Eating wild mushrooms can make you very sick or even kill you. There is no easy way to tell which wild mushrooms are poisonous.
Only eat mushrooms bought from a reliable supermarket, grocer or market.
If you think you or someone else has eaten a poisonous mushroom:
Mushrooms are the fruiting part of fungi. They usually grow above the ground in soil. There are lots of types of fungi in Australia. Some mushrooms of different types of fungi look very similar which makes it difficult to tell which ones are poisonous.
Some wild mushrooms have poisons that can make you sick if you eat them. This is called mushroom poisoning. One of the most dangerous types of mushrooms in NSW is the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides). Eating Death Cap mushrooms can kill you.
People often get mushroom poisoning because they mistake poisonous wild mushrooms for edible ones. For example, Death Cap mushrooms can look like Paddy Straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea).
Cooking, soaking, peeling or drying mushrooms does not remove the poison.
Common symptoms include:
Some mushrooms can cause liver or kidney failure and death.
You may get sick 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating the mushroom. The amount of time will depend on the type of mushroom, how much you ate and your general health.
Anyone can get mushroom poisoning.
Young children are at higher risk because they often put things in their mouths - including mushrooms they find in the garden or park.
Call the Poisons Information Centre immediately on 13 11 26 (available 24 hours, 7 days a week). Do not wait for symptoms.
If you can, take a photo or sample of the mushroom to help identify it.
In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000) or go to an Emergency Department.