Wild mushrooms may be delicious but caution is key, says BC CDC

Fall foraging time is here and many mushroom hunters will be heading to their favourite forest spots.

The BC Centre for Disease Control is warning people to be careful about the mushrooms they pick and eat. While most mistakes will only result in discomfort, poisonings from mushrooms can vary widely in severity.

“That can range from mildly poisonous that causes passing gastrointestinal distress to some truly deadly mushrooms that have the potential to destroy the liver, kidney and other organs and cause death,” says Paul Kroeger, a mycologist with the Vancouver Mycological Society.

The BC Drug and Information Centre sees a spike in calls about foraged mushrooms during autumn months.

“That can range from mildly poisonous that causes passing gastrointestinal distress to some truly deadly mushrooms that have the potential to destroy the liver, kidney and other organs and cause death,” says Paul Kroeger, a mycologist with the Vancouver Mycological Society.

The death cap mushroom is one of highest concern in BC. Death caps aren’t native to the province. They’re thought to have been brought in on the roots of imported hardwood trees.

Kroeger says they’ve only been found in urban areas so far but, because the fungus lies dormant for up to 50 years before emerging, it could be lurking in other areas as well.

“It has been mistaken by people for puffballs. When they first develop, they look like an egg. They grow out of the ground as an enclosed egg-like structure called a mushroom button and people have mistaken them for the edible puffball.”

To be safe, don’t pick puffballs that you find growing at the base or trees in developed areas. Kroeger advises sticking with varieties that are easy to identify and have no poisonous lookalikes. Chanterelles, pine and porcini mushrooms are all good candidates.

Many people who pick death caps by mistake are Asian immigrants, Kroeger says, because the mature death cap looks like the paddy straw mushroom, which isn’t found here but is a common edible mushroom in parts of Asia.

Unlike other poisonous mushrooms, symptoms from the death cap are usually delayed by 10-12 hours, followed by an apparent recovery.

“If you have a late onset of severe gastrointestinal distress, that would be a time to look for treatment and it’s very good if people can obtain samples of the mushrooms that they ate for identification.”

Moderation is also key. While frying up a whole pan of fresh mushrooms may sound delicious, Kroeger says even overindulging in edible shrooms can result in discomfort.