Poisonous and Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of India

Mushroom Poisoning: A Case Series With a Literature Review of Cases in the Indian Subcontinent

Mushroom is a fungus widely used as an edible in various parts of the world, especially in hilly regions with damp climates. Nevertheless, when picked from the wild to use as a vegetable, it has proved fatal for people ingesting it due to a lack of knowledge for distinguishing between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms by the people of the local community. Three cases presented as emergencies from a single household comprising a 13-year-old girl and both her grandparents following the ingestion of mushrooms picked from a nearby forest area. Luckily the parents of the girl were out for work, so they survived and helped identify the mushroom. Most cases are not reported or documented, and data are present mainly in the form of case reports.

Wild mushroom poisoning in north India: case series with review of literature

Mushroom is an important constituent of diet in many ethnic tribes in India. Ethnic Indian tribes are known to consume nearly 283 species of wild mushrooms out of 2000 species recorded world over. Although they are experts in distinguishing the poisonous from edible mushrooms, yet occasional cases of toxicity are reported due to accidental consumption of poisonous mushrooms. We report amanita like toxicity in a family after consumption of wild mushrooms resulting in fatal outcome.