The State Drug Control Service (VVKT) reminded a few days ago that there are about 400 types of mushrooms known in Lithuania, of which 40 are poisonous. The most poisonous are the greenish and pale fly agarics.
“That mushroom “kills” the liver,” toxicologist Linas Zdanavičius warned about the green flycatcher in the “Expertai pataria” program of “Žiniai Radio”.
According to him, this fungus can kill within 3 days, but doctors have antidotes and when help is sought in time, most patients can be saved. If there is a delay, the doctors are powerless, because it is already impossible to restore the liver function.
Mushrooms are difficult to digest food
The toxicologist doctor noticed that mushroom or berry poisonings always increase during the warm season, and this summer is no exception.
“Sometimes there will be more serious poisonings. According to my data, this summer, thank God, we haven’t had such mushroom poisonings that would have endangered life,” said L. Zdanavičius.
According to him, 90 percent in some cases, it is not the poison in the mushrooms that disturbs their well-being, but the fact that it is a difficult food. The problem is that people overeat forest products, combine mushrooms with fatty products, such as crackers or sour cream.
After a few hours, his “stomach stops” and he calls the doctors in a panic because he begins to doubt whether he could have eaten something poisonous.
“Mushrooms contain chitin, which we do not digest. The stomach and the entire intestine are trying, but, unfortunately, not everything is digested,” explained the toxicologist.
Lrytas.lt previously wrote that if there are mushrooms on the table, there can be no alcohol and fatty food nearby, because this combination increases the likelihood of developing acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). More insights from doctors on the causes of acute pancreatitis can be found here.
Experienced mushroom pickers are often poisoned
L. Zdanavičius reminded the “golden rule”: do not collect unfamiliar mushrooms, and if you are not sure about the find – throw it away.
The doctor added that poisoning occurs within 2 hours, during which time symptoms appear even if the mushroom is mildly poisonous.
“The most dangerous mushrooms, for example, the green fly agaric, cause poisoning after 12, sometimes 18 hours. Most often, this manifests itself in very abundant diarrhea, nausea, general weakness and the like.
So, you should be more worried if the poisoning occurs after some time, for example, after sleeping all night or the following evening. Then it would be better to go to the doctors, let them do the tests, see if there really isn’t the most terrible fungus there.
If we start the treatment early, we cure everyone, but if it is delayed, the results are, unfortunately, very sad”, emphasized L. Zdanavičius.
He added that grandmothers, who are convinced that they know all mushrooms, should be protected the most.
“Truthfully, we had the most serious poisonings from Dzūkija, where grandmothers collected mushrooms all their lives, but their eyesight began to weaken, and their confidence, unfortunately, only increases,” said L. Zdanavičius, adding that the elderly body has a harder time fighting poisons.
Stomach lavage is nonsense
The toxicologist explained that most poisonous substances have a bitter taste. This could be a sign that it is better not to eat the mushroom.
If poisoned by poisonous mushrooms, symptoms may appear after 6 to 48 hours.
L. Zdanavičius noticed that the spread of information about the supposedly beneficial effects of fly agarics is causing residents to test it on purpose.
“There are people who are addicted… usually when they come to our department, they say: thank you, I understand, I will never do that again,” said the doctor.
If poisoning is suspected, it is advised not to self-medicate, but to call the Poison Control and Information Office.
“Don’t do this nonsense like gastric lavage, because I’ve seen people drink water, vomit and drink water again, vomit again, which washes out gastric juices and removes a lot of electrolytes, leading to seizures, blackouts and comas,” L warned. .Zdanavičius.
Advice from the specialists of the Department of Pharmacovigilance and Poisoning of VVKT for mushroom pickers:
– Collect and eat only mushrooms you are familiar with, as edible and poisonous mushrooms are sometimes very similar.
– It is advisable to pick mushrooms as far as possible from roads, highways, and railways in forests, because mushrooms accumulate heavy metals.
– It is possible to get poisoned by old, stale, wormy or unprocessed edible mushrooms.
– When collecting mushrooms, clean them well, especially the ground stems, because the ground can contain botulism-causing bacteria. When such mushrooms are closed in airtight containers, anaerobic conditions (in the absence of oxygen) are created and botulism bacteria, which secrete a highly poisonous exotoxin, can begin to multiply. If the lid of the jar of canned mushrooms has swollen or a suspicious color has appeared, do not eat such mushrooms.
– Prepared mushroom dishes are best eaten on the same day, and canned ones should be consumed within six months.
– Store the prepared mushrooms in the refrigerator or in a cool cellar at a temperature of 0-6 degrees.
In all cases where poisoning is suspected, it is best to immediately call the Department of Pharmacological Vigilance and Poisoning Information (tel. 8-5 236 20 52.) Specialists of the service provide advice around the clock.
2024-08-20 10:18:35