What is the difference between pale. How to distinguish champignon from pale grebe. Season and place of growth

Content

The similarities and differences between pale grebe and champignon must be clearly understood by every novice mushroom picker. One of the most popular edible mushrooms and the deadly pale grebe are very similar in appearance, an accidental picking mistake can be fatal.

What are the similarities between pale grebe and champignon

With a huge difference in nutritional value, it is not so easy to distinguish between an outwardly edible and inedible find. Without much experience, it is very easy to confuse fruiting bodies, because they are similar:

  • structure and size;
  • coloring of the hat and legs;
  • structure and density of the pulp;
  • places and times of growth.

The similarity and difference between the pale grebe and champignon should be studied in more detail. This will allow you to find out exactly what features you need to look at carefully when collecting, how to distinguish one fruiting body from another.

By place of growth

Both the pale grebe, which is also called the white or green fly agaric, and the delicious edible champignon can be found throughout Russia in a temperate climate. Varieties choose the same places for growth, they can be found on forest edges, on the sides of country roads, in meadows and lawns, in fields with small groups of shrubs.

At the same time, both the edible mushroom and the green fly agaric usually grow in small groups of several mushrooms. Sometimes varieties can be located next to each other, which makes it even more difficult to distinguish them.

seasonality

An edible and safe mushroom begins to grow in early summer, it can be found from late May to November. White poisonous fly agaric appears in meadows and fields later - from August to November.

Thus, in spring and early summer, it is quite easy to distinguish fruiting bodies - poisonous ones usually do not grow until August. But closer to autumn, fruiting begins to intersect, and it becomes more difficult to distinguish them.

Appearance

Edible and poisonous fruiting bodies are most similar in appearance, which is why they are so difficult to distinguish. Similar signs include:

  • the diameter and shape of the cap - in both mushrooms it will grow to 12-15 cm in width, in young fruiting bodies it has rounded convex outlines, straightens and flattens with age;
  • the height and shape of the stem, both mushrooms rise 7-15 cm above the ground, while the stem of both is cylindrical and even, with a ring closer to the top;
  • color - caps and legs have a white, light brown or yellowish tint;
  • pulp - in both varieties of fruiting bodies it is dense and white;
  • lamellar structure - the underside of the cap in the fruiting bodies of both species is covered with thin frequent plates;
  • thickening at the bottom of the leg.

Important! Due to the similarity in structure, it can be difficult to distinguish between both young and mature mushrooms - they develop approximately the same way, and as the fruiting bodies mature, common features are preserved.

What is the difference between pale grebe and champignon

Despite the fact that it can be difficult to distinguish a deadly poisonous mushroom from an edible one, there is still a difference, and it is quite large. It is enough to study the comparison of pale grebe and champignons properly in order to accurately determine the variety of the find.

By appearance

There are several signs by which champignon and deadly poisonous white fly agaric can be distinguished externally:

  1. Despite the same structure and size of the legs, in the pale grebe it is usually thinner and not as fleshy.
  2. The thickening at the bottom of the leg of a pale grebe is a Volvo - a kind of pouch from which the poisonous white fly agaric is born. An edible mushroom does not have such a bag, the leg simply thickens at the surface of the earth.
  3. The color of the upper and lower parts of the cap of the toxic white fly agaric is the same - white, slightly yellowish or greenish. But in an edible mushroom, the flesh under the cap is slightly pinkish.

In the center of the cap, an adult champignon has a small dent. In the grebe, on the contrary, there is a tubercle in this place, although it can be smoothed and poorly distinguishable, not allowing a clear distinction.

Attention! As a rule, the poisonous pale grebe looks much more attractive than the edible champignon. This is due to the fact that the poisonous mushroom is rarely touched by insects and worms, it retains a fresh and beautiful appearance.

By smell

If you smell a pale grebe, then you won’t be able to feel any specific aroma, it smells of almost nothing. And from the edible pulp comes a tangible and rich mushroom smell with a slight almond tint, which allows you to correctly distinguish a safe fruiting body.

When cut

If you cut the cap of an edible champignon, it will quickly darken, and the pale grebe on the cut will remain white. The leg of the edible fruiting body is homogeneous at the break, while the poisonous white fly agaric has a peculiar rod inside the leg - a section of pulp that is very different in structure.

Fruiting bodies can also be distinguished by the degree of elasticity of the pulp. In edible mushrooms, it is dense and elastic, while in the poisonous white fly agaric it crumbles heavily.

When cooking

If the species affiliation of the fungus raised doubts after it was brought from the forest, you can distinguish the pale grebe in the following way. A suspicious fruiting body is placed in water along with a small onion, placed on the stove and waiting for the water to boil.

If the onion in the pan turns slightly blue, then there is no doubt that there is a pale grebe in the boiling water. When boiling the edible pulp, the onion will not change its color.

Advice! It is better to distinguish champignon from poisonous white fly agaric even in the forest; checking when boiling is only suitable as a last resort.

How to distinguish champignon from pale grebe

If we sum up all the signs that make it possible to distinguish between fruiting bodies, we can derive the following rules:

  1. The champignon leg is thicker and denser, uniform, while the pale grebe has a very thin and dense stem inside.
  2. In the lower part of the leg, the white fly agaric has a Volvo pouch, while the champignon does not have it.
  3. On the cut, the poisonous toadstool pulp will remain white, and the champignon will darken from contact with air.
  4. The flesh in the lower part of the mushroom cap is pinkish, while that of the poisonous fruiting body is white or greenish, the same color as the entire cap.
  5. Champignon emits a pleasant mushroom smell, while poisonous mushrooms do not smell like anything.

The listed signs are more than enough to distinguish an edible fruiting body from a deadly poisonous one, both in the photo of champignons and pale grebe, and live when harvested. But, in extreme cases, you can boil the mushroom with the onion and throw it away if the onion turns blue.

Why you can not collect champignons growing next to the pale grebe

Edible and poisonous mushrooms often grow very close. Many mushroom pickers, having managed to accurately distinguish the species of each find, are tempted to collect champignons, leaving the toxic white fly agaric untouched.

However, this should not be done. The pale grebe scatters its spores around itself, and they are also highly toxic. Accordingly, if the spores fall on the caps of neighboring fruiting bodies, they will become deadly. Edible fruiting bodies growing next to toxic ones are best left untouched and bypassed.

Symptoms of poisoning, first aid

Despite all the signs that make it possible to distinguish an edible find from a white fly agaric, even experienced mushroom pickers are not immune from mistakes. Therefore, it is necessary to know the symptoms of poisoning:

  1. The first signs of poisoning appear 8-30 hours after consumption. At first, alarming symptoms are not noticeable, the poison is still spreading throughout the body.
  2. Then an acute gastroenterological reaction occurs - vomiting and diarrhea begin, severe pain in the abdomen, this condition lasts up to 2 days.
  3. After that, for some time the person feels better - the symptoms may disappear for 2-3 days, but the poison still remains in the body.
  4. After a few days, the symptoms return, but at the same time they are joined by a sharp pain in the right side, jaundice, blood pressure drops, the patient develops liver and kidney failure.

In the absence of medical care, death occurs 10-12 days after poisoning. However, with timely access to a doctor, a person can be saved. At the first sign of poisoning, you need to call an ambulance. While the doctors go to the patient, you need to give the person to drink about 2 liters of water, and then make him vomit so that most of the poison leaves the body.

Important! In case of mushroom poisoning, it is absolutely impossible to stop vomiting and diarrhea with pharmaceutical means - this will worsen the situation, since toxins will remain in the body.

Conclusion

The similarities and differences between the pale toadstool and the mushroom must be learned before you go in search of delicious edible mushrooms. It is quite easy to make a mistake, but it can be expensive, the toadstool is not in vain considered the most poisonous mushroom in the world.

Champignon is considered one of the most common mushrooms. Buying it in the vegetable departments of supermarkets, you can not worry about the quality of the product. But, if it should appear on the dining table not from the store shelf, but from the forest, then it is very important to know how champignon differs from pale grebe.

Ядовитые грибы can cause irreparable harm to health, even death. The same goes for the pale grebe. It is the most dangerous and poisonous species among all known species. A person who has eaten false champignon does not immediately understand about the poisoning. The first signs of intoxication appear after 5-7 (and sometimes 36) hours. But during the absence of symptoms, the poison is already active, and sometimes it is too late to take action, since the effects of toxins are already irreversible. This is what makes this mushroom so dangerous.

A poisonous mushroom can cause irreparable harm to health, even death.

Similarities and differences

Inedible look-alike mushrooms are found in almost all edible species. A detailed comparison of the pale grebe and champignon will help to detect significant differences and similarities.

  • The similarity can be seen in size - the stem is from 7 to 16 cm in length, and the hat can reach 15 cm in diameter.
  • Both representatives have a ring-shaped formation on the trunk. At the beginning of life, poisonous mushrooms have a ring, which gradually disappears as they age. An edible mushroom has a ring that almost completely covers the underside of the cap.

Differences

  • One difference is the size of the base. An inedible mushroom has a thin and not very fleshy trunk, while a useful one is much thicker and denser.
  • Twins differ from each other in the shade of hats. In the toadstool, the cap both above and below has the same white color, while in the champignon under the cap it has a pink tint. The toadstool can change the whitish shade of the hat to greenish, but this is not necessary. Her leg is light, the flesh is dense.
  • Pale grebe has dense and light flesh.
  • Differences can be found not only in appearance - twin mushrooms have a different smell. The pale toadstool does not smell at all, while its edible relative has a characteristic mushroom aroma, slightly reminiscent of almond
  • Inedible mushrooms are not spoiled by worms, unlike edible ones. Poisonous representatives always have clean pulp.

The difference between a young grebe and a young forest champignon

Pale grebe and champignon are very similar twins

When collecting, you can easily make a mistake, and the basket will not contain champignon at all, but a pale grebe is very similar in appearance to it. The surest way to protect yourself is not to pick mushrooms in which there is even the slightest doubt.

You can understand how safe the crop harvested in the forest is with the help of one folk method. It is boiled in separate containers, after throwing an onion into the water. If poisonous representatives are caught in some pan, then the onion will turn blue, while in dishes with normal ones it will not change color. This method is not always valid.

It is very important to remember that the pale grebe is dangerous not only if it is eaten, it also scatters toxic spores around it. Therefore, if you have already found one such poisonous mushroom, then you should not collect any forest gifts near it - the risk of poisoning is too high.

Differences and similarities

Mushroom lookalikes are normal, almost every species has them, but some are easy to identify, and many have to be tinkered with.

Similarities:

  • Both types of mushrooms are similar in size. The average size of the cap is about fifteen centimeters, and the leg is from seven to sixteen centimeters.
  • On the trunk of each type of mushroom there are characteristic rings. In poisonous individuals, such a ring fades over time, while in edible individuals it remains complete and covers the lower part of the cap almost entirely.

Differences:

Any poisonous mushrooms are unsuitable for consumption due to their chemical composition - they cause intoxication of the body, accompanied by unpleasant symptoms and posing a danger to human health and life.

Mushroom twins often grow next to edible representatives of their world, so it is necessary to know not only the differences, but also the likely consequences of collecting harmful mushrooms in order to responsibly treat the selection process.

Pale grebe is one of the most common, and therefore the most dangerous types of poisonous mushrooms. When this fungus enters the body, intoxication does not occur immediately - several hours must pass for this, therefore it is often not possible to save the patient.


If the amount of the substance is small, there is a chance to relieve the symptoms of poisoning and rinse the stomach, but it is better to avoid such experiments and determine in advance whether the fungus is poisonous.

Action of the poison

Pale grebe is a rather insidious mushroom. The problem is not only that it is difficult to immediately recognize the poisoning.

Intoxication occurs in several stages, which can mislead the patient and doctors:

  1. A few hours after poisoning, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting begin.
  2. Next comes a false recovery - the patient feels better, but this does not mean that the effect of the poison has ceased.
  3. After a period of waiting, sharp pains in the stomach, a noticeable change in skin color, and loss of consciousness occur.
  4. Within ten days after eating a poisonous mushroom, death occurs.

Note! The poison contained in the pale grebe is not destroyed by thermal exposure, and remains even after boiling and frying the mushrooms at high temperatures.


Poisonous are not only the main parts of the fungus, but also spores. To poison the body, it is enough to consume thirty grams of mushrooms.

Similarities between pale grebe and champignon

Pale grebe and champignon are extremely similar at a young age: the caps of both mushrooms are whitish and covered with a veil, the legs are dense. When the mushrooms mature, the caps of both can change colors, the legs remain white in color, they will have a ring under the cap.

If we compare the pale toadstool and champignon, the similarity is obvious. But this is only for an inexperienced mushroom picker. Mushroom hunting experts will point out the persistent differences between pale grebe and champignon:

  • the plates of the poisonous mushroom are white, while those of the champignon are pinkish at first, and darken and turn brown with age;
  • the pulp of the poisonous toadstool is white, while in champignon it darkens when cut;
  • the old toadstool emits a sweet smell, and the champignon has a pleasant mushroom aroma with an almond note.

But the main difference between pale grebe and champignon is the presence of a pouch at the base of the leg. The fact is that the champignon is endowed with a partial veil attached to the leg under the hat, and the young pale grebe is completely covered by a common veil, called Volvo.

With the growth of the fungus, the Volvo bursts and its upper part remains on the stem, forming a ring, and the lower part forms a sac that goes into the ground. What is the difference between a pouch and a thickened leg? Because he never grows up with her. The leg is inserted into the bag, as if into a bowl. But when cutting off a young poisonous mushroom, immediately under the hat, this difference will no longer exist - only similarities will remain.

Signs and symptoms of poisoning

Pale toadstool poisoning is dangerous because the first symptoms appear after a rather long period - from 6 to 16, and in some cases up to 36 hours after poisoning, when the poison already affects human organs.

The first signs of poisoning:

  • general weakness;
  • vomit;
  • diarrhea (possibly with blood);
  • intestinal colic;
  • muscle pain;
  • lowering blood pressure;
  • decrease in heart rate;
  • loss of consciousness.

The manifestation of symptoms of poisoning is not the same: at first there may be only weakness, and then other signs: vomiting, diarrhea, a decrease in pressure to the point of loss of consciousness.

Poisoning with poisons of the pale toadstool is also characterized by a temporary (false) improvement in the condition, approximately on the third day, during which the poison continues to destroy the internal organs.

After a temporary improvement, a new stage begins - renal-hepatic, heart failure. Death can occur within 5-10 days.

Similarity to other mushrooms

Many people know what a pale grebe looks like. But not everyone takes into account the fact that the pale grebe mushroom often disguises itself as edible representatives of the mushroom kingdom. The color of her hat varies from off-white to grey-green. The remains of the Volvo on the stem, forming a ring, can dry out and become invisible. A Volvo bag can be sprinkled with leaves or pine needles. Therefore, the pale grebe can be confused not only with champignons, but also with green and greenish russula, with greenfinches and floats.

When going on a “silent hunt”, it is important to remember the differences between these mushrooms and a poisonous representative:

  • russula and greenfinches have neither a ring nor a Volvo;
  • Russula has brittle pulp;
  • greenfinches have plates with a green tint;
  • floats are smaller and without a ring.

The pale grebe is also called the green fly agaric. This is a beautiful mushroom that has no resemblance to grebes in popular opinion. It looks quite appetizing, which misleads mushroom pickers.

Pale toadstool toxins

The venom of the pale toadstool contains toxins that differ in the degree of impact on the human body. Some (amanitotoxins) act slowly but are more toxic, others (phallotoxins) are less toxic but act faster. Because of this, the first signs of intoxication manifest themselves differently.

A poisonous mushroom does not lose its toxic properties during heat treatment and includes so many toxins that 1.5 g of mushrooms is enough for severe poisoning.

It is also dangerous that edible mushrooms from the environment collect harmful substances in themselves and can become poisonous, adjacent to pale toadstools growing nearby. After poisoning in the cells of the body, all processes slow down, there is a rapid transformation of tissues.


Due to dehydration, potassium, magnesium, calcium and chlorides are lost. The composition of the blood changes and its coagulability decreases. All vital human organs are affected, including the nervous system. A person can become uncontrollable. Therefore, in case of mushroom poisoning, it is vital to immediately consult a doctor. . The recovery period for survivors lasts about 45 days.

The mushroom world is very diverse. And the insidious twins of edible mushrooms are constantly changing, and more and more similar to them. If you are a novice mushroom picker, think about whether you need to risk your life for a little gastronomic joy.

Video

To avoid poisoning, it is important to learn how to distinguish the pale grebe from other mushrooms. This video will help you understand this issue in more detail.

The easiest way to eat mushrooms that "grow" on store shelves. But, alas, you will not feel the real excitement of the “silent hunt”. Therefore, every year hundreds of thousands of people go to the forest in search of delicacies. Unfortunately, these trips do not bring long-awaited joy to everyone, the number of those poisoned by mushrooms does not decrease, but only increases from year to year. And, of course, the pale grebe takes the first place in the sad rating. Inexperienced mushroom pickers often mistake this mushroom for champignon. In order not to replenish the list of victims of the pale grebe, one should clearly understand its differences from champignon.

Appearance

Both the pale grebe and the champignon look really similar in shape and color. But there are several differences.

At pale grebe plates under the hat are most often white, occasionally greenish. At the base of the toadstool there is a Volvo - something like a film bag where the mushroom leg is hidden, it is partially or completely sunk into the ground. Under the cap, the pale grebe has a small ring, which is the remnant of the bedspreads. With age, in many grebes, it becomes thinner and disappears. If you damage the mushroom, then its color will not change.

Death cap

Champignons have pink plates under the hat, and the younger the mushroom, the brighter they are. With age, the plates darken and turn brown. In champignon, like in most mushrooms, Volvo is absent. The damaged pulp of the fungus has a reddish, sometimes yellow tint.

Smell

Champignon has a pleasant smell of almonds or anise, which attracts animals and insects to it.

The grebe is easy to recognize, if only because it does not arouse interest among representatives of the fauna. Moreover, flies and worms also avoid this fungus. If you break the hat, then it will smell absolutely nothing, perhaps that is also why the mushroom is so unattractive to forest dwellers.

Findings site

  1. The pale toadstool under the cap has white plates, and in young champignons the plates are pink, in old ones they are brown.
  2. In pale grebe, when damaged, the color of the pulp does not change, while in champignon, the flesh becomes red or yellow.
  3. The smell of champignon resembles the smell of anise or almonds; young grebes have no smell at all.
  4. Flies or worms can be found near champignons, while grebes are rarely attractive to them.

Every edible mushroom has poisonous counterparts. Many of them are easy to calculate, but there are such types that only a careful comparison helps to figure out which forest gift can be put in a basket. For example, pale grebe and champignon are so similar in appearance that even an experienced mushroom picker is not always able to distinguish them. Therefore, knowledge of differences can prevent poisoning and more dangerous consequences.

What does champignon look like

Pecheritsa is considered to be a safe mushroom, since it appears on store shelves from greenhouses, and not from the forest. Growing in natural conditions, it is slightly different from the greenhouse, which is why it can be confused with a double. The similarities between pale grebe and champignon are as follows:

  • comparing the pale toadstool and champignon, you can see that the length of their legs ranges from 7-16 cm, and the diameter of the cap can reach 15 cm;
  • the presence of a ring-shaped formation on the trunk.

They are also found predominantly in forests with broad-leaved trees, grow in groups and love warm and humid weather.

How to distinguish champignon from pale grebe

Differences

There are much more differences between these mushrooms. If you pay attention even to the little things in the appearance of their representatives, you can accurately distinguish an edible mushroom from an inedible one. The differences between champignon and pale grebe are as follows:

  • in a twin, only young representatives have a ring-shaped formation, as it grows, it disappears, while in champignons this formation almost completely covers the lower part of the cap and is present in both young and old mushrooms;
  • different sizes of the bases - in the toadstool the trunk is thin along the entire length, it breaks even with one touch, while in the stove it is much thicker and more dense in structure;
  • denser and lighter flesh in a pale grebe;
  • different shades of hats - the poisonous mushroom has both the top of the hat and the bottom of the same light shade, most often white, it can be with a greenish tint, in champignon the color tends to be pale pink, and the toadstool also has a light leg;
  • the presence of a sac at the base of the pseudo champignon leg;
  • the lack of smell in the double, while the forest champignon exudes a characteristic aroma that may slightly resemble the smell of almonds;
  • the presence of worms - they will not eat poisonous mushrooms, including a pale grebe (when cut, you can see a clean middle), and stoves are an excellent delicacy for them.

There is another way showing how to distinguish forest champignon from its counterpart. You need to cook them in different pots, putting a peeled onion in each of them. When cooking, the poisonous mushroom will react with onions, changing the color of the water to pale blue. Water in a saucepan with only edible forest representatives will not stain.

Pale grebe is a dangerous mushroom, so it is recommended that each collected specimen be carefully examined to avoid poisoning. It must be remembered that this poisonous representative has toxic spores that it scatters around, which means it is better not to collect any forest gifts nearby. Knowing how champignon differs from pale grebe, you can protect yourself and your family from health problems.

In summer and autumn, when there are a lot of mushrooms in the forests, you want to collect as many forest gifts as possible. However, experienced mushroom pickers warn: carefully inspect the gifts of the forest so as not to accidentally take a poisonous one. Pale grebe is especially dangerous and insidious, it is often confused with russula or champignons. So that a quiet hunt does not end in poisoning, carefully study and remember the features of each mushroom. Let's make a detailed comparison.

What is the similarity

Outwardly, the mushrooms are very similar, so it is easy to confuse them even for an experienced mushroom picker.

  • Pale grebe and champignon have a cap with a diameter of 5 to 15 cm. At a young age, it is rounded, becoming more and more flat as it grows. Color can be from white to light brown.
  • The leg is cylindrical, white or the color of the cap, has a white “ring” (the remains of the protective shell of the young mushroom). Leg length 7-16 cm.
  • The pulp is white, fleshy.

Experienced mushroom pickers advise: if there is even the slightest doubt, do not take a suspicious mushroom.

What are the differences

If you look closely, you can notice the characteristic features that distinguish an edible mushroom from its dangerous counterpart.

  1. The cap of the pale toadstool is white, but it can be olive or green, which cannot be said about champignons.
  2. Pay attention to the reverse side of the cap: in toadstool it remains white at any age, and in champignon it is pinkish or with a purple tint (very dark in old age).
  3. Break the mushroom: the pulp of the poisonous one does not change color in the air, while that of the champignon becomes reddish or yellowish.
  4. Twins differ in smell: champignon has a characteristic mushroom aroma, pale grebe does not smell of anything (or a very slight unpleasant smell).
  5. The toadstool leg is thin, at the base it has an extension in the form of a tuber and, as it were, “stands in a pouch” - a cup-shaped vagina (Volva), and in the second one it is thick and fleshy, without the presence of Volvo residues at the base.
  6. The ring of the pale grebe outside is often slightly striped, white, slightly colored inside. But champignon is characterized by a one- or two-layer ring
  7. The white membranous ring on the leg of the pale grebe decreases and disappears with age. In champignon, it remains quite large, it can cover almost the entire back side of the cap.
  8. A poisonous mushroom is never wormy.

Danger of the pale toadstool

The similarity of a pale toadstool with champignon is dangerous because the first is a deadly poisonous mushroom from the genus of fly agaric. Even children from school lessons in natural history or the world around them know about this. However, poisoning occurs quite often.

It is found in deciduous and mixed forests from mid-July to late autumn. It grows most often under birches, oaks, beeches and hazel. Likes fertile soils. She was noticed even in the city and in suburban areas.

Pale grebe is a very moisture-loving fungus, which is most “productive” in years characterized by sufficient humidity or in places with high humidity. In relatively arid places, pale grebe is rare.

Grebe grows in families or singly. Wide distribution increases the likelihood of accidental collection.

It is so poisonous that it poisons edible mushrooms lying with it in the same basket. Therefore, even one single copy that was identified and thrown out at home can be dangerous. To protect yourself and your loved ones, do not spare the collected forest gifts: if you find a pale grebe, throw away the entire contents of the basket.

Some use a folk method for determining inedibility: during cooking, a peeled onion is placed in a saucepan with mushrooms. If it turns blue, it indicates the presence of poison. However, this method is very unreliable and has no scientific justification.

Poisonous is not only the body, but also spores and mycelium. Next to it you can not pick berries, herbs and other mushrooms. Even if the clearing is rich in forest gifts, when you see a grebe, bypass it.

The poison causes severe poisoning even in small quantities: a lethal dose is contained in 30 g of the fungus. No processing (cooking, frying, freezing, drying) destroys the poison.

The biggest danger is that the signs of poisoning do not appear immediately, but after 6-8 hours or more - after 30 hours, when it is no longer possible to save the victim. Sometimes for several days a person does not notice alarming symptoms, but at this time the poison actively spreads through the internal organs and destroys them.

When eating pale grebe, death occurs in more than 90% of cases.

Action of the poison

The fruiting body of the fungus contains 2 groups of toxins:

  • amanitins (α-, ꞵ-and γ-amatoxins) - slow, but more poisonous;
  • phalloidins (phallotoxins) are less poisonous, but act faster.

They mainly affect the liver, but also the kidneys and heart.

  • The toxic compounds of the pale grebe are polypeptides.
  • Interestingly, α- and ꞵ-amanitins are also present in the pulp of the white toadstool (stinky fly agaric). The same toxins are also characteristic of 2 species of the genus Amanita from North America, as well as some fungi of the genus Galerina.
  • Amanita stink (white grebe) - a kind of substitute for pale grebe in places where it is not. Probably because it is more resistant to lack of moisture.

The period of poisoning can be conditionally divided into 4 stages.

  1. incubation period. Lasts from 8 to 30 hours after eating the mushroom. There are no signs of poisoning, the person feels normal. At this time, the poison enters the bloodstream, spreads through the body of the victim and already begins its destructive effect.
  2. period of acute gastroenteritis. Against the background of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the small intestine, indomitable vomiting appears (sometimes with an admixture of blood or mucus), cramping pains in the abdomen, and diarrhea. The patient experiences thirst, headache, weakness. Dehydration of the body may occur, tk. a person loses a lot of fluid with vomit and loose stools. Continues 1-2 days.
  3. The period of "false well-being" when the symptoms disappear, the patient feels better. It seems that he managed to endure an acute intestinal infection. However, the poison in the body continues its destructive effect. This stage lasts from 1 to 3 days, then the signs of intoxication return with renewed vigor.
  4. Acute liver and kidney failure(severe damage to the liver and kidneys) - the last stage of poisoning. The person experiences severe pain in the right side. Jaundice develops: the skin, whites of the eyes, visible mucous membranes acquire a yellow tint. Toxins destroy the liver and kidneys, and kidney failure occurs. The patient's blood pressure decreases, the pulse becomes superficial. Often there are problems with the heart. By the way. This period is often called the period of damage to parenchymal organs, i.e. those based on parenchyma tissue.

Clinicians classify toadstool poisoning into mild, moderate, and severe (according to severity).

Death occurs 10-12 days after poisoning. However, if you seek qualified medical help in time, the patient can be saved.

After eating any mushrooms, carefully monitor your well-being. Remember that the venom of the pale toadstool may not manifest itself for several days.

At the first sign of poisoning, call an ambulance immediately. Treatment at home is unacceptable and often leads to death. Timely treatment to the hospital significantly increases the chances of staying alive.

Not only beginners, but also experienced mushroom pickers can confuse champignon and pale grebe. These doubles look almost the same, so it is very important to be able to distinguish one from the other.

In order not to become a victim of a pale toadstool, you should not buy mushrooms in spontaneous markets. Very often, not completely fruiting bodies are sold here, but only hats. According to them, it is extremely difficult to distinguish an edible mushroom from a poisonous one.

How not to confuse champignon with pale grebe.

How to distinguish champignon mushroom from pale toadstool.

Comparison of pale grebe and green russula (Amanita phalloides vs Russula aeruginea)

Differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms can also be found on the pages of mushroom picker guides. Carefully inspect each copy before picking it up and putting it in the basket: the price of a mistake is too high. Take care of your health!

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