A healthy 52-year-old woman who ate wild mushrooms growing in a Canadian park nearly died from her error.
Within 12 hours, she was in an emergency room with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. After 36 hours, she was in intensive care and on a list for a liver transplant.
Mistaking toxic mushrooms for edible ones is common and sometimes deadly, researchers warn.
“Even for experienced foragers it can be difficult to tell what is poisonous and what is not,” said Dr. Corey Stein, from the department of medicine at the University of Toronto in Canada. “People who forage need to be aware of the dangers of eating wild mushrooms.”