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Pale grebe is one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world. Despite its specific name, it actually belongs to fly agaric. At the moment, very few people get poisoned using pale grebe as food, as even novice mushroom pickers know it well and avoid it. However, in cases of poisoning with this fungus, the mortality rate is extremely high and is more than 90%.
The hat of the white toadstool has a greenish tint at the very beginning of development, but with the growth of the fungus it becomes lighter. You can often find mushrooms with a white cap, which can reach up to 15 cm in size. The older the mushroom, the denser its cap, which sometimes grows with wrapped edges. The flesh has a pleasant mushroom flavor, but that shouldn’t fool you.
The leg of the pale toadstool is quite high, up to 15 cm, but at the same time very thin, only a couple of centimeters wide. Very often, the pale grebe is confused with young champignons, but there is one significant difference: the champignons have a ring on the stem, while the pale grebe does not. In addition, novice mushroom pickers may confuse this mushroom with russula. Another problem is that the pale grebe does not lose its dangerous properties during pickling, heat treatment or drying.
Pale toadstool in history
The first mention of the pale grebe dates back to the 19th century, when the famous American scientist Charles Peck first mentioned the fungus, which he noticed in North America. In 1918, the samples taken by this scientist were tested and scientists came to the conclusion that he belongs to the fly agaric. At that time, everyone sincerely believed that the pale grebe grows only where it was first seen. But in the seventies of the last century, scientists noticed that this fungus, among other things, spread along the east and west coasts of North America, and also took root well in Europe.
In fact, it was in Europe that the pale grebe began to grow from the very beginning, and then it spread widely due to the fact that seedlings of trees, especially popular at that time chestnuts, were transported to other countries, which already contained fungal spores. Only 50 years were enough for such a wide distribution of the toadstool, and although it loves wet places very much, it can be increasingly found in countries that are not famous for its humid climate.
The first documented case of poisoning with a pale toadstool in history, at least a noticed case, can be considered the family of the famous Euripides, who were poisoned by a pale toadstool, confusing it with the common Caesar mushroom.
Much later, the first mentions appeared that people were poisoned with a pale grebe on purpose in order to eliminate people from the political arena. In particular, Emperor Claudius and Pope Clement 7 became victims of poisoning with this mushroom.
Where does the toadstool grow
The pale grebe is very fond of moisture and after rain there are a huge number of them. It rarely appears in countries with a dry climate, as well as in areas that are characterized by dry hot weather. The fungus prefers mixed and deciduous forests, but this does not mean that it cannot be found in coniferous forests. Mushrooms reach their peak of development from the second half of August until October.
The homeland of the pale grebe is Europe, after which it penetrated into Asia and Africa, spread across America and Australia. In fact, the pale grebe is not so common, but nevertheless, there are a lot of places that it prefers to live. Best of all, the pale grebe feels next to oaks, chestnuts, birches, maples, lindens, hazel, beeches, elms. But she was also noticed next to conifers: fir-trees and pines. The pale toadstool is also now spreading around the world, recently it has become noticeable that it finds such trees as partners that were not characteristic of it before. For example, the pale grebe is now doing quite well in Iran, where it grows next to hazelnuts, and has even been seen in Algeria, where it uses eucalyptus.
How to identify a pale grebe
Young mushrooms of pale toadstool have the shape of a hat, similar to a chicken egg, gradually the hat becomes flatter, but retains a bulge in the center. For the most part, toadstools have a greenish tint that is easy to spot when cutting. This green color is especially noticeable on the stem, which has streaks or green patterns. There is a small whitish ring at the top of the toadstool leg, which may not be solid. In addition, in the pale grebe, the calyx is torn into several lobes, usually 4 pieces, which are located near the ground. These are very noticeable features, since the stem does not adhere to this cup, on the contrary, it seems that the mushroom was simply placed in it. In addition, the calyx is quite large compared to other mushrooms. Older mushrooms have an unpleasant sweet odor that distinguishes them.
National signs
It is very important to understand that folk signs are not always able to help you determine whether a mushroom is poisonous or not. There are several common misconceptions that can really cost the life of a careless mushroom picker:
- All poisonous mushrooms smell unpleasant, and edible mushrooms have a pleasant smell. Pale grebe very often smells like mushrooms, and some of the species have no smell at all, so this sign cannot be considered correct.
- Insect larvae never live in poisonous mushrooms. In fact, this is not true, the larvae of some insects feel quite comfortable even in a poisonous mushroom.
- All mushrooms, if they are young, can be eaten. We will not judge all mushrooms, but the pale grebe is deadly at any age.
- If you make a decoction of a poisonous mushroom and put silver in it, the silver will definitely turn black. The spectrum of toxic substances contained in various poisonous mushrooms is very diverse. It is possible that some mushrooms affect silver in this way, but this does not mean that this remedy can be considered the right way to find out if a poisonous mushroom or not.
Use in medicine
It is possible that the pale toadstool contains substances that can be used in pharmaceuticals, but at the moment humanity is not aware of such, it is only known that it is a deadly mushroom. Only a third of the fungus is enough to get severe poisoning and possible death. The minimum amount of pale grebe is used in homeopathy, but official medicine has never recognized and will not recognize this mushroom as a medicine in the near future. Remember that the toxins contained in it are too dangerous to experiment on your own health, trying to be cured.
During the Middle Ages, physicians used minimal doses of pallidum grebe in an attempt to treat cholera. At the moment, microscopic doses of this mushroom, infused with alcohol, are used in homeopathy in order to treat gastritis and cholera, stomach cramps, lethargic sleep, serious damage to the muscles of the eye, and even vertigo. However, it is important to remember that any use of the wrong products can be dangerous, not healthy.
Pale toadstool poisoning
The poison contained in the pale toadstool inhibits the work of every cell in the body. It significantly inhibits the formation of proteins in the body, which leads to the rapid degeneration of tissues and internal organs. It is for this reason that the stomach, liver and intestines are the first to suffer. In addition, it leads to vomiting and diarrhea, which in turn leads to dehydration and loss of beneficial salts.
Doctors say that the toxins contained in this fungus change the composition of the blood and greatly worsen the work of the heart, and also affect the lungs. They significantly reduce the ability of the blood to clot, which leads to internal bleeding. In addition, they poison the nervous system, which ultimately leads to hallucinations and inappropriate behavior.
Unfortunately, not only the pale grebe itself is dangerous, but also its spores. The wind spreads them to plants adjacent to the fungus, so when picking berries and herbs in the forest, you need to pay attention to their neighbors. Of course, the toadstool spores are not enough to be fatal, but quite enough for serious poisoning.
Stages of poisoning
The main problem of the pale toadstool is not only its toxicity, but also the fact that the first symptoms of poisoning can occur long after you have eaten this mushroom. The toxic substances contained in this mushroom begin to act only 10 to 30 hours after you have taken it as food. Often the first symptom of poisoning is an ordinary headache, then vision becomes much worse, excruciating pains in the stomach appear, anxiety and thirst torment. After that, the poisoning quickly passes into a more active phase: convulsions, diarrhea and vomiting appear. Some poisoned people experience periods of relief, but in reality this is a hoax. By the time the first symptoms decrease, irreversible changes have already occurred in the internal organs, in particular in the heart, kidneys and liver.
After toxins enter the bloodstream, death occurs in about 10 days. Only 1/3 of an adult mushroom is enough for a person to die.
However, with the current level of medicine, there are very high chances of being saved: at the first suspicion of poisoning with a pale toadstool, if you seek help in time, in the first hours of pronounced symptoms, the lethal outcome is reduced to 50%.
What to do in case of poisoning
First of all, at the first manifestations of the smallest signs of poisoning with a pale toadstool, it is necessary to wash the stomach. Old proven methods are best suited for this, that is, a solution of potassium permanganate. If it is not at hand and you cannot make a weak solution of potassium permanganate, you need to drink 5 glasses of boiled water, and then induce vomiting. In no case should you drink milk, as it stimulates the faster absorption of toxins into the blood. Able to save lives and ordinary activated carbon or other effective sorbent, which you need to drink about 5 tablets. Vitamin C in a small dosage, up to one gram, will also help. Antibiotics will also help, for example, the ordinary Levomycetin, which will reduce the effect of toxins on microorganisms in the intestine. Before the ambulance arrives, it is very important to drink water, to which you need to add a little salt to restore the balance of salt and water in the body, which was disturbed due to vomiting and diarrhea.
What not to do in case of poisoning
Some people believe that strong alcohol can help with poisoning, in fact, this is not the case. On the contrary, any alcohol contributes to the fact that toxins spread even faster throughout the body, stimulating the deadly effect.
Creating an antidote
At the moment, substances have been isolated from the pale toadstool that can neutralize the poison of this fungus. An antidote is being actively developed that will allow the most active treatment of poisoning with this fungus. But it is very important to remember that the only way to recover from poisoning with pale toadstool is to see a doctor in a timely manner, because after only a few days the toxins contained in it lead to irreversible damage to internal organs, which can lead to death without transplantation of these organs.