Description of scaly tinder fungus
Scaly tinder fungus, or Cerioporus squamosus, is a representative of the Polyporov family and belongs to conditionally edible mushrooms. He settles on live and weakened trees and stumps. Its fruit bodies can be found in deciduous forests and city parks.
Description of scaly tinder fungus
Description of the mushroom
Large scale tinder fungus. Its cap grows up to 40 cm in diameter, in rare cases - up to 60 cm.At the beginning of growth, its shape is kidney-shaped, then it turns into a prostrate. It is massive, thick, sometimes with indentation at the base. Its leathery surface is covered with brown, darkish scales, which are arranged in the form of symmetrical circles. The edge of the cap of a young mushroom is soft, easily crumbles, in old mushrooms, on the contrary, it is hard. All edges are fan-shaped, rather thin.
The leg is thick, located on the side. Its base is always dark in color. The pulp is white, soft. The length of the leg reaches 10 cm, and the width is 4 cm. The hymenophore is tubular, light or yellowish.
This species grows mainly on trees, not far from the ground, sometimes it is found on logs and stumps. Moreover, a single fruiting body can be seen extremely rarely, usually these mushrooms grow in whole colonies, the caps of individual specimens are tiled overlapping each other.
Related species of mushroom
Scaly tinder fungus is popularly called hare, motley, elm, motley tinder fungus. It is characterized by related species:
- Polypore real: has popular names - deciduous, larch sponge, blood sponge. The fruiting bodies of the species are inedible, previously they were actively used for medical purposes, as a hemostatic agent. Modern scientists have found that tinder fungi are able to remove toxins, restore the liver, and heal lungs (cough, oncology, pneumonia, tuberculosis). The hymenophore is tubular.
- Tinder fungus sulfur-yellow: outwardly similar to polyurethane foam, on top of its fruit body is covered with a matte yellow skin. The surface of the cap is uneven. In young mushrooms, the edges of the cap are thick oval, and in adults, they are thin wavy. The hymenophore is tubular. Fruit bodies are annual. Young can be eaten, they have a sour taste. Medicine appreciates this type of tinder fungus for the presence of antibiotics in its pulp, which can suppress the development of resistant forms of staphylococcus. Approximately 70% of the fruiting body consists of resinous substances that have a positive effect on the respiratory system, liver and bile ducts, according to Japanese fungo-therapists.
- Lacquered polypores, or reishi: this species is inedible and has high antioxidant properties. The question of the expediency of using it in medicine is still being discussed by doctors, but in oriental medicine it has already found wide application.
Beneficial features
Scaly tinder fungus has a lot of useful properties. According to the description, it has antiseptic, hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects.It is often used for diet planning, restoring a healthy metabolism, and treating functional disorders of the body.
Elm tree helps to remove toxins and radionuclides from the body, strengthens immunity and increases the body's resistance to bacteria and viruses, accelerates the breakdown of fats and prevents the accumulation of adipose tissue around organs. Elm trees have also been noted for their ability to stabilize blood sugar levels, which is useful during dieting to prevent hunger breakouts. Traditional healers on its basis make ointments and powders to combat fungal diseases of the nails.
Contraindications
Scaly tinder fungus in the composition of food and various drugs is contraindicated in women during pregnancy and lactation, as well as in people with urolithiasis or suffering from individual intolerance to the components of the fungus.
The use of drugs based on this fungus leads to the appearance of an allergic reaction. It is expressed in a rash on the skin. People prone to allergies should consult a doctor before using drugs that contain tinder fungus extract.
The fungus can cause allergies
Improperly processed and cooked mushrooms cause bouts of nausea and vomiting, as well as severe dizziness.
Scaly tinder fungus should not be eaten during diarrhea: it has a laxative effect.
Application
Due to the large number of useful properties, this representative of the Polyporovye family has found application both in cooking and in medicine.
Cooking use
Scaly tinder fungus is conditionally edible, belonging to the 4th food category. This means that it must be prepared before eating. First, it is soaked in water for at least 6 hours to soften, and then boiled for half an hour. During soaking, the water must be changed every hour.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Despite the fact that the fruiting bodies of the scaly tinder fungus are annuals, only the young are eaten, the old are already becoming very tough. To please the family with a delicious polyporus dish, after collecting it, you need to soak it as soon as possible, otherwise it will become rusty. Although it is often written that this mushroom is soaked for 6 hours - this is the minimum, it is best to soak the polyporus for a day with a regular change of water every hour to remove its characteristic compounds. After soaking, the skin is removed from its surface and the hard legs are necessarily cut off. When boiling, for every 500 g of mushroom, take 3 liters of water.
The mushroom is suitable for all types of homemade preparations and perfectly complements any dish. Scaly tinder fungus can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator, it does not lose its taste for a long period of time.
In medicine
In official (traditional) medicine, on the basis of this mushroom, preparations are made for the recovery of patients after severe poisoning and the removal of toxic substances and toxins from the body. Scaly tinder fungus medications can neutralize light poisons and heavy compounds like mercury and poisonous gases like sarin.
In folk medicine, scaly tinder fungus is used to treat fungus. For a long time, there have been medicinal recipes for the manufacture of dry extracts and ointments that help relieve inflammation and fight the growth of fungal formations under the nails and on the surface of the skin. Even a simple regular use of this mushroom in food allows you to manifest to some extent its healing qualities.
Growing
This species can be grown in a substrate of sawdust, shavings and tree bark. The substrate is pre-poured with boiling water, then allowed to cool to room temperature. Squeeze well and place the resulting mixture in a plastic bag, adding the mycelium.An incision is made and left in a room with a high humidity content (70-80%) and a temperature of + 20 ° C. The first harvest will appear on the 30-40th day.
Hemp and bars can act as a substrate. Incisions are made in them. A saw or other hand tool is suitable for this. Then the mycelium is placed there. The substrate must contain a sufficient amount of moisture, so it is pre-soaked in water for several days.
Conclusion
Scaly tinder fungus is an excellent mushroom with a lot of useful properties that have led to its widespread use in medicine and cooking. It is great for all kinds of workpieces. The benefits of its use are preserved even after a long period of storage in the refrigerator. The main thing is not to forget to properly process the elm tree before cooking and remember the contraindications.
