Golovach is a tasty and healthy mushroom. Giant puffball (giant bighead, giant Langermania)

Bighead mushrooms are found in many areas Russian Federation. The most common mushroom is the giant bighead mushroom, which can be eaten. The giant bighead is often used in medicinal purposes in folk medicine. No less common is the round golovach mushroom, known almost everywhere under many popular names.

Family: Puffballs (Lycoperdaceae)

Synonyms: bighead oblong.

The mushroom looks like a very large pearl puffball. It is capitate in shape, it resembles a mace or a skittle, its height can reach 20 cm, the diameter of the head is 10 cm. The leg is long, thick, cylindrical, and can either thicken or thin towards the base. The outer shell of this bighead is spiny, white in youth, then with a brownish tint. Like other raincoats, the pulp is at a young age white, the old mushroom has an olive-brown color. Top part When ripe, it cracks almost completely and falls off. Spore powder is brown.

Head mushroom in traditional and folk medicine

In folk medicine, mushrooms are used as an anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent. For this, either thinly sliced ​​plates of young fruiting bodies or mature spore powder (like powder) are used.

Rules for collection and procurement for medicinal purposes. Collect young, white-on-cut fruiting bodies, or dry spore mass from fully ripe mushrooms. The golovach mushroom is used in traditional and folk medicine for various diseases.

A predominantly forest species, it inhabits light forests of any type or meadows overgrown with young forests, young plantings, edges, clearings, forest roadsides, singly and in large groups, sometimes in clumps. Rarely found in meadows. Distributed throughout Russia, except Far North. Fruits from July to early October.

Young fruiting bodies can be confused with pearl puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), which is significantly smaller in size, has a shorter stalk, has a tubercle at the top when young, and opens with an upper central hole when ripe.

Pharmacological and medical properties

It has bactericidal, antioxidant and anticancer properties.

Baggy golovach mushroom and its photo

Family: Puffballs (Lycoperdaceae).

Synonyms: baggy bighead, bubble-shaped bighead, round bighead.

The description of the golovach mushroom has the following: the shape of the fruiting body is broadly ovoid, pear-shaped, sac-shaped. Dimensions up to 20 cm high and 25 cm across. At the base there is a kind of folded leg. Young baggy bighead is distinguished by a pure white spiny shell and white elastic flesh. With age, the shell turns yellow, then turns brown and cracks. The pulp acquires a yellow-green tint, then becomes dark brown. The upper part of the mushroom disintegrates, and pulp with ripened spores falls out, which is carried by the wind like tumbleweed. After this, all that remains of the fruiting body is a goblet-shaped base, torn at the edges into 10-12 wide, outward-turned blades, very stable, withstanding any bad weather, becoming shiny.

Common on the edges of light deciduous and mixed forests, in meadows, pastures, in gardens, grows on the soil, usually solitary, not often. Throughout Russia, except for the Far North, it bears fruit from May to early October.

Similar species, if you look at the bighead in the photo, are not found in typical middle zone forests Taking into account appearance has no resemblance to other mushrooms.

Pharmacological and medical properties. The bactericidal effect of the methanol extract on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Mycobacterium smegmatis), as well as antifungal activity (Candida albicans, Rhodotorula rubra and Kluyveromyces marxianus) . Antioxidant properties have been confirmed for bighead.

A number of studies have also established its anticancer activity. Thus, the substance calvacin (an antibiotic) was found in golovach, which has a pronounced oncostatic effect, inhibiting the development of leukemia and other oncological diseases. Another peptide from bighead, similar to the protein ubiquitin, inhibits breast cancer cell culture.

Biochemical studies have shown that this bighead is a natural hyperbioaccumulator of zinc and copper.

In folk medicine, mushrooms are used as an anti-inflammatory and hemostatic agent. For this, either thinly sliced ​​plates of young fruiting bodies or mature spore powder (like powder) are used. In addition, extracts are used for sore throat and hoarse voice.

Collect young, white-on-cut fruiting bodies or dry spore mass from fully ripe mushrooms.

Edible when young, does not require prior boiling. Frying, broths, mushroom powder.

Taxonomy:

• Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
• Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
• Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
• Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
• Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
• Family: Agaricaceae (Champignonaceae)
• Genus: Calvatia (Calvation)
• View: Calvatia gigantea (Giant loggerhead)

Other names for the mushroom:

Other names:

• The raincoat is gigantic;

• Langermania gigantea;

• Bovista gigantea;

• Langermannia gigantea;

• Lycoperdon giganteum.

Giant golovach is a species of mushroom from the genus of the Champignon family.

Langermania (bighead) giant (Calvatia gigantea) - the body of the mushroom fruit has the shape of a ball or egg, flattened, the size in diameter sometimes reaches 50 cm, at the base there is a thick root-like mycelial strand. The exoperidium is papery, very thin, and quickly cracks into irregular pieces and disappears. The shell is thick and brittle, breaks into pieces irregular shape and falls away, revealing the cotton-like inner pulp (gleba).

The pulp (gleba) is initially white, then yellow-green, and when fully ripe it becomes olive-brown. The color of the fruiting body on the outside is initially white, then gradually turns brown with time of ripening.

Disputes are the most valuable medicine. They exhibit a high antitumor effect. The medicine calvacin was made from the mushroom, the properties of which were tested on animals with cancer and sarcoma. This drug is active against 13 types of tumors studied out of 24. It is also used in folk medicine to treat smallpox, laryngitis, urticaria, and has an anesthetic property similar to chloroform.

Distribution - the mushroom can be found almost everywhere, but most often in temperate zone. It occurs alone, but once it appears in one place, it may disappear completely or not appear for a very long time. This type is called “meteor”. On the territory of Russia it was found in the European part, in Karelia, in Far East, in Siberia in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Also in the North Caucasus. Grows in mixed and deciduous forests, meadows, fields, pastures, and steppes one at a time.

Edibility - the mushroom is edible at a young age, while the flesh is elastic, dense and white.

Video about the giant golovach mushroom:

Fans of mushroom picking know many names for this amazing representative of the mushroom family. The giant golovach is famous for its incredible size, therefore in mycology it is often known as the giant puffball or giant langermania. Thanks to the unusual “rounded cap” in the shape of a head, which the fruiting body of the mushroom has, mushroom pickers often call these representatives flora very much in tune with bigheads. Indeed, in nature, the shape of these mushrooms is very similar to a head. Another name for these mushrooms is “raincoat”, which appeared due to the fact that most often these gigantic mushrooms appear in wooded areas after long and heavy rains.

Characteristics of the giant bighead

The giant mushroom is considered edible; it belongs to the champignon mushroom family. In nature, gigantic raincoats can grow to incredible sizes. The diameter of a large bighead can reach up to 35 centimeters in width, while the weight of the mushroom can vary within 10 kg. There are cases when mushroom pickers managed to find a gigantic mushroom even weighing up to 25 kg.

At first glance, the bighead resembles a giant champignon mushroom, but in reality the giant puffball has neither a mushroom cap nor a thick stem. It only has a giant spherical fruiting body. At the bottom of this rounded head grows a thin stalk, which is a thread-like formation or hypha of the fungus. During its growth, the gigantic bighead forms a fungal root or mycorrhiza, and intertwines with the roots of nearby growing trees. The top of the mushroom cap is covered with thin white skin. When it begins to ripen, over time its fruiting body acquires a brownish, yellow and even green tint.

It is generally accepted that yellow, green or brown bighead is unsuitable for food. You should not collect this mushroom in a basket and eat it. It is best to eat young fruits of bighead mushrooms, which have white fruits. It is at this time that the raincoat has the most delicious and snow-white core. The inside of the mushroom pulp is very similar to cotton wool. Young bighead mushrooms have a special characteristic smell, and among mushroom pickers, giant puffballs are famous for their unique taste. Mushroom lovers and chefs note that golovaki acquire a special and unique taste when frying in a frying pan. However, it is worth remembering that you need to try this delicacy within 24 hours after the mushrooms have been harvested. After 24 hours, the giant mushroom becomes unfit for consumption.

Poisonous false puffball

Also, those who like to pick mushrooms should not be confused giant bighead with its poisonous relative - the false puffball. This inedible mushroom It looks very much like a giant raincoat, but it is very dangerous to health. These two mushrooms can be distinguished by some external signs, for example, the fruits of the false puffball have a darker color inside and outside than those of the real bighead.

It’s not for nothing that bighead mushrooms got their nickname, because they are the undisputed heavyweight champions in the kingdom edible mushrooms. When you first meet them in the forest, mushroom pickers will not immediately understand that the real fruiting body of a giant bighead is growing in front of them. Giant puffballs cannot be found in the same area several times; they can appear in a specific area and then disappear for a long period. Scientists call varieties of such “nomadic mushrooms” meteoric mushrooms.

Golovachs can be called solitary mushrooms, since, unlike their relatives, they do not grow in groups. Giant puffball grows best in soil rich in moisture, nitrogen and other nutrients. That is why bigheads can often be found in places with high humidity. As a rule, they grow on the edges of mixed and deciduous forests, in damp lowlands of meadows and fields, wet ravines and steppes. Mushrooms grow after heavy rains; they can be found from the onset of June until the beginning of October.

Useful properties of a giant raincoat

The fruits of mushrooms are endowed with a very useful substance called calvacin. This miraculous substance has many health benefits, which is why it is often used in home medicine to treat kidney problems, leukemia-related problems, and tumor formation. Pharmaceutical companies are also using the medicinal properties of the mushroom to create medications. Medicinal preparations for the treatment of tuberculosis, diabetes and asthma are created from puffball spores. The giant mushroom is also part of the vaccine that treats the flu. This mushroom is able to cleanse the body of toxins and radionuclides; its spores help heal wounds. Medicinal properties giant raincoat can help patients with smallpox, laryngitis and overcome the development of urticaria.

Cooking giant bighead

The gigantic raincoat mushroom will perfectly decorate the table of any housewife and add a touch of sophistication to the menu. The mushroom can truly be called a delicacy, endowed with a special taste and aroma. It is best to eat the fruits of bighead mushrooms at a young age, while the mushroom pulp retains its white color and elastic, porous core. These mushrooms will perfectly diversify the menu of any gourmet, because their fruits can be fried and even dried using drying.

To prepare the mushroom, remove the shell and cut the flesh into small layers. Pieces of mushrooms are well fried in breading, this gives them a special sophistication of taste. Just dip the chopped mushroom in batter or breadcrumbs, after which it needs to be fried on both sides in oil.

At the same time, culinary specialists do not advise experimenting and boiling the fruits of the giant bighead in water. After cooking, this mushroom absorbs a lot of moisture and becomes very unpleasant in taste. However, this giant mushroom variety lends itself very well to drying. After this, the raincoat can very easily be used in other culinary recipes and add to different dishes.

Video: giant bighead (Calvatia gigantea)

Golovach mushroom, its synonyms: giant golovach, giant Langermania, giant puffball - a conditionally edible mushroom of the Champignon family, genus of mushrooms - Golovach.

Appearance

The body of the mushroom fruit is ovoid or spherical, slightly flattened. The diameter is up to 50 centimeters; at the base of the ball there is a thick root-like mycelial cord. The exoperiodium is similar to paper, very thin in thickness, and instantly cracks and disappears. The mushroom has a brittle and thick shell, with minimal impact it breaks into different pieces and the inner pulp (gleba) opens.

The flesh of a young mushroom is white, then gradually acquires a yellow-green color, and when the glebe is fully ripe, it acquires an olive-brown color. On the outside, the young mushroom is also white at first, and then, during the ripening period, gradually turns brown.

The spore powder of the bighead has incredible medicinal properties and antitumor actions. Calvacin is produced from golovach, a medicine whose properties have been tested on patients with sarcoma and cancer.

This dosage form helps to cope with 13 types of tumors out of 24 known. Mycelium powder is also actively used in medicine as a treatment for urticaria, laryngitis and smallpox, and has an anesthetic property similar to chloroform.

Location

Golovach can be found most often in the temperate zone. It grows one at a time, but once it appears in one place it can disappear for a long time. The Golovach mushroom is often called “meteor”. In Russia, you can often find this type of mushroom in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Siberia, the Far East, and Karelia.

Grows in deciduous and mixed forests, steppes, pastures, fields and meadows. " Silent hunt“Mushroom picking begins in July and ends with the arrival of the first frosts.

Maximum yield is observed at the end of August. The mushroom is edible only when young, while its glebe is white, dense and elastic.

Kinds

Today, there are three varieties of Golovachs:

1. Langermania (giant bighead mushroom) - with a spherical or ovoid body shape and large size. The maximum recorded weight of this variety is 10 kilograms. The flesh of the mushroom is white and dense. The leg is practically absent or very inconspicuous.
2. Baggy (round) - one individual can be found in gardens, meadows, forest edges, clearings, coniferous and deciduous forests. Entire families are very rare. The diameter can reach 15 centimeters. The body is slightly flattened, slightly narrowing towards the base. The body shell is white, fragile and thick, with a slight warty covering. Adults are covered with a shell yellow color, later – brown. After full ripening, a gap is observed in the upper part of the body, from which pulp of various sizes falls out with spores, which are subsequently carried by the wind.
3. Oblong mushroom - can be found both singly and in families in different parts forests. Most common in pine forests. The hat reaches a size of 18 centimeters and has the shape of an inverted pear. Uneven small spikes are observed on the surface of the cap. The color of the surface changes gradually from white to dark brown (when fully ripe). The pulp has a pleasant smell, elastic, juicy, soft and tender. Old individuals have black flesh.

Application in medicine

The capitol puffball mushroom is actively used for medicinal purposes. In recipes traditional medicine used as an anti-inflammatory agent and to stop traumatic bleeding. In order for the mushroom to exert its effect, it is cut into plates and applied to the desired location, or the affected area is sprinkled with mycelium powder.

Extracts and infusions based on mushroom pulp are used to treat coughs and diseases of the upper respiratory tract.

This product can be used to treat hives and smallpox, as it has an incredibly powerful anesthetic effect.

Traditional medicine actively uses the bactericidal properties of the extract, which affect different types of fungi and bacteria. Golovachs have antitumor and antioxidant properties. At correct use help fight breast cancer, leukemia and other cancers.

For use with medicinal intentions, either individuals with mature mycelium or young individuals are used.

You need to be extremely careful with old Golovachs, since during the maturation period a large amount of toxins accumulate in their body, which can provoke complex and serious poisoning.

Symptoms of poisoning do not appear immediately, but only on the second day, which is very dangerous, since during this period the toxins already manage to destroy the structure of the liver and kidneys, and in most cases, even doctors are unable to prevent death.

Use in cooking

Giant puffball is a category IV edible mushroom. In cooking, only young specimens with pure white flesh are used, which has beneficial properties and contains a large number of. IN chemical composition Langermania gianta contains vital and vitamins. It is prohibited to use mature specimens for culinary purposes, as they contain a high concentration of toxins. It is also not recommended to store young mushrooms for a long time, as they begin to acquire poisonous properties.

Many chefs note the exquisite and unusual taste of mushrooms. After proper preparation, it tastes like or. How to cook? Since the pulp contains a large amount of moisture, it needs to be cooked in a minimal amount.

Fried giant puffball – how to cook? You need to take a young Golovach, wash it thoroughly, clean it of debris and peel. Cut the peeled pulp into even small cubes or plates. Place in a preheated frying pan with a small amount and fry on high fire. During the frying period, a large amount of moisture will be released from the mushrooms; you need to fry until the water has completely evaporated. The onions are sautéed in the second frying pan. Fried mushrooms need to be mixed with onions, add spices and. Reduce heat, add, simmer for another five to six minutes. Serve hot with fresh vegetable salad.

Mushroom schnitzel. To prepare, you need to take 1 kilogram of mushrooms, 1 liter of fresh mushrooms, 150 grams of flour, 2 spices, salt and 1 liter of vegetable oil. To prepare, cut the mushrooms into slices (like schnitzel), add salt, add all the spices and leave to steep for half an hour. During this time, you need to prepare the batter: beat the eggs with a whisk, add flour and milk, and add salt. The consistency of the batter should be like sour cream. Place the frying pan on the fire. Roll the schnitzels in batter and place on a hot plate. sunflower oil frying pan Fry the schnitzel until crust forms on both sides. Schnitzels are served as a side dish or as an independent dish.

Soup from Golovachey. Detailed recipe: for cooking you will need 5-6 medium mushrooms. You also need to take 3, 1, 1 medium onion. Fry on vegetable oil. Add spices to taste. Take a 3 liter saucepan. Pour 1.5 liters into it clean water and put on fire. As soon as the water boils, you need to throw peeled and thoroughly washed mushrooms into it. They need to be cooked for 20 minutes. During cooking, foam will form that needs to be skimmed off. To the resulting broth you need to add potatoes cut into cubes, carrots and onions fried in oil, spices and salt to taste. The soup is ready when the potatoes are completely soft. When serving, add herbs and sour cream to taste.

Growing

Golovachs are unpretentious for growing. In order to obtain mycelium, you need to collect mature old mushrooms. The spores need to be dispersed throughout the area. At the same time, you need to remember that mushrooms love moisture and you need to water the area regularly. The first Golovachs will appear in six months.

To plant, you need to use another method: soak the ripe caps in water for a day, then stir thoroughly, and pour the resulting liquid into the soil.

If you want to surprise your loved ones, try cooking this forest miracle. Believe me, they will appreciate both the delicate taste and incredible appearance.

Golovach oblong is a mushroom of the Champignon family, genus Golovach.

The Latin name of the mushroom is Calvatia excipuliformis.

It is also called marsupial bighead, elongated puffball, and elongated bighead. This is an edible mushroom.

Elongated bighead - large sizes a mushroom that looks like healthy white clubs. Such mushrooms are noticeable on the forest floor and certainly attract attention.

Description of the oblong bighead

The fruiting body of the oblong bullhead is large, shaped like a club, and in more rare cases similar to a skittle. The long leg ends in a hemispherical apex. The height of the oblong bighead varies between 7-15 centimeters, and when favorable conditions fruiting bodies can reach large sizes. The thickness of the thick part reaches 7 centimeters, and the thin part is 2-4 centimeters.

The color of young fruiting bodies is tobacco brown. The elongated golovach is unevenly studded with spines of various sizes.

The pulp at a young age is elastic, white, but with age, like raincoats, it becomes flabby, turns yellow, and then turns into powder Brown. The upper part of mature bigheads is almost completely destroyed, and spores are released, while the pseudopod can still stand long time. Brown spore powder.

Distribution and fruiting season of oblong bigheads

Elongated bigheads are found singly or in groups. They grow in forests different types, on the edges and clearings. These mushrooms bear fruit from mid-summer to the second half of autumn.

Edibility of oblong bigheads

As long as the young fruiting bodies have elastic and white flesh, they are quite edible. They can be eaten as puffballs and puffballs. Before cooking, the hard exoperidium is removed.

Similar species

The large size and characteristic shape of oblong bigheads prevents them from being confused with other mushrooms. But the short-legged specimens look like large spiny raincoats. However, a significant difference is noticeable between mature specimens - life path these mushrooms end differently. The spores of the spiny raincoat come from a hole in the upper part, and the oblong bighead, so to speak, “loses its head.”

Related species

Pear-shaped raincoat – conditionally edible mushroom. The shape of the fruiting body is pear-shaped with a pronounced “pseudopod”, which is often hidden in the substrate, which is why the mushroom appears round. The diameter of the fruiting body ranges from 3 to 7 centimeters, and the height reaches 2-4 centimeters. The color of young pear-shaped raincoats is light, almost white, but with age it becomes dirty brown. The surface of the mushroom is spiny, but as it matures it becomes smooth. The mushroom is covered with a thick skin that is easily removed, like the shell of a boiled egg. The pulp has a pleasant mushroom taste and smell.

Pear-shaped puffballs are common in deciduous and coniferous forests. They grow in mossy, rotten woody remains. Fruit densely numerous groups. Fruiting time is from July to the end of September. These mushrooms can be eaten until their flesh darkens.

The golovach is sac-shaped, or round or bladder-shaped - an edible mushroom. The diameter of the fruiting body is 10-20 centimeters, its shape is round, flattened at the top and narrowed at the bottom. The color of young specimens is white, then becomes gray-brown, cracks, warts and tubercles appear. Mature specimens rupture at the top and spores emerge from there.

Sac-shaped bigheads are common in clearings, forest edges, pastures, and meadows. They grow solitarily and are rare. They bear fruit from May to September, with a peak in mid-July. By taste qualities these mushrooms belong to the 4th category.