Ohio foragers are accidentally poisoning themselves with lethal mushrooms

For some, a "bad trip" from mushrooms means a metaphorical journey to a dark corner of the mind, conjuring chilling images and intense distress. But for many, a bad trip is profoundly real—a journey to an emergency room as deadly toxins circulate in the body, killing liver tissue and threatening life.

That is the terrifying experience of those who decide to forage for wild mushrooms in the US without expertise in mycology. They likely do not realize that there are several lethal varieties of mushrooms in the country, which are surprisingly common, look almost indistinguishable from safe, edible mushrooms, and, in some cases, taste good. The deadly toxins don't kick in until hours later.

These fatal fungi are found throughout the US but are in peak bloom in Ohio right now, where doctors are warning against mushroom foraging after a rash of poisonings. Late last month, Cincinnati Children's Hospital put out a warning that they had received several patients who were poisoned by eating wild mushrooms foraged in the southwest area of the state. "You should never eat wild mushrooms," the hospital wrote in a tweet. It went on to advise anyone with symptoms after eating a wild mushroom to immediately contact the area poison control center.

Meanwhile, doctors to the north in Cleveland also reported an uptick in mushroom poisonings and sent their own warnings against eating any foraged fungi. "The bottom line is it's a very, very dangerous proposition for anyone—especially between the dates of Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 in Northeast Ohio. That's when these things tend to grow," Pierre Gholam, a liver specialist at University Hospitals and professor at Case Western Reserve University, told Cleveland.com this week. "It's really playing Russian roulette with your health."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/10/ohio-foragers-are-accidentally-poisoning-themselves-with-lethal-mushrooms/