Medical experts warn Australians not to eat mushrooms growing from their lawn as poisonous fungi abound
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With the recent rains, there has been an explosion in the growth of wild mushrooms. While some of these mushrooms may look safe to eat, they can actually be quite poisonous.
In fact, there have been a number of cases of people being hospitalised after consuming them.
One of the cases reported was a mother and daughter duo from South Australia who unsuspectingly consumed the mushrooms they found from their own veggie patch.
Mum Alice Both said that she grows her own mushrooms in her own backyard, admitting that she found it hard to distinguish which ones are wild mushrooms and which ones are safe to eat.
The mum claimed that when she and her daughter consumed the mushrooms, they initially thought that they "tasted fine".
However, she did not expect that she and her child would be hospitalised after consuming them.
Alice recalled: "It was a really awful experience, but the horror for me was if something had happened to my children.”
A number of recent hospitalisations have been linked to consuming poisonous mushrooms. Credit: 7NEWS.
Recent cases of mushroom poisoning in South Australia and Victoria show the hazards posed by consuming wild mushrooms.
In South Australia, 24 people have been poisoned by wild mushrooms this year, nine of them hospitalised, including three children under five, while in Victoria, 60 people have called the poison information centre about mushroom-related problems since April, with some referrals to the hospital.
Health authorities are urging people to exercise caution when picking mushrooms and to only eat those that have been properly identified as safe. If you're unsure about a mushroom, it's best to err on the side of caution and not eat it.
GP Dr David Simon advised parents to check the mushrooms they are harvesting from their lawns.
He said: “We’re asking parents to watch out for mushrooms in their lawns and composts and in their gardens and when they’re out walking.”
“And to watch what children are putting in their mouths.”
“If you consume a large amount and don’t seek medical treatment early on it can be fatal, unfortunately.”
Some of the symptoms consumers can experience upon eating these mushrooms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, which can take up to 24 hours to develop.
Alice Both and her daughter mistakenly consumed wild mushrooms that grew in their veggie patch. Credit: 7NEWS.
Dr Teresa Lebel of Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium said that consumers should "not wait" when they eat a suspicious piece of mushroom.
She quipped: “Call the poison centre, go to the emergency services right away.”
The experts note that poisonous and edible mushrooms are difficult to distinguish, emphasising that you should stick to the varieties sold in stores to avoid getting poisoned by them.
So, for those of you who are fond of foraging or deliberately growing mushrooms in your yard, please keep safe and double check your harvest before consuming them and watch out for cross contamination. We also recommend checking out this video for more information on mushroom foraging:
Credit: YouTube/FAT LAND SEA
We would like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this?
In fact, there have been a number of cases of people being hospitalised after consuming them.
One of the cases reported was a mother and daughter duo from South Australia who unsuspectingly consumed the mushrooms they found from their own veggie patch.
Mum Alice Both said that she grows her own mushrooms in her own backyard, admitting that she found it hard to distinguish which ones are wild mushrooms and which ones are safe to eat.
The mum claimed that when she and her daughter consumed the mushrooms, they initially thought that they "tasted fine".
However, she did not expect that she and her child would be hospitalised after consuming them.
Alice recalled: "It was a really awful experience, but the horror for me was if something had happened to my children.”
A number of recent hospitalisations have been linked to consuming poisonous mushrooms. Credit: 7NEWS.
Recent cases of mushroom poisoning in South Australia and Victoria show the hazards posed by consuming wild mushrooms.
In South Australia, 24 people have been poisoned by wild mushrooms this year, nine of them hospitalised, including three children under five, while in Victoria, 60 people have called the poison information centre about mushroom-related problems since April, with some referrals to the hospital.
Health authorities are urging people to exercise caution when picking mushrooms and to only eat those that have been properly identified as safe. If you're unsure about a mushroom, it's best to err on the side of caution and not eat it.
GP Dr David Simon advised parents to check the mushrooms they are harvesting from their lawns.
He said: “We’re asking parents to watch out for mushrooms in their lawns and composts and in their gardens and when they’re out walking.”
“And to watch what children are putting in their mouths.”
“If you consume a large amount and don’t seek medical treatment early on it can be fatal, unfortunately.”
Some of the symptoms consumers can experience upon eating these mushrooms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, which can take up to 24 hours to develop.
Alice Both and her daughter mistakenly consumed wild mushrooms that grew in their veggie patch. Credit: 7NEWS.
Dr Teresa Lebel of Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium said that consumers should "not wait" when they eat a suspicious piece of mushroom.
She quipped: “Call the poison centre, go to the emergency services right away.”
The experts note that poisonous and edible mushrooms are difficult to distinguish, emphasising that you should stick to the varieties sold in stores to avoid getting poisoned by them.
So, for those of you who are fond of foraging or deliberately growing mushrooms in your yard, please keep safe and double check your harvest before consuming them and watch out for cross contamination. We also recommend checking out this video for more information on mushroom foraging:
Credit: YouTube/FAT LAND SEA
We would like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this?
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