Photo/Illutration A “false parasol” poisonous mushroom (Provided by the Osaka Institute of Public Health)

Beware of poisonous mushrooms. 

That’s the call going out from a specialist organization as the mushroom picking season, a popular autumn activity, is about to start.

The organizations warns that people can feel quite ill if they pick the wrong type of fungi and eat it after making a meal at home.

Of particular concern are mushrooms that grow in parks and roadsides. Eating them can be fatal.

In June, a man in his 50s living in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture took a mushroom home that he picked in a park in the city.

About two hours after he ate it, the man experienced body pains and began to throw up. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance.

“I was admiring the mushroom at home, but then I ate it,” said the man after he was discharged from the hospital the following day.

The mushroom in question was probably a “false parasol.” It has a white, bun-like shape and grows in the grass in fields and parks. It is similar to the edible “parasol mushroom” and “big sheath mushroom.”

Food poisoning occurred in Osaka city in 2008, 2016 and 2019.

Chie Nomura, a senior researcher at Osaka Institute of Public Health, warns that “eating wild mushrooms is a big gamble”.

It is estimated that Japan has between 5,000 and 6,000 species of mushroom. But of these, only around 100 are considered to be edible and tasty.

The shape of mushrooms can vary, depending on the time of year and location. There is no foolproof way to distinguish which mushroom is edible and which is poisonous.

According to the health ministry, one person died earlier this year after eating wild mushrooms. A similar incident occurred last year.

Also, many types of mushroom poison have yet to be identified.

Nomura warns that “only a small percent of wild mushrooms are edible, and the rest are all dangerous. It’s high risk, low return.” 

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