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Beware of poisonous mushrooms
Posted date 15/05/2018
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Posted date 15/05/2018
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Every year, in our country, there are many cases of mushroom poisoning due to eating poisonous mushrooms, causing many deaths. This phenomenon occurs not only in mountainous provinces such as Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Son La, Bac Giang, Phu Tho, Gia Lai, etc., where many types of mushrooms grow in the forest, along the roads and around villages, but also in the plains and islands (Phu Quoc). In March 2006, in Bac Kan, there was a case of mushroom poisoning in a family of four, causing 3 deaths; in Ha Giang, there was also a case of mushroom poisoning causing 3 deaths.
Dr. Tran Cong Khanh - Center for Pharmaceutical Industry Research
Every year, in our country, there are many cases of mushroom poisoning due to eating poisonous mushrooms, causing many deaths. This phenomenon occurs not only in mountainous provinces such as Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Son La, Bac Giang, Phu Tho, Gia Lai, etc., where many types of mushrooms grow in the forest, along the roads and around villages, but also in the plains and islands (Phu Quoc). In March 2006, in Bac Kan, there was a case of mushroom poisoning in a family of four, causing 3 deaths; in Ha Giang, there was also a case of mushroom poisoning causing 3 deaths.
There are many types of mushrooms. Many types of mushrooms are used as medicine such as Poria cocos, Ganoderma lucidum, or for food, and are popular with many people such as Shiitake mushrooms, Straw mushrooms, Button mushrooms, Wood ear mushrooms, etc. Besides beneficial mushrooms, there are many types of mushrooms that are harmful, causing diseases to humans, animals and plants, or causing wood and agricultural products to rot. In particular, in nature there are many types of poisonous mushrooms, even eating very little can cause poisoning and death.
So what are mushrooms? In the past, people classified mushrooms in the Plant Kingdom ( Plantae ), but now they are separated into the Fungi Kingdom ( Fungi ). The main reason is that mushrooms do not have the ability to photosynthesize like plants to create the substances necessary for their own life, but must take food from the surrounding environment. The vegetative organs of mushrooms are very thin filamentous systems located in the organic matter (substrate) where they live, which are invisible to the naked eye. The visible part that protrudes from the substrate is the reproductive organ of the mushroom, called the 'fruiting body' (not called the 'mushroom'). The mushroom fruiting body carries many fungal spores.
The fruiting bodies of mushrooms vary greatly in shape, structure and size. They often have a flared top, are hemispherical, bell-shaped, egg-shaped or funnel-shaped..., called a mushroom cap . The underside of the mushroom cap has many thin plates , or small holes , which are where the mushroom spores are carried. A narrow, cylindrical part attached to the mushroom cap is called the mushroom stem or mushroom foot. In some mushrooms, the upper part of the stem may carry a thin membrane ring called the mushroom ring , and the part surrounding the base of the stem that looks like a small cup is called the base bag or mushroom scrotum.
The color of the fruiting body also varies, such as white, ash gray, yellow, orange, red-brown, or purple... There are species of mushrooms that are also bioluminescent, giving off light at night.
There are no specific signs to identify a harmless mushroom or a poisonous one. However, the structure of most poisonous mushrooms usually has all the parts such as cap, blade, stem, ring and base sheath. In addition, sometimes they are also colorful, have an unpleasant smell or have a bitter taste.
In nature, many mushrooms, although white in color, look very “gentle and pure”, making people think that they are non-toxic and edible, but they cause many unfortunate cases of poisoning. For example, the poisonous white umbrella mushroom ( Amanita verna Fr. ex Bull.) caused the death of 6 people in a family in Yen Bai province in mid-1996.
The fruiting body of the 'white poisonous mushroom' has a white cap (sometimes the middle of the cap is dirty yellow), the surface is smooth and shiny when dry, slimy and sticky when wet. The diameter of the cap is about 5-10cm. The gills, stalks and rings are white. The base of the stalk is bulbous, the base sheath is thin and white. The mushroom flesh is soft and white, with a mild aroma. This is a very poisonous mushroom, found in many places, especially in the mountainous provinces of our country, often growing on the edges of forests, roadsides, and lawns, and often appearing from spring to autumn (Figure 1).
Mushroom toxins are found throughout the fruiting body. Many of the toxins are known, but many others are of unknown nature and structure. For example, choline, muscarin, and muscaridin are found in the red poisonous mushroom , also known as the fly agaric ( Amanita muscaria ), or the brown poisonous mushroom , also known as the white fungus ( Amanita pantherina ) (Figure 2). Phaloidin and amanitin are found in the blue-black poisonous mushroom ( Amanita phalloides ), both of which belong to the Amanitaceae family. These toxins are not destroyed by boiling.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning often appear very quickly, about 20-30 minutes after eating (mushrooms contain the toxic substance muscarin), but usually after 2-4 hours (fast poisoning), sometimes after 20 hours (slow poisoning). Common symptoms of poisoning include nausea and vomiting of food, sometimes mixed with blood. Severe abdominal pain in bouts, watery diarrhea with a foul smell, sometimes mixed with a little blood. The whole body is cold, tired, urinary retention, thirsty, sometimes rash, difficulty breathing, cyanosis, cardiovascular collapse, low blood pressure, slow pulse. The type of poisoning that appears with symptoms of slow poisoning is very dangerous, often difficult to treat, because when signs of poisoning appear, the poison has penetrated deep into the blood, into the brain and is no longer in the digestive tract. Therefore, first aid measures such as inducing vomiting, washing the stomach and intestines are no longer effective.
When suffering from mushroom poisoning, if the victim has not vomited yet, induce vomiting, wash the stomach and intestines. Then give the victim plenty of sugar water, honey water or diluted salt water and immediately take the victim to the nearest medical facility for further treatment. Do not give the victim any medicine containing alcohol, because the mushroom poison is easily soluble in alcohol, will quickly penetrate the blood, increasing the toxic effect of the mushroom. When a group or family eats mushrooms together and one or more people are poisoned by mushrooms, the remaining people must be given first aid, even if these people have not yet shown symptoms of poisoning. For these people, they must also induce vomiting immediately to remove the remaining mushrooms in the stomach, wash the digestive tract to remove all toxins from the body.
In nature, the shapes of many mushrooms are quite similar, and it is difficult to distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms, sometimes even for experts. In particular, closely related mushrooms, for example: Boletus edulis has a light aroma, is delicious, and often grows in the pine forests of Da Lat (picture 3), and is easily confused with Melaleuca mushroom ( Boletus felleus ), which often grows under the canopy of Melaleuca trees and has a slightly bitter taste (picture 4).
Late spring - early summer is the season when mushrooms grow in the forest. Collecting wild mushrooms for food and medicine must be done with great care to avoid possible mistakes. Caution and vigilance are the best ways to prevent mushroom poisoning. Only eat mushrooms when you are sure that they are edible. If you encounter a strange mushroom, do not 'try it'. Even eating a small piece the size of a fingertip can cause fatal poisoning.
There are many types of mushrooms. Many types of mushrooms are used as medicine such as Poria cocos, Ganoderma lucidum, or for food, and are popular with many people such as Shiitake mushrooms, Straw mushrooms, Button mushrooms, Wood ear mushrooms, etc. Besides beneficial mushrooms, there are many types of mushrooms that are harmful, causing diseases to humans, animals and plants, or causing wood and agricultural products to rot. In particular, in nature there are many types of poisonous mushrooms, even eating very little can cause poisoning and death.
So what are mushrooms? In the past, people classified mushrooms in the Plant Kingdom ( Plantae ), but now they are separated into the Fungi Kingdom ( Fungi ). The main reason is that mushrooms do not have the ability to photosynthesize like plants to create the substances necessary for their own life, but must take food from the surrounding environment. The vegetative organs of mushrooms are very thin filamentous systems located in the organic matter (substrate) where they live, which are invisible to the naked eye. The visible part that protrudes from the substrate is the reproductive organ of the mushroom, called the 'fruiting body' (not called the 'mushroom'). The mushroom fruiting body carries many fungal spores.
The fruiting bodies of mushrooms vary greatly in shape, structure and size. They often have a flared top, are hemispherical, bell-shaped, egg-shaped or funnel-shaped..., called a mushroom cap . The underside of the mushroom cap has many thin plates , or small holes , which are where the mushroom spores are carried. A narrow, cylindrical part attached to the mushroom cap is called the mushroom stem or mushroom foot. In some mushrooms, the upper part of the stem may carry a thin membrane ring called the mushroom ring , and the part surrounding the base of the stem that looks like a small cup is called the base bag or mushroom scrotum.
The color of the fruiting body also varies, such as white, ash gray, yellow, orange, red-brown, or purple... There are species of mushrooms that are also bioluminescent, giving off light at night.
There are no specific signs to identify a harmless mushroom or a poisonous one. However, the structure of most poisonous mushrooms usually has all the parts such as cap, blade, stem, ring and base sheath. In addition, sometimes they are also colorful, have an unpleasant smell or have a bitter taste.
In nature, many mushrooms, although white in color, look very “gentle and pure”, making people think that they are non-toxic and edible, but they cause many unfortunate cases of poisoning. For example, the poisonous white umbrella mushroom ( Amanita verna Fr. ex Bull.) caused the death of 6 people in a family in Yen Bai province in mid-1996.
The fruiting body of the 'white poisonous mushroom' has a white cap (sometimes the middle of the cap is dirty yellow), the surface is smooth and shiny when dry, slimy and sticky when wet. The diameter of the cap is about 5-10cm. The gills, stalks and rings are white. The base of the stalk is bulbous, the base sheath is thin and white. The mushroom flesh is soft and white, with a mild aroma. This is a very poisonous mushroom, found in many places, especially in the mountainous provinces of our country, often growing on the edges of forests, roadsides, and lawns, and often appearing from spring to autumn (Figure 1).
Mushroom toxins are found throughout the fruiting body. Many of the toxins are known, but many others are of unknown nature and structure. For example, choline, muscarin, and muscaridin are found in the red poisonous mushroom , also known as the fly agaric ( Amanita muscaria ), or the brown poisonous mushroom , also known as the white fungus ( Amanita pantherina ) (Figure 2). Phaloidin and amanitin are found in the blue-black poisonous mushroom ( Amanita phalloides ), both of which belong to the Amanitaceae family. These toxins are not destroyed by boiling.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning often appear very quickly, about 20-30 minutes after eating (mushrooms contain the toxic substance muscarin), but usually after 2-4 hours (fast poisoning), sometimes after 20 hours (slow poisoning). Common symptoms of poisoning include nausea and vomiting of food, sometimes mixed with blood. Severe abdominal pain in bouts, watery diarrhea with a foul smell, sometimes mixed with a little blood. The whole body is cold, tired, urinary retention, thirsty, sometimes rash, difficulty breathing, cyanosis, cardiovascular collapse, low blood pressure, slow pulse. The type of poisoning that appears with symptoms of slow poisoning is very dangerous, often difficult to treat, because when signs of poisoning appear, the poison has penetrated deep into the blood, into the brain and is no longer in the digestive tract. Therefore, first aid measures such as inducing vomiting, washing the stomach and intestines are no longer effective.
When suffering from mushroom poisoning, if the victim has not vomited yet, induce vomiting, wash the stomach and intestines. Then give the victim plenty of sugar water, honey water or diluted salt water and immediately take the victim to the nearest medical facility for further treatment. Do not give the victim any medicine containing alcohol, because the mushroom poison is easily soluble in alcohol, will quickly penetrate the blood, increasing the toxic effect of the mushroom. When a group or family eats mushrooms together and one or more people are poisoned by mushrooms, the remaining people must be given first aid, even if these people have not yet shown symptoms of poisoning. For these people, they must also induce vomiting immediately to remove the remaining mushrooms in the stomach, wash the digestive tract to remove all toxins from the body.
In nature, the shapes of many mushrooms are quite similar, and it is difficult to distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous mushrooms, sometimes even for experts. In particular, closely related mushrooms, for example: Boletus edulis has a light aroma, is delicious, and often grows in the pine forests of Da Lat (picture 3), and is easily confused with Melaleuca mushroom ( Boletus felleus ), which often grows under the canopy of Melaleuca trees and has a slightly bitter taste (picture 4).
Late spring - early summer is the season when mushrooms grow in the forest. Collecting wild mushrooms for food and medicine must be done with great care to avoid possible mistakes. Caution and vigilance are the best ways to prevent mushroom poisoning. Only eat mushrooms when you are sure that they are edible. If you encounter a strange mushroom, do not 'try it'. Even eating a small piece the size of a fingertip can cause fatal poisoning.
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