Foraging safely: wild mushrooms and plants

Between November 2025 and March 2026, the California Poison Control System received reports of 39 cases of suspected amatoxin poisoning in people who had eaten foraged wild mushrooms. CDC's report says 32 recovered, three needed liver transplants and four died, calling it the largest reported outbreak of mushroom-associated liver poisoning in California history and the largest in the U.S. in several decades. Many cases occurred in people who had previously foraged similar-looking mushrooms in other countries.

Why these mushrooms are so dangerous

• They look like food. Poisonous mushrooms often resemble mushrooms that are safe to eat (America's Poison Centers).
• Cooking doesn't help. Amatoxins are not destroyed by cooking or any other food preparation (CDC). Some poisonous mushrooms can even poison you through their cooking fumes (National Capital Poison Center).
• Symptoms are delayed. The first phase, with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, often starts more than 6 hours after eating (CDC). That delay can make people think it's an ordinary stomach bug.
• They are deadly worldwide. Amatoxin-containing mushrooms account for more than 90% of mushroom poisoning deaths worldwide (CDC).

The rules

• Don't eat any wild mushroom unless you are 100% sure it's safe (America's Poison Centers).
• Have wild-picked mushrooms checked by a trained mycologist before eating; inexperienced foragers should not eat wild mushrooms at all (CDC, 2017).
• What you learned in one region or country is not reliable for identifying mushrooms somewhere else (National Capital Poison Center). That is exactly what happened in California.
• If someone may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, free and 24 hours a day.

Where you're allowed to forage

Rules vary by park and land manager. At Shenandoah National Park, for example, plants are protected by law, but small amounts of edible mushrooms may be collected for personal use. Check the rules for wherever you camp.

How Japan puts it

Japan's health ministry uses one rule for both wild plants and mushrooms: if you can't be certain something is edible, never pick it, eat it, sell it or give it away. Its most common plant mix-ups are daffodils mistaken for garlic chives, and autumn crocus mistaken for wild garlic (gyoja-ninniku) or hosta shoots; over the decade to 2025, autumn crocus caused 22 poisonings and 13 deaths. Among mushrooms, it warns that the poisonous tsukiyotake is mistaken for oyster and shiitake mushrooms.

Our suggestions

• Join a local mycological society's walks before foraging on your own.
• Never mix species in one basket; one poisonous mushroom can't be picked out later.
• Don't accept wild mushrooms or greens from others unless they were expertly identified.
• Keep any leftovers if someone gets sick; they help doctors identify the poison.