John Miller
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that has been consumed by humans since prehistory. While many mushrooms are healthy and delicious, some are toxic and can cause poisoning. Mushroom poisoning can range from mild symptoms such as gastrointestinal upset to severe manifestations like organ failure and death. It is important to accurately identify mushrooms before consumption, as some poisonous mushrooms may look similar to edible ones. There are no standard identifiers for poisonous mushrooms, and cooking or other preparation methods do not always eliminate toxins. To stay safe, it is recommended to only consume mushrooms purchased from reputable sources and to seek expert advice if you are unsure about a mushroom's safety.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of toxic mushroom species | 100 out of 6000+ species |
| Toxicity | Ingestion of toxic mushrooms can lead to symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to organ failure and death |
| Toxicity in children | Over half of the 6000 ingestion cases in the US are in children under six years |
| Toxicity due to misidentification | Many cases of mushroom poisoning are due to the misidentification of poisonous mushrooms as edible |
| Toxicity due to preparation | Cooking, peeling, drying, or soaking a toxic mushroom does not make it edible |
| Toxicity due to similarity | Toxic mushrooms may look similar to edible mushrooms |
| Toxicity due to location | Toxic mushrooms can grow anywhere, including your garden |
| Toxicity due to fungi type | Milkcaps, Amanitas, Jack O'Lanterns, False Morels, Death Caps, Death Angels, and Deadly Webcaps are some toxic mushroom types |
| Toxicity due to taste | Poisonous mushrooms may taste good |
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What You'll Learn
- Toxic mushrooms can cause anything from mild gastric upset to organ failure and death
- There is no home test to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms
- True morels are edible, but false morels are toxic
- Some toxic mushrooms resemble edible species in colour and morphology
- There are about 6000 mushroom ingestion cases annually in the US, with over half in children under six
Toxic mushrooms can cause anything from mild gastric upset to organ failure and death
Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and like any other fungus, some mushrooms are toxic. Toxic mushrooms can cause anything from mild gastric upset to organ failure and death. While some mushrooms are edible, they need to be handled and cooked properly to prevent illness. Poisonous mushrooms contain a variety of different toxins that can differ in toxicity. Amatoxin is the most common toxin that causes severe poisoning and is found in various mushroom species, including the death cap (A. phalloides). Other lethal mushrooms include the three destroying angels (A. virosa, A. bisporigera, and A. ocreata) and the fool's mushroom (A. verna).
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to organ failure resulting in death. The most common consequence of mushroom poisoning is gastrointestinal upset, causing vomiting and diarrhea. However, serious symptoms do not always occur immediately after eating, and sometimes it takes days or weeks for the toxin to attack the kidney or liver. In some cases, symptoms may not appear until 6-12 hours after ingestion, making it difficult to identify the cause of the poisoning. Therefore, it is crucial to seek urgent medical attention if you suspect mushroom poisoning.
Mushroom toxins can have specific and deadly effects on the body. For example, orellanine toxin causes kidney failure, with symptoms typically appearing around 11 days after ingestion. Muscarine toxin stimulates the nerves and muscles, leading to sweating, salivation, tears, blurred vision, palpitations, and respiratory failure in high doses. Coprine, found in Coprinus mushrooms, interferes with how the body processes alcohol, causing an unpleasant illness. Gyromitra species carry a carcinogen that can build up in the body over time.
It is important to note that simply touching or handling toxic mushrooms will not make you sick; ingestion is required for poisoning to occur. However, leaving a poisonous mushroom against the skin for many hours may allow some toxin absorption. To prevent mushroom poisoning, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the mushrooms you intend to collect and their toxic look-alikes. Proper identification of mushrooms is crucial, as even experienced mushroom gatherers can misidentify toxic mushrooms as edible ones due to their close resemblance.
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There is no home test to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms
While there are some ways to help identify mushrooms, such as learning which family the fungus belongs to, there is no certain method to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms. For example, the edible members of the Agaric family have pink to brown/black gills, a white cap, and usually a stout stem with a skirt. However, there are toxic members of this family that look very similar. While bruising the cap of an Agaric mushroom and identifying whether it stains bright chrome yellow (indicating it is probably poisonous) or pale yellow, pink, or red (suggesting it is likely edible) can be a helpful test, it is not foolproof.
Another example is the Bolete family, which includes the Boletus, Suillus, and Leccinum species. These mushrooms can be identified by their sponge-like pores and generally stout stems. To determine edibility, two checks can be performed: firstly, if there is any red on the mushroom, including the cap, stem, or pores, it is treated as poisonous. Secondly, if the flesh of the mushroom stains blue when cut in half vertically, it is also considered poisonous.
Additionally, spore prints can be used to distinguish certain types of mushrooms. For instance, the green-spored parasol mushroom, which is toxic, has a spore print that is either green or grey, whereas the edible shaggy parasol produces a cream spore print.
It is worth noting that simply touching or handling toxic mushrooms is typically not harmful, as toxins are not absorbed through the skin. Poisoning occurs only when the mushrooms are ingested. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately identify mushrooms before consumption to avoid potential health risks associated with mushroom toxicity, which can range from gastrointestinal upset to severe manifestations such as liver failure, kidney failure, and neurological issues.
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True morels are edible, but false morels are toxic
Mushrooms have been consumed by humans since prehistory, but mushroom toxicity has also been known for millennia. Mushroom poisoning may result from misidentification of a poisonous species as edible, and symptoms can range from gastrointestinal upset to more severe manifestations such as liver failure, kidney failure, and neurological issues. While picking up and looking at a poisonous mushroom will not cause toxin absorption through the skin, ingestion can lead to poisoning. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately identify mushrooms before consumption.
True morels, belonging to the genus Morchella, are edible and highly regarded mushrooms. They typically fruit in early spring among hardwood trees and are sought-after by gourmet cooks. These mushrooms have a distinct appearance, with a pitted, honeycomb-like cap and a smooth, hollow stem. True morels can be distinguished from other mushroom species by their unique characteristics.
False morels, on the other hand, are members of the Pezizales group but represent unrelated taxa within the families Morchellaceae, Discinaceae, and Helvellaceae. They are called false morels due to their resemblance to true morels, but they can be toxic. False morels, particularly the Gyromitra species, contain a highly toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemical called gyromitrin, which affects the central nervous system. Gyromitrin is hydrolyzed into monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and can cause severe symptoms, including nausea, convulsions, coma, and even death.
It is important to distinguish between true morels and false morels before consumption. False morels, such as Gyromitra esculenta, can be identified by their reddish-brown, chestnut, purplish-brown, or dark brown caps. Their caps appear wavy, folded, and cerebral, distinct from the pitted texture of true morels. Additionally, false morels have a solid stem, unlike the hollow stem of true morels. While some people claim to eat false morels without ill effects, others have reported severe gastrointestinal issues, loss of muscular coordination, and even long-term health risks associated with their consumption.
In conclusion, true morels are edible and prized in culinary applications, while false morels are toxic and should be avoided. Proper identification of these mushrooms is crucial to ensure safe consumption and prevent adverse health effects.
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Some toxic mushrooms resemble edible species in colour and morphology
The vast majority of mushrooms are non-toxic, with only around 1-2% of species containing poisonous toxins. However, it is critical to be able to distinguish between edible and toxic mushrooms, as consuming the wrong variety can have fatal consequences. Unfortunately, there is no standard identifier for poisonous mushrooms, and no 'home test' to distinguish between edible and poisonous varieties. The only way to tell whether a wild mushroom is safe to eat is to have it identified by a mushroom expert (mycologist).
Some toxic mushrooms closely resemble edible species in colour and morphology. For example, the Jack O'Lantern mushroom, which causes severe gastrointestinal distress, looks similar to the edible Chanterelle. While the Chanterelle has folds, the Jack O'Lantern has true gills that end abruptly at the same spot along the stem, whereas the folds of the Chanterelle run along the stem, ending unevenly at various points.
Another example is the False Morel, which is toxic, and resembles the edible Yellow Morel (Morchella americana). The cap of the False Morel appears wavy and crumpled, whereas the true morel's cap is pitted. The stem of the False Morel is also nearly solid, while the Yellow Morel has a smooth, hollow stem.
Amanita virosa, or the Death Angel, is another toxic mushroom that resembles the edible Chanterelle. Just one small piece of a Death Angel mushroom is enough to be fatal, causing severe stomach pains and poisoning of the liver and kidneys.
It is also important to note that many toxic mushrooms grow in people's gardens, and young children have a natural inclination to put things in their mouths, so it is important to regularly check your garden for mushrooms and remove them to reduce the risk of accidental poisoning.
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There are about 6000 mushroom ingestion cases annually in the US, with over half in children under six
Mushrooms are fungi that have been consumed by humans since prehistory. However, not all mushrooms are edible, and consuming toxic mushrooms can lead to serious health issues, and even death. There are about 100 toxic mushroom species out of the vast number of mushroom species. Toxic mushrooms can cause poisoning and toxicity, which can lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhoea. In severe cases, mushroom poisoning can lead to liver failure, kidney failure, and neurological issues. The symptoms and severity of poisoning depend on the species, toxins, and amount ingested.
Mushroom ingestion can be intentional or unintentional. Intentional ingestion may be for hallucinogenic purposes or because the forager has misidentified a poisonous mushroom as edible. Unintentional ingestion often occurs in children under six, who may not know better than to put things in their mouths. According to the CDC, there were an estimated 1,328 emergency department visits and 100 hospitalizations due to accidental poisonous mushroom ingestion in 2016. From 2016 to 2018, 8.6% of patients who sought care for poisonous mushroom ingestion experienced a serious adverse outcome, with a higher rate among Medicaid-insured patients.
To avoid mushroom poisoning, it is important to properly identify mushrooms before consuming them. Some ways to identify edible mushrooms include learning the characteristics of different mushroom families, such as the Agaric and Bolete families, and performing specific tests for certain types of mushrooms. For example, to identify a Bolete mushroom as edible, one must check for the absence of red on the cap, stem, or pores, and ensure that the flesh does not stain blue when cut in half vertically.
While touching or handling toxic mushrooms is not harmful, ingesting even a small amount can be toxic and potentially fatal. Therefore, it is crucial to seek expert identification before consuming any wild mushrooms and to be cautious when foraging for mushrooms as a recreational activity.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no standard identifier for poisonous mushrooms, and there is no home test to determine whether a mushroom is toxic. The only way to tell whether a mushroom is safe to eat is to have it identified by a mushroom expert. If you are unsure, do not eat it.
Some toxic mushrooms include the Jack O'Lantern, the False Morel, the Death Cap, the Death Angel, and the Deadly Webcap.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to organ failure and death. Serious symptoms do not always occur immediately after eating, and can sometimes take days or weeks to manifest. If you suspect that you have eaten a poisonous mushroom, seek medical attention immediately.
If you are not an expert, do not pick and consume wild mushrooms. If you have pets or children, carefully remove and discard any wild mushrooms that you find.
Touching or handling toxic mushrooms will not make you sick, they must be ingested. However, it is possible that some toxins may be absorbed through the skin if the mushroom is left in contact with the skin for many hours.
