Recent research has led to a reconsideration of the attitude toward certain mushroom species that have long been consumed as food. Until recently, cowberry mushrooms were considered conditionally edible, but today they are considered poisonous. The radioactive substances, heavy metals, and other toxins they contain accumulate in the human body without causing any symptoms for a long time. Poisoning can be very severe, sometimes resulting in death.
Description, photos of cowberries and other names of mushrooms
The cowberry mushroom, also known as the thin pig mushroom (Paxillus involutus), belongs to the class Agaricomycetes, family Svinulaceae, and genus Paxillus involutus. "Cowberry" is the most common and frequently used name for this mushroom, but many other names can be found that derive from its appearance and genus name:
- pig;
- Valuy;
- bull;
- pig;
- filly;
- cow tongue;
- pig farmer;
- cow lip;
- mullein;
- Dunka;
- pig's ear.
By carefully studying the photo and description of the cowberry, you can successfully distinguish it from other mushrooms.
The appearance and photo of the cowshed
In appearance, the cowberry mushroom resembles a chanterelle. These mushrooms share similar stems, shape, and brown cap color, but their textures are different. Chanterelles have a velvety texture, while cowberries are smooth.
Depending on their age, pig mushrooms can have thin or thick stems and large or small caps. The cap of a young specimen is a uniform brownish hue, while that of an older specimen is rusty brown. Despite their appearance, they are not particularly tasty. However, for cooking, preference should be given to young fruiting bodies, as older ones are usually wormy and can accumulate greater amounts of toxins.
You may be interested in:Structure and species differences
The cowpea's cap is fleshy, smooth to the touch, dry, and velvety, measuring 5-15 cm in circumference. It is rounded, almost flat, with a very inverted margin and a funnel-shaped center. The cap's color changes with age: young cowpeas are brownish-olive, while older cowpeas are bright red or even rusty.
With changes in humidity, the surface structure changes: from smooth and dry to moist and sticky. The interior is lamellar and yellowish in color. The lamellar plates are wide, descending toward the stem. Sometimes they are connected by bridges, forming cells. When pressed, the plates turn dark brown.
The flesh of the cow parsley mushroom is yellow, soft, and crumbly, lacking the characteristic mushroom smell or taste. When damaged, the flesh changes color, darkening to a brownish hue.
The stem is cylindrical, dense, and not particularly tall, reaching only 9 cm in adults. It is up to 1.5 cm thick and tapers toward the bottom. Its color matches the cap, though it can sometimes be slightly lighter. The surface is smooth.
Place of distribution
Paxillus involutus is native to forested areas of the Americas, Eurasia, and Russia. The species grows in all climate zones. In Russia, it is most common in the Urals, Siberia, and the Omsk region.
Experienced local mushroom pickers point out the following mushroom-rich forest spots in the Omsk region:
- Nikolaevka;
- Cherlaksky tract (on both sides);
- Davydovka;
- Dachny village;
- Petrovka;
- Luzino;
- Kalinino.
Additionally, pig mushrooms are found in the Novoomsky and Azovsky districts in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. They most often grow under birch, oak, and shrub trees. They prefer moist, loose soil, especially at the edges of forests and clearings near swamps. They grow in groups, rarely as single specimens. The mushroom picking season is June through October.
Edibility of the mushroom
Many amateur mushroom pickers often wonder whether the cowberry is edible or not, since for a long time it was considered perfectly edible.
Modern mycologists claim that the mushroom is poisonous and its consumption is dangerous to humans. With frequent consumption of Paxillus involutus, the toxic substances tend to accumulate in internal organs and cause irreparable harm.
Properties of cowsheds
Herbalists and traditional healers sometimes recommend these mushrooms for the treatment of neoplasms (as they do with many other plant poisons). All the beneficial properties of the cowberry mushroom are due to its chemical composition, the presence of vitamins A, B, and P, and various microelements. Like any other mushroom, cowberry mushrooms are a natural protein product that helps build cells in the body. Dried cowberry mushrooms contain the highest amount of protein.
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After carefully studying the properties of cowberry, mycologists came to the conclusion that it is a powerful antioxidant and, thanks to the ergothioneine it contains, can help reduce the risk of cancer.
The amino acids contained in mushrooms help improve gastrointestinal function through their positive effect on digestion, fight the accumulation of harmful cholesterol, and promote cardiovascular health. The ß-glucans found in mushrooms help strengthen the immune system.
In addition to its positive qualities, Paxillus involutus also has negative properties:
- Absorbs all surrounding toxic substances.
- It independently produces poisons – muscarine and lectin, which are not destroyed even with prolonged heat treatment.
- With constant use, poisons accumulate in the body and cause irreparable harm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1AdugGTMGs
Of course, some people still eat cow dung, but after comparing all their positive and negative qualities, one should take a reasonable approach to the issue of safety.
You may be interested in:Symptoms of poisoning and first aid
Cow poisoning doesn't always manifest immediately, but is quite insidious and can manifest itself over time (months or years), when the concentration of toxic substances in the body reaches critical levels. This is when simple symptoms of food poisoning appear:
- disorder,
- vomit,
- stomach ache.
Blood circulation in the vessels also decreases, resulting in pale skin and decreased urine output, which may contain blood. The destruction of red blood cells leads to complications affecting the kidneys and respiratory system.
If such symptoms appear, do not self-medicate. It is essential to seek immediate medical attention from specialists at a hospital. However, even with qualified medical care, it is important to remember that there are no antidotes for cow poisoning. Doctors can only prescribe symptomatic treatment aimed at eliminating antibodies from the body and treating kidney failure.
With timely treatment, fatalities are very rare. However, toxins cannot be completely eliminated from the body, so regular medical treatments (hemodialysis) are necessary.
Before eating pig mushroom, you should consider the possible negative consequences.
Answers to frequently asked questions
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Sergey
The valuy, also known as the goby, or the kubar, is a completely different mushroom, both in appearance (it acquires a "volnushka" appearance when it "ages") and in feel (it "snotty"). Google it, maybe...
Kaghuna
What incompetents write articles!!! After an hour and a half of boiling, you won't be eating mushrooms, but boiled rubber... Have you, who write such nonsense, ever cooked mushrooms yourself?
This is not a bull and not a valuy, don't bother me
One smart guy wrote it, others picked it up. Broken phone. Different mushrooms under the same comb.
The mullein is a completely different mushroom! The underside of the mullein's cap, like that of the porcini mushroom, is spongy, not composed of individual partitions. And the entire mushroom itself is velvety, not smooth and shiny.
Rinat
In Yaroslavl they are called matryoshka dolls.
Kaghuna
What mushroom experts have gathered here... I almost laughed to death... Especially about the cow mushrooms (svinushka, dunka and a bunch of other names)... Do you even know what this substance is - muscarine? It is precisely this accumulation in the body that false mushroom experts frighten ignoramuses with... My paternal grandmother (who passed away at 93) only recognized this mushroom... My other grandmother (on my mother's side) (who passed away at 87) taught me to cook such cutlets from cow's-head mushrooms that my friends call them by my last name and say that they have never tried them in any restaurant, even the most exquisite ones... Pseudoscientists - remember the parable, the film about how shit died after drinking the purest water after being told that he drank poison... The cow's-head mushroom is excellent in taste, you just need to boil it for 30 minutes, fry it in oil for 20 minutes... I cook it for the winter in this form, make caviar (the most delicious of all mushrooms)... well, my delicacy is cutlets (especially with vodka in the company of friends)... I myself have lived for 53 years, my parents (also lovers of cow's-head mushrooms, milk mushrooms and other mushrooms) Alive and well...that's how much poison has accumulated in our family due to the consumption of cowberries...quite frequent consumption, by the way...Don't trust false experts, only the ignorant insult this mushroom...
Vladimir Yvanov
My parents collected the thin pig mushroom for decades near St. Petersburg, considering it a perfectly edible mushroom. They fried it, salted it, and even dried it on a string on the balcony. Perhaps the muscarine repelled the insects that lay eggs in the mushrooms, which later develop into mushroom "worms."
By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if they someday discover a truly terrifying toxin in chanterelles that prevents those parasitic worms from developing. It's just that this toxin hasn't been found yet, and chanterelles haven't been classified as inedible yet. I'm just warning you all in advance: beware of chanterelles that bear fruit! This is happening in advance, without any warning from Onishchenko. Or whoever's acting in his place now. If this toxin is discovered, Elena Malysheva will notify you immediately. So watch her programs, as well as those of healers like Gennady Petrovich Malakhov.