Toxic mushrooms: How to recognize?

This is an automatically translated article.

According to the Department of Food Safety - Ministry of Health, in fact, there are thousands of types of mushrooms, but there are about 70 - 80 types of poisonous mushrooms. Although the number of poisonous mushrooms is not much, it is difficult to distinguish between poisonous and non-toxic mushrooms. Therefore, people picking wild mushrooms and eating them are very susceptible to poisoning. The most deadly poisonous mushroom is usually the beautiful, eye-catching poisonous mushroom. The following article explains how to recognize poisonous mushrooms.

1. Signs to recognize poisonous mushrooms

Common types of poisonous mushrooms are usually complete: blade, cap, stalk, ring stalk and base coat. The inside of the poisonous mushroom stem is pale pink, the mushroom cap is red with white scales, the mycelium glows in the night. The toxic part is in the whole mushroom body (cap, plate, ring, stalk, base coat), the toxin changes with the seasons, the growth process of the fungus, the soil environment, the climate.

2. How to recognize common poisonous mushrooms

2.1 White canopy mushroom (Amanita verna) White canopy mushroom usually grows in clusters or singly on the ground in the forest and some other places... Mushroom cap is white, surface is smooth, when young, the head is round. Egg-shaped, mushroom caps firmly attached to stalks. When mature, the mushroom cap is flat with a diameter of about 5-10 cm. When old, the edge of the hat can be lowered. Mushroom plate: White. Stem: White, with a membranous ring in the upper part close to the cap. The base of the peduncle is bulbous and has a calyx-shaped base. Mushroom flesh: Soft, white, mild aroma. Main toxins: highly toxic amanitins (amatoxins) 2.2 White cone mushroom (Amanita virosa) Looks almost like a white canopy mushroom Grows in clusters or singly on the ground in forests and some other places... Mushroom cap: White color, smooth surface, mushroom cap at young, round ovate head, cupped edge attached to stem. When mature, the mushroom cap is usually cupped into a cone with a diameter of about 4 - 10 cm. Mushroom plate: White. Stem: White, with a membranous ring in the upper part close to the cap. The base of the peduncle is bulbous and has a calyx-shaped base. Mushroom flesh: Soft, white, unpleasant smell. Main toxins: amanitins (amatoxins), highly toxic White and white cones have major toxins which are highly toxic Amanitins (Amatoxins) that act on cellular protoplasm, cause damage to cells, especially liver cells, causing acute liver failure.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning often appear late (from 6-24 hours) such as abdominal pain, vomiting, loose diarrhea, jaundice, hemorrhage, little urine, coma... The treatment should be carried out as soon as possible to reduce the risk of death.

2.3. Gray-brown cap mushroom (Inocybe fastigiata or Inocybe rimosa) Grows on the ground in forests, where there are many decaying leaves and elsewhere... Caps conical to bell-shaped, apex pointed, with colored filaments from yellow to brown radiating from the top of the hat down to the edge of the mushroom cap. In old age, the edge of the mushroom cap is split into separate rays; The diameter of the mushroom cap is 2-8cm. The pods are whitish when young, firmly attached to the stem, and gray or brown when mature, and separate from the stem. Stem: Color from slightly white to yellow-brown, 3-9cm long, no stalk ring. Mushroom flesh: white Main toxin: muscarin This mushroom has a main toxin, muscarin, which acts on the parasympathetic nervous system, causing symptoms such as sweating, shortness of breath, stridor, slow pulse, coma. , convulsions . Symptoms appear early (15 minutes - several hours), recover after 1-2 days, rarely die.
2.4. Chlorophyllum molybdites (Chlorophyllum molybdites) Grows in clusters or singly at the edges of buffalo stables, cow sheds, lawns, cornfields and some other places... Mushroom cap: When young, long hemispherical, pale yellow, with small pale brown or light gray scales. At maturity, mushroom caps are umbrella-shaped or flattened, white, cap diameter: 5 – 15 cm. On the surface of the mushroom cap, there are thin dirty brown scales, the scales gradually thicken towards the top of the cap. Mushroom plate (underside of mushroom cap): When young, it is white, when it is old, it has a light green or grayish green color, the older the mushroom, the clearer it is. Stem: White to brown or gray in color, with a ring in the upper part close to the cap. The peduncle is not bulbous and has no root capsule; 10-30 cm long. Mushroom flesh: White Low toxicity, mainly causing digestive disorders. This is a fungus that belongs to the group of toxins that irritate the gastrointestinal tract - intestines. The rapidly acting poison causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhea. Symptoms appear soon after eating from 20 minutes to 4 hours, and gradually decrease until 2-3 days.

2.5 Psychedelic Mushrooms or Psilocybe Mushrooms (Psilocybe pelliculosa) Psychedelic mushrooms usually grow in areas with cow dung, rotten grass or rotten wood. Mushroom cap 1-2 cm in diameter, yellow-brown (when dry, it changes color to straw), conical, covered with a clear mucilage. The mushroom blade is white when young, pale green or grayish green when old, the green color becomes more obvious as it gets older. Mushroom stalks are very long, fragile, colored like a mushroom cap, sometimes turning green or blue. Mushroom flesh is light brown in color, mild in odor, and pale in taste. The main toxins of the fungus are psilocybin and psilocin causing psychosis (hallucinations, emotional disturbances, excitability). Symptoms appear early (1 hour after eating) and disappear after 12-24 hours.
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