Such a poisonous mushroom, like fly agaric, can be used for a variety of diseases, if cooked correctly, consider the existing contraindications and the necessary dosage. Some of its species are edible, but in order to avoid consequences, they must undergo a full heat treatment.
Description of the fungus and its features
Amanita belongs to the lamellar fungi of the amanite family. The bright elegant appearance of this forest inhabitant is very deceptive - it is a poisonous fungus root, which is a symbiosis of mycelium (mycelium) with the roots of various plants and trees. At the moment, there are more than 600 species of fly agaric in nature, and their color is not always bright red, hats can be brown, yellow and white. The most famous varieties are royal, Caesar, panther, red fly agaric.
Externally, an ordinary red fly agaric is a large, fleshy mushroom; its cap may be thinner or thicker, sometimes with a small tubercle. White flakes are located on it - these are preserved tissue segments in the process of formation. The base of the leg extends to the ground. The ring or “skirt” in the upper part of the leg is the shell in which the young individuals are enclosed; reproduction occurs through spores.
Not everyone knows that the most poisonous mushroom is a pale toadstool, poisoning of which can be fatal, also belongs to the fly agaric family. In diameter, the size of her hat can be 10-14 cm, the leg is high - up to 12 cm. Just a few grams of this fungus is enough to cause death. A peculiarity of the toadstool is the presence of a membranous ring, due to which it can be distinguished from such similar floats, russula and champignons.
Composition and properties
In the body of the fungus there are several types of toxic components, which are mainly found in the hat and its skin, the leg has a lower content.
The chemical composition of the most common red fly agaric is represented by the following substances:
- muscimol - hallucinogen, which has a hypnotic, sedative effect, can disrupt the functioning of consciousness;
- ibotenic acid - a toxic substance characterized by a destructive effect on brain cells;
- muscarin - a natural alkaloid, leading to vasodilation and the inability of the heart to fully contract, as a result of its entry into the body, poisoning occurs with all the characteristic symptoms - a decrease in blood pressure, nausea and vomiting;
- muscarufin - an antibacterial substance, which, moreover, has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties, which makes it possible to use the fungus for medical purposes;
- muscazon formed as a result of the breakdown of ibotenic acid and is characterized by a weak effect on the functioning of the nervous system.
Most toxic substances accumulate in fly agaric in spring and summer, and at this time it is especially dangerous.
Fly agarics feed on organics, as they are not able to absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and they also do not contain chlorophyll.
Microscopic amounts of these poisons are successfully used in pharmacology to create drugs for insomnia, joint diseases, colds, infectious and cancerous diseases. The preparations created using fly agaric successfully heal wounds, relieve pain and cramps, increase immunity, and prevent bleeding.
Varieties
Amanita live practically everywhere - species of this fungus can be seen in deciduous and coniferous forests of Russia and many other countries. They are found in colder areas, for example, the tundra.
In addition to the red fly agaric, which grows everywhere, we can name its other varieties that differ in appearance:
- Toadstool fly agaric or yellow pale grebe. The mushroom has an unpleasant smell, a hemispherical white hat with snow-white spots. Most often, you can meet him in the coniferous or deciduous forest, from July to October.
- Panther fly agaric. It has a brown color, a hat from 5 to 12 cm and a leg of a cylindrical shape with a porous surface and low brittle frill about the same height. The smell is unpleasant, the flesh is white.
- Amanita royal. You can see it in an oak or beech grove, in a pine. This type of poisoning can cause severe hallucinations. It is a large (brown or olive) mushroom with a hat diameter of up to 20 cm and yellow flakes. The color of the pulp is yellow-brown, and when cut, it does not darken. This mushroom loves forests with a predominance of birch, spruce and pine, distributed in our country, in Europe, found in Korea, England, Alaska.
- Amanita is rough. It is a small, fleshy, yellowish or olive-colored mushroom with a thick leg. In young mushrooms, the hat is almost round and resembles a ball, in adults, it is flat, and the edges can slightly bend upward. On the cut, the white flesh quickly turns yellow and the smell in it, unlike other species, is pleasant. Amanita grows, both in Europe and America, Japan, South and Central Asia. In nature, however, it can be difficult to see, he prefers to grow next to hornbeams, beeches, in oak groves.
- Prickly-headed fly agaric (bristly, fat). This mushroom is distinguished by an umbrella fleshy head, in young individuals it is round. The hat is covered with gray warts. A distinctive feature is a white leg thickened in the middle with scales at the base. The plates of an adult fly agaric are pink in color, the flesh is dense and with a pungent odor. Prefers a symbiosis with conifers and oaks, often grows near reservoirs. This is a poisonous species that can cause poisoning even after heat treatment.
Amanita muscaria
Panther fly agaric
Amanita royal
Amanita grumpy
Prickly-headed Amanita
Almost all types of fungus are unusually beautiful - this is a kind of warning that they are deadly poisonous.
Is it possible to eat fly agaric?
Some species of fly agaric are considered conditionally edible. These include the following mushrooms:
- Tan fly agaric, which is popularly called a float. It is not particularly popular due to the fact that it has a thin hat and does not differ in meatiness, at the same time, it is so similar to a grebe that many do not want to take risks. In its raw form, the float is toxic and, indeed, represents a danger, but after careful heat treatment it is quite suitable for food.
The mushroom has a hat up to 8 cm in diameter, brown or brown-orange in color, it is flat, and in the center its small darker tubercle. The leg is fragile and high up to 15 cm with a thickening on the base. A distinctive feature is the absence of a ring on it. Amanita is watery to the touch, with a touch of mucus, the smell is absent.
- Pineal fly agaric - fleshy mushroom with a hemispherical hat, white or gray, covered with pointed pyramidal warts. The leg is cylindrical, wide at the base. This mushroom grows in coniferous and deciduous forests, often forms mycorrhiza with linden, beech, and oak. In a small amount contains muscimol and ibotenic acid, so before use it is boiled, and the broth is drained.
- Cesarean mushroom It is also edible, and has excellent taste. Its differences from the poisonous brothers:
- a hat of red-orange color, smooth and without growths;
- plates and legs golden yellow;
- the mushroom has a wide sacklike cover at the bottom of the stem.
Mushroom "Float"
Pineal fly agaric
A Caesarean Amanita
Also, edible varieties are brown, gray, snow-white floats, amanita pink and tall. Of course, all of them require proper preparation and preliminary boiling.
Mushroom use
As it turns out, the correct use of poisonous mushrooms can save a person from many ailments. Apply them both externally and internally.
With a strictly calculated dosage, fly agaric is recommended for problems such as:
- skin diseases - diathesis, eczema, neurodermatitis;
- muscle and joint pain;
- headache;
- sciatica and rheumatism;
- male impotence;
- eye diseases;
- diabetes;
- tuberculosis;
- epileptic seizures;
- oncological lesions.
And this is not a complete list of all the diseases for which this fungus can help.
The usual red fly agaric, which is the most common, can be used in the form of alcohol tinctures, juice, dried raw materials, ointments. All these funds are used externally for varicose veins, for the healing of long-lasting wounds, from burns, bruises, and inflammation of the joints.
Tincture can be prepared with alcohol or vodka. Crushed hats should be kept in the refrigerator for three days, after which they fill the jar and pour 1 cm above the mushrooms. Leave the mixture for 15 days in a dark place and filter.
Ointment can be prepared from fresh mushrooms, grinding them into gruel and mixed with sour cream. Or first prepare the powder by drying the fly agaric hats, then rub them and add petroleum jelly or vegetable oil.
Special medicines based on a poisonous mushroom have already been released today - fly agaric ointment, tincture, medical creams, homeopathic medicines.
Useful tips for choosing
With the independent use of mushrooms, you must be able to choose them correctly:
- the most useful, as well as harmful substances, are contained in a hat - this part should be holistic, not touched by insects;
- when drying the hats, remove the plates from them, and then string them onto a thread;
- when using it is important to observe the recipe and the exact proportions of all the ingredients;
- avoid use should people with a sick digestive system;
- during the manufacture of ointments and other products, metal utensils and improvised metal products should be avoided.
For people with mental disorders and pregnant (nursing) mothers, this product is contraindicated in any form.
At the end of the application, it is advisable to wash your hands thoroughly with detergents, ideally, it is better to prepare tincture or ointment with rubber gloves. Inside, funds from fly agarics can be taken only after consulting with a treating specialist and under his supervision. For children, except in rare cases, mushroom-based medicines are not used.
It should be remembered that only four eaten fly agaric hats are enough to poison without a chance of survival. Such poisoning can be accompanied by suffocation, delirium, convulsions and respiratory paralysis.
A poisonous mushroom, such as a fly agaric, is a living example of the inconsistency that is so characteristic of any living creature on our planet. On the one hand, it is extremely dangerous, on the other, it is beautiful, like the look, and brings obvious benefits in treating a person. It remains only with respect and caution to use this indisputable gift of nature.