Shiitake must be eaten cooked. And not just back in the wok, truly cooked through. Otherwise, they can cause a toxic dermatitis “in flagellum”, has reminded ANSES in a press release.
Every year, between 11 and 15 shiitake poisonings are recorded by French poison control centres. They are not poisonous and not deadly, but however, they contain a toxin that can cause a skin condition called flagellar dermatitis. “Described for the first time in Japan in 1977, its pathophysiological mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The agent in question is lentin, a heat-labile substance (therefore destroyed by cooking) present in the mushroom and its mechanism of action would be of the toxic and non-allergic type”, deciphers the Agency.
Itching for up to 3 weeks
When the mushroom is not cooked enough, its consumption may reveal red lines that are very itchy, lasting up to three weeks. “This appears in the hours or days following the consumption of raw or undercooked Shiitake, and covers the whole body, face and scalp included”, specifies ANSES. Poisoning could depend on several factors, the patient’s sensitivity to the toxin, on the one hand, and the amount of mushrooms ingested on the other hand.
This is not the first time that the Agency has questioned shiitake. Already in 2015, a notice had to be applied to the sale of this mushroom, specifying how it should be cooked.
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