Is it possible to eat chanterelles raw

Folk healers almost always adhere to a firm rule: there is no disease that cannot be cured. They argue that mother nature has everything necessary for a person to be able to improve himself, without resorting to the help of synthetically created medicines. Herbalists for every plant that is available in nature can find the right use for the human body.

In the case of mushrooms, everything is much more serious, because it is accepted that this product of wild nature can be consumed only after heat treatment. The reason for such caution is the presence of toxins and poisons in mushrooms, which they retain in themselves, being essentially a kind of filter. An exception to the rule is a few species that have specific medicinal properties. One such subspecies of mushrooms is chanterelles. They are not only extremely tasty, but also very useful by their composition.

Antiparasitic effects

In addition to the taste qualities for which chanterelles are famous, they have properties that are well known both in traditional medicine and by folk healers. Almost every person who has lived for a long period near the forest and has constantly used the gifts of wild nature, has more than once seen that domestic and wild animals often eat this kind of mushrooms. The explanation is very simple - quinomannose, a substance found in chanterelles, has a powerful antiparasitic effect.

Herbalists during the ripening season are actively engaged in collecting this variety of mushrooms. The main condition is the ecological purity of the places where the collection is carried out chanterelles. To use them as a remedy for parasites, the product should be consumed only in raw form. Quinomannose is a very sensitive substance, it can not withstand heat treatment and already at 60°C turns into an absolutely useless component. Another way to extract valuable raw materials is to make a hood. Usually this is possible if a person has some knowledge and has the necessary equipment.

Many people are concerned about the question - is it possible to eat chanterelles in raw form. After all, according to logic, if animals eat them, it means that they do not carry a potential health threat, so the useful properties can be used to get rid of parasites. If chanterelles can be eaten raw, then you need to know how to do it in order to get the most out of it.

Raw chanterelles - how safe it is

Only experienced mushroom growers know that mushrooms should not be divided into two categories of plants, but on a different principle. All mushrooms that grow in the wild are divided according to the following properties:

• Poisonous.
• Edible.
• Inedible.

Edible and inedible mushrooms (only some subspecies) contain poisonous substances and toxins, which can easily be rid of by heat treatment. It is enough to boil them and it is absolutely safe to eat them. In the case of poisonous mushrooms, it is generally believed that they can seriously harm human health, although some of their properties are used in both folk and traditional medicine.

Chanterelles are a subspecies of mushrooms that do not have their own toxic substances. If there is complete confidence that they were collected in an ecologically clean area, they can be eaten raw. Virtually all mushrooms grown in natural conditions are monitored for the presence of radionuclides. The main 4 indicators of the presence of radiocaesium and similar substances are taken into account, by which it is customary to classify mushrooms additionally into subgroups:

• Slightly accumulated.
• Moderately accumulated.
• Highly accumulated.
• Radiocaesium accumulating mushrooms.

The entire subgroup of chanterelles is a moderate accumulator of radionuclides. If the mushrooms are harvested in the immediate vicinity of enterprises with toxic waste, near nuclear power plants, or in an area where tests involving radioactive substances are conducted, they pose a real danger to human health. In such cases, it is mandatory to "decontaminate" chemical and toxic substances by boiling them in a salty acid solution. Mushrooms are boiled in a solution that must be changed at least twice. Using salt and vinegar (citric acid) as neutralizing agents, you can completely neutralize the effects of radionuclides, but the mushrooms lose all their unique medicinal properties.

Another factor that can cause poisoning with raw chanterelles is a trivial mistake. In the wild, each subspecies of mushrooms has its own twin, but with properties that can provoke toxic poisoning. For chanterelles, there are several such twin species in the wild:

1. False chanterelle. The mushroom is not considered poisonous, but it is quite edible.
2. Bramble white. An edible mushroom that can be eaten raw, but it has no anthelmintic properties.
3. Olive omphalitis. A poisonous mushroom that should not be eaten raw.

The use of chanterelles as a worming agent

To get rid of worms and other parasitic forms, there are many recipes where chanterelles are used both as a powder and in raw form. As mentioned above, quinomannose is easily destroyed by heat treatment.

When drying raw materials that are planned to be used as anthelmintic agents in the future, it is allowed to use the oven with the heating temperature of the trays not exceeding 35-40°C. The same temperature does not decompose toxic substances, which makes the use of the raw material unsafe if it has been collected in places contaminated with radionuclides and other radiochemical compounds. Neither alcohol nor other kinds of tinctures used in the recipe will be able to fully neutralize the effects of heavy metals and radionuclides.

Regarding the use of chanterelles raw, folk herbalists advise to try (provided that the raw material is collected in an ecologically clean area of the forest) the simplest treatment scheme. To do this, consume for 7-10 days on an empty stomach 2-3 medium-sized mushrooms without visible damage. Usually this amount of raw mushrooms is not able to provoke toxic poisoning.

If for some reason the taste of the raw product is unpleasant, you can prepare a tincture based on chanterelles. The collected chanterelles are selected, leaving only the healthiest ones. Washed and dried raw material is finely chopped and put in a glass jar. Pour the mushrooms in alcohol or moonshine-pervac, making sure the contents of the jar is completely covered. Insist the alcoholic tincture for 21 days in a cool and dark place.

Use a tincture, as in the case of the raw mushrooms, on an empty stomach and in the evening, 1 tsp for 2 months without interruption. Before using it should be shaken. Store the tincture should be in a cool place, for example, in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.

Rules of preparation of mushrooms

Not only herbalists, but also representatives of traditional medicine advise in the case of treatment for worms and other parasitic life forms to use not pharmacy remedies, but tinctures, prepared according to recipes taken from the folk piggy bank.

The peculiarity of anthelmintic preparations made on the basis of synthetic compounds is the presence of various side effects. In combination, it destroys some organs of the gastrointestinal tract, but the liver suffers the most. Under the influence of synthetic compounds, subject to systematic use, most patients face problems with liver disorders. To avoid such troubles in the future, herbalists advise to pay serious attention to the recipes of tinctures, made on the basis of chanterelle mushrooms.

Chanterelles are a type of mushrooms, which appear, like most species, near the beginning of the first days of June. These first mushrooms are considered the most useful for their properties, and at this period of the year it is recommended to make the first preparations. Then, from the end of August to October inclusive, chanterelles can also be harvested both for raw eating and for use as the main ingredient in the preparation of alcoholic tinctures. If the mushrooms are to be used as medicine in the form of drying, the basic rules for harvesting must be followed:

1. Collected mushrooms are not washed (wet product takes much longer to dry, with the pulp from excess moisture then becomes black), from them simply remove dust, debris and dirt with a soft brush.
2. To dry them, you can use several methods: Hang them on nylon strings or put them on racks that give free access to fresh air.
3. Put the partially dried mushrooms into a baking tray and put them into an oven preheated to 40°C.

If the mushrooms are well dried, they break apart when squeezed. If you do not finish drying them, they will go bad: mold will appear, the preparation will be unusable. Prepared products are poured into glass jars, pre-shredding the substance with a meat grinder or coffee grinder. In glass jars, dried and crushed chanterelles can be stored for a very long period.

Freezing chanterelles as a way of preserving the raw material

Another way to harvest chanterelles for the winter as a medicinal product is freezing. The only disadvantage of this method is the presence of a specific bitterness in the flesh of the plant. Thermal treatment makes the bitterness disappear, but then chanterelles become absolutely useless as anthelmintic. The situation can be corrected by freezing some mushrooms, adhering to the rules of preparation.

1. Selected mushrooms cleaned of debris, dust, dirt, particles of plants. The easiest way to do this is to use an ordinary new construction paint brush.
2. Wipe each cooked mushroom with a moistened and wrung out sponge, taking care not to use too much moisture. This will further improve the storage quality of chanterelles.
3. All mushrooms are laid out in an even layer on any convenient surface that can be temporarily placed in the freezer. The ideal option is to use food trays made of food plastic.
4. Mushrooms placed in the freezer for 5-7 hours are taken out and transferred to a food container. In this state, the product is stored until needed.

Ways to eat chanterelles without using heat treatment

We should not forget about the ideal way of harvesting chanterelles, in which it is not necessary to give the products a heat treatment. This is the cold pickling of mushrooms for the winter. There are many recipes that allow you to prepare the product for most of the winter months. This method allows you not only to preserve all the useful features, but also, by enhancing the taste of the product, to use salted mushrooms without any danger to health.

Cooks offer a lot of options for pickling: with horseradish, plant leaves, spices, food additives. The simplest and, therefore, probably the most popular recipe for pickling chanterelles for the winter is the method used by the inhabitants of the forests of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Of the ingredients you will need the following composition:

• 2 kg of mushrooms (fresh);
• dill inflorescences (umbrellas) - 5 pcs;
• table salt - 5 tbsp;
• sunflower oil;
• allspice pea - 10 peas;
• 1 horseradish leaf (if small two);
• 10 garlic cloves.

Pre-boil 2 liters of water, preparing the basis for the brine. Once the water comes to a boil, add salt, sunflower oil and peppercorns. In a prepared for pickling dishes placed selected and washed mushrooms, laying in advance at the bottom of a pot or barrel 1-2 umbrellas of dill and 2-3 cloves of garlic, which should be cut into strips. All the ingredients are placed in layers, alternating mushrooms with garlic, dill and horseradish leaves.

Pickling can also be done in another way: the mushrooms are mixed in a separate bowl with the plants and in this state pour the cooled brine. Next, the pot with pickle should be covered with plastic wrap and bandaged as tightly as possible, trying to prevent air from getting into the pot. Keep pickles in the basement. This product is good for eating after 20 days of salting.

Recipes for tinctures made on the basis of raw and dried mushrooms

It is desirable not to miss the appearance of the first chanterelles in June. Herbalists say that they are especially effective in the treatment and prevention of parasites.

Ingredients for the tincture:

• Diluted alcohol or strong vodka;
• Freshly picked chanterelles.

Alcohol is considered a better product for tinctures, but still in this recipe, herbalists advise to dilute the substance one to one with boiled and chilled water. If there is no alcohol, you can use good quality vodka or strong moonshine as an ingredient (provided that it was prepared without chemicals that enhance the fermentation process).

Selected mushrooms are chopped as finely as possible, put in a jar, but not too compacted. Prepared vodka or alcohol is poured mushrooms, trying to cover the cut with a reserve. If the infusion, mushrooms, absorbing some of the alcohol, will be above the level of alcohol infusion, you need to add more vodka for complete coverage. Insist the tincture for 21 days, after which it is consumed 2 times a day, in the morning and evening hours.

If the tincture is made from dried chanterelles, you will need the following composition of ingredients:

• powdered mushrooms - 3 tsp;
• vodka - 200 ml.

Ingredients are mixed in a glass container and insist for 14 days, after which the substance is consumed on an empty stomach, 1 tsp. per day.

In both cases, the course of treatment with alcoholic tinctures is 2 months without a break. During the treatment, the patient usually determines the period when he feels better on his own. For prevention, a treatment course of 1 month of 1 tsp per day is enough.