Pigs are popular mushrooms, which modern scientists, however, relate to the group of poisonous gifts of the forest. In this publication, you will find answers to the following questions: "Mushroom pig - edible food or not? What does it look like and where does it grow? What harm can human health do?" We will talk about all this further.
What do porcini mushrooms look like?
The thin pig has several popular names: dunk, pig, pig, pig's ear, straw, straw. This fungus belongs to the family of pigs. Its dense hat - brownish in color with the edges bent down - reaches a diameter of 10-15 cm. Its center is pressed down, resembling a small funnel. The surface of the cap is dry to the touch, and on rainy days it becomes sticky and glossy. The mushroom plates are frequent, in color resemble ocher. The leg has a thickness of 1-1.5 cm, and a height of 9 cm. The fleshy yellowish flesh becomes brown when cut. Another variety of the fungus - the fat pig - differs in the diameter of the legs (up to 5 cm).
Where do the sows grow?
The mushrooms in question grow in families. The period of fruiting lasts from June to October. They are found in coniferous, deciduous, mixed and other forests. Wet and shady places are the most favorable environment for them. Pigs can be found near aspen, oak, birch, shrubs, on the roots and trunks of uprooted trees, in the area of old ant nests.
This type of forest gifts is still very common among mushroom pickers. But, unfortunately, scientists attributed it to the category of poisonous products. The same decision was made by the Ministry of Health.
Previously, people believed that the fungus pig - edible food, completely harmless. However, the researchers found that in addition to those poisons that are destroyed by high temperature (hemoglutin and hemolysin), there is muscarine that does not dissolve in water. Pigs accumulate in themselves the radioactive isotopes of copper and cesium. When used regularly, these toxic substances build up in the blood and cause the formation of antibodies that destroy red blood cells. Subsequently, they disintegrate, and the process of hemolysis (loss of hemoglobin) occurs. This leads to the sudden onset of anemia, jaundice, liver, kidney or stomach pain. The worst thing is that the initial symptoms of the disease are absent, and everything appears too late. Therefore, if you hear from anyone that the porcini mushroom is an edible food, you should know that this is an erroneous opinion! It is a time bomb, which is why it belongs to poisonous mushrooms.
In modern medicine, experts have developed a technique by which atrotomentin (a substance with antibiotic properties) is extracted from thick sows, which is used to make anti-inflammatory drugs.
Today, many people still think that porcini mushrooms are edible. They think that they can neutralize all toxins by digesting and soaking the product, without even knowing that they are risking their health. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is better to exclude this mushroom from your diet, or use it extremely rarely.
