All family members have been released from the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. Of the 5,000 known species of mushrooms in the United States, only about 100 are poisonous. Symptoms usually begin from 6 to 24 hours after ingestion and may include violent abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, tachycardia, hypotension, and thirst. Early treatment should include forced emesis, gastric lavage, and administration of activated charcoal to prevent the toxin from being absorbed. While there is no specific treatment, supportive therapy is indicated and some studies have shown that large doses of penicillin may help.
Wild mushrooms are abundant in Northern California after a warm spring rain.
Mushroom hunting is especially popular among recent immigrants from the Asian-Pacific region. Before eating any wild mushrooms, an expert mycologist from the local area should be consulted for absolute identification. Many poisonous mushrooms closely resemble edible ones and there are no simple ways to distinguish them. There is risk in consuming wild-picked mushrooms available for sale at many farmers' markets. The most poisonous mushrooms.