For the average person, it is very difficult to determine whether a mushroom is poisonous. Poisonous and edible mushrooms often grow together, have similar appearances, and are difficult to distinguish, leading to frequent incidents of accidental poisoning from consumption.
How to prevent mushroom poisoning?
The main causes of poisoning are accidental picking, accidental consumption, and improper cooking methods. To prevent mushroom poisoning, attention should be paid to the following two points:
1. Many folk methods for identifying poisonous mushrooms are circulated, such as boiling them with garlic, rush pith, or silver to cause them to turn black; if insects can eat them or they can breed maggots, they are non-toxic; mushrooms that look unattractive or do not change color when damaged are edible, etc. Investigations and experiments have confirmed that these methods are not all perfect or reliable.
2. Be familiar with the morphology of poisonous mushrooms and pay attention to the differences: it is best not to eat wild mushrooms with annuli or volvas. Although this large category of wild mushrooms includes some edible ones, their poisonous forms are similar to edible ones and are difficult to distinguish, making accidental consumption easy. Never collect or eat wild mushrooms that you do not recognize. For your own health, it is best not to pick or eat wild mushrooms. Eating dried poisonous mushrooms can also lead to poisoning.
Treatment methods after mushroom poisoning
1. Patients with gastroenteritis should actively correct dehydration, acidosis, and electrolyte imbalances.
2. Toxin elimination should be carried out as early and quickly as possible. Timely induced vomiting, gastric lavage, catharsis, and enemas are very important. In the early stages, large amounts of intravenous fluids can be administered to promote urination and excrete toxins.
3. For severe poisoning, adrenocortical hormones can be used.
4. For patients with neurological symptoms, atropine and sedatives should be administered, and close monitoring of the patient should be strengthened.
5. For poisoning caused by Amanita phalloides and Amanita virosa in the early stages, thiol-containing antidotes such as sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate can be used.