Raising awareness to curb mushroom poisoning

Rapa Quindlen

SALPAN – With more than 600 species of mushrooms in the country, gathering wild mushrooms is a popular activity, but it has also led to a rise in mushroom poisoning cases, if data is any indication.

In the past 30 years, Bhutan has recorded 26 deaths and 76 recoveries from mushroom poisoning.

The highest number of mushroom poisoning incidents was reported in 2019, with 16 cases, followed by 13 in 2009 and 12 in 2012.

Over 100 species of mushrooms are poisonous, many of which are still undiscovered.

According to the National Mushroom Centre (NMC), despite numerous awareness campaigns, mushroom poisoning incidents continue.

While people have been gathering mushrooms for generations, mushroom experts warn that some wild mushrooms that resemble well-known edible species can be highly poisonous and pose serious health risks if consumed.

The NMC project director said that because the field of mushrooms is vast, people’s understanding of mushrooms is still deepening. “Even a lifelong fungi researcher can be poisoned if they are not careful. So it is not surprising that ordinary foragers with limited knowledge of mushrooms often get poisoned,” he said.

Misidentification of mushrooms often stems from a lack of knowledge or from misleading similarities between poisonous and edible mushrooms.

Sabitra Pradhan, senior mushroom officer at NMC, said such incidents often happen among people settling in new areas. “Migrants may mistakenly eat a similar-looking mushroom, which is poisonous,” she explained.

Other contributing factors include carelessness or overconfidence on the part of foragers and lack of awareness at the community level.

While mushrooms are growing in popularity, limited research budgets have hampered research and public awareness of mushroom diversity.

Experts advise foragers not to eat unknown mushrooms, as accurate identification usually requires microscopic examination or DNA analysis.

Some mushroom poisonings take a while to develop symptoms, leading to delayed treatment and potential organ damage. In some cases, mushroom poisoning symptoms can be confused with more common illnesses such as food poisoning or other similar illnesses. These symptoms range from mild gastrointestinal upset to severe poisoning and, in some cases, death.