Mushroom Poisoning: Symptoms, Causes, and What to Do

When you eat a mushroom poisoning, a serious illness caused by consuming toxic wild mushrooms. Also known as mushroom toxicity, it’s not just a stomach bug—it can shut down your liver, damage your kidneys, or even kill you. Every year, people mistake poisonous mushrooms for safe ones—like the deadly death cap for a harmless button mushroom—and end up in the ER.

Not all toxic mushrooms act the same. Some, like the death cap, take 6 to 24 hours to show symptoms—by then, it’s often too late for simple fixes. Others, like the false morel, hit fast with vomiting and dizziness. Then there are mushrooms that mess with your nerves, like the psilocybin-containing species, which cause hallucinations but aren’t usually deadly. The real danger? You can’t tell by looks alone. A mushroom that looks safe might be packed with amatoxins—the same poison that kills liver cells.

If you or someone else eats a wild mushroom and feels off—even if it’s just mild nausea—don’t wait. Call poison control. Save the mushroom, even if it’s half-eaten or mushy. That’s your best shot at identifying what you’re dealing with. Doctors need to know the exact type to give the right treatment. Some cases need activated charcoal. Others need liver transplants. And some? They’re just lucky to get help in time.

You might think foraging is harmless—until you realize how many deadly look-alikes exist. The death cap mimics the edible Caesar’s mushroom. The destroying angel looks like a field mushroom. Even experienced foragers make mistakes. That’s why the safest rule is: if you didn’t buy it from a store or grow it yourself, don’t eat it. No exceptions.

Below, you’ll find real cases and science-backed advice on how to avoid mushroom poisoning, what to watch for after eating wild mushrooms, and which common myths could cost you your life. These aren’t theory pieces—they’re lessons from people who lived through it, and the doctors who saved them.