
This representative of the Russula family appears on the edges of forests starting in July and grows until late autumn (before frost appears). Can form mycorrhiza with deciduous and coniferous trees.
A medium-sized mushroom has a rounded cap with a diameter of up to 10 cm. It is colored crimson or dark pink, the edges are slightly lighter than the central part. Over time, the cap may become depressed, a small funnel forms in the center, and the edges rise upward. The surface of the cap is covered with a sticky, smooth skin that is easy to separate from the mushroom body. In older specimens, the surface of the cap is wrinkled and lumpy.
Description of russula stinging
The cap is round, bright red, and may be covered with faded whitish spots. In humid weather the surface becomes smooth, almost glossy, sticky. The edge of the cap is blunt, ribbed, and may be covered with small stripes.
The leg is wide, cylindrical, hollow inside, bright white, smooth, dense. At the base it may become pink and thicker.In old burning mushrooms it turns yellow, becomes loose, and turns pink in places. The entire surface of the mushroom stalk is covered with a network of shallow grooves.
From the photo you can see that the pulp of the pungent russula is white, dense, elastic; in older mushrooms it can become more loose, creamy or pink.
The plates of burning russula are dense, wide, white, infrequent, and may be forked. The plates are not firmly attached to the stem. In older mushrooms, they may become creamy or yellowish and separate from the stem.
The spores of this representative of the Russula family are spherical, covered with spines, white and small.
Russula does not have a characteristic mushroom aroma; sometimes it can give off a subtle fruity smell, but more often without it at all.
Is it possible to eat stinging russula?
It is not recommended to eat russula. The mushroom not only has an unbearably bitter taste, but also causes mild to moderate food poisoning. If several copies of the burning russula get into a basket with edible mushrooms, this will not spoil the taste of the prepared dishes, but it may cause a slight stomach upset.
In some sources, the pungent mushroom is called conditionally edible and is recommended to be eaten after boiling twice, and each time the mushroom broth should be drained to remove the acrid bitterness of the pungent russula. After marinating and salting, the mushroom pulp may darken.One should take into account the fact that with repeated consumption of this conditionally edible pungent mushroom, toxins accumulate in the body and negatively affect the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract.
How to distinguish russula pungent
The raw pulp of the burning russula, when touched with your lips, can cause a burning and tingling sensation on the skin. Acrid or stinging russula can be confused with swamp and red - all these representatives of the Russula family have a colored, red or dark pink rounded cap and are small in size. But Russula has one peculiarity: when you cut the flesh, it turns pink or purple. If you remove the skin from the stem, you will find pink flesh. Also, when boiled, it may darken or turn yellow.
Symptoms of caustic russula poisoning
The pulp of this representative of the Russula family contains the toxin muscarine; it is also found in fly agarics, but in a more concentrated form. This substance in low concentrations causes nausea and vomiting, headache, and general malaise.
The first signs of poisoning from a burning, inedible mushroom appear within a few hours after eating it. At first, you feel a slight malaise, which lovers of mushroom dishes attribute to a common cold or an upset stomach.
Subsequent symptoms of burning russula poisoning:
- pain and cramping in the iliac region (usually in the right hypochondrium);
- body and muscle aches;
- slight increase in temperature;
- frequent loose stools with a lot of bile;
- nausea;
- incessant vomiting;
- pain along the intestines;
- chills (alternating sensations of hot and cold).
First aid for russula poisoning
As soon as the first signs of intoxication of the body appear, gastric lavage should be done. In this case, they drink a large amount of warm boiled water in one gulp, thereby causing vomiting. The procedure is repeated several times.
After the stomach is completely cleansed, use any absorbent drugs against poisoning: Activated carbon, Atoxil, Polysorb, Smecta.
Then, for several days, they follow a drinking regime (at least 2 liters of water per day) and a gentle diet.
Conclusion
Russula stinging is a conditionally edible mushroom that is not as safe for the human body as previously thought. If it mistakenly ends up in a mushroom picker's basket, it will not cause serious harm when eaten, it will only cause slight illness. If you salt or pickle the mushroom, you can get rid of its unbearably bitter taste, but boiling cannot neutralize the harm of the pungent russula for the human body. When consumed regularly, it causes serious intoxication of the body, inhibits the functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, and provokes the development of cancerous tumors.
