Poisonous! Don't pick mushrooms in the wild

It is understood that the southwest and central China regions are the hardest hit areas for poisoning by poisonous mushrooms in my country, followed by the south and east regions, and the least in the north, northeast and northwest regions. According to the Yunnan Provincial Health Commission, there have been many cases of poisoning and death in Yunnan due to self-collected and self-eaten wild mushrooms by rural residents. So, what are poisonous mushrooms? How to identify them?

What are poisonous mushrooms? How can you identify them?

There are about 400 species of poisonous mushrooms in my country. Image source: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained that poisonous mushrooms, also known as poisonous mushrooms, refer to large fungi that cause poisoning symptoms after being eaten. There are about 400 species of poisonous mushrooms in my country, and more than 100 species in Guangdong. Poisoning incidents due to accidental ingestion of wild poisonous mushrooms occur from time to time every year, and the mortality rate of poisonous mushroom poisoning ranks first in the classification of pathogenic factors of foodborne disease outbreaks.

Amanita muscaria and Amanita phalloides are highly toxic. Image source: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Common types of highly poisonous mushrooms in Guangdong Province include the white amanita (deadly Amanita), the gray-spotted Amanita, the white variant of the yellow-capped Amanita, the sticky-capped mushroom, and the clustered agaric (clustered yellow toughness agaric).

The highly toxic Russula subsparsely gilled. Image source: Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The most serious poisonous mushroom species in Yunnan Province is Russula subsparsely girdle. According to experts from the Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in recent years, there have been many cases of poisoning and death due to the accidental ingestion of Russula subsparsely girdle every year in Yunnan Province, and the mortality rate of poisoning can be as high as over 70%. The main reason for the frequent poisoning incidents is that the fungus is very similar in appearance to other species of the Russula genus that are often eaten by ordinary people in many places, such as Russula sparsely girdle and Russula densely girdle, and it is difficult to distinguish them from their appearance. Therefore, the best way to prevent poisoning from Russula subsparsely girdle is to avoid eating this type of fungus!

Poisonous mushrooms are so powerful, how should ordinary people identify them? In this regard, experts from the Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention remind that some poisonous mushrooms in the wild are similar in appearance to edible mushrooms. Identification requires professional knowledge and the use of certain instruments and equipment. It is difficult to distinguish them only by the naked eye and based on appearance characteristics such as shape, smell, and color. It is very easy to eat them by mistake and cause poisoning. In addition, since they are in the wild, non-toxic mushrooms are often mixed with poisonous mushrooms, and non-toxic mushrooms are easily contaminated by the hyphae of poisonous mushrooms. Even some non-toxic mushroom species that grow on poisonous plants may be contaminated with toxicity. Therefore, even if you eat non-toxic varieties of mushrooms, there is still a risk of poisoning.

Experts suggest that people should avoid picking wild mushrooms during outings, as it is not easy to identify poisonous mushrooms. At the same time, people should be careful not to buy mushrooms from roadside vendors. Even if you buy wild mushrooms in the regular market, you should not let your guard down, especially if you have never eaten or do not recognize wild mushrooms. Do not listen to others and buy them easily.

To avoid poisoning, the key to family diet is not to eat wild mushrooms at will. Group dinners, catering services, folk tourism, etc. should try not to process and eat wild mushrooms to ensure food consumption safety.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention also reminds everyone that there is currently no simple, easy, fast and effective way to identify whether mushrooms are poisonous. Not blindly picking wild mushrooms is the key to preventing and controlling poisoning from poisonous mushrooms! You can buy artificially cultivated mushrooms for consumption. If you want to eat wild mushrooms, you can go to regular markets to buy familiar mushrooms to eat, or go to regular restaurants to eat.

How to save yourself after accidentally eating poisonous mushrooms. Image source: China Center for Disease Control and Prevention

What are the symptoms of eating poisonous mushrooms? How to save yourself after being poisoned?

What symptoms will occur if someone accidentally eats poisonous mushrooms? How can one save oneself after being poisoned? Guangdong disease control experts said that if one develops symptoms of acute gastroenteritis such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and blurred vision soon after cooking and eating wild mushrooms picked by oneself, one should highly suspect poisoning from poisonous mushrooms.

The first step is to induce vomiting as soon as possible while the victim is conscious. You can use your fingers to press the throat or use an instrument to press the tongue to induce vomiting. Try repeatedly to vomit out as much food as possible in the stomach to reduce the absorption of toxins.

The second step is that there is currently no specific antidote for poisonous mushroom poisoning, so you should go to a regular hospital for treatment immediately after poisoning. It is best to bring remaining mushroom samples with you to identify the type of mushroom, determine effective treatment measures and judge the prognosis. (Comprehensive information from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Yunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention)