Due to weather conditions, the season of mushroom picking started earlier this year. But be careful: picking up mushrooms requires a little vigilance because, as the Directorate General for Health (DGS) points out, in a press release“since 1er July 2021, 330 cases of poisoning have already been reported to poison control centres, including 3 of high severity that could be life-threatening, and 3 deaths have already been recorded.
En 2020, more than 1,300 cases of poisoning were reported to poison control centers between July 1 and December 31 (2,000 cases in 2019) and 5 people died. “These poisonings took place mainly in October (56% of cases), when the weather conditions favored the growth of mushrooms and their picking. emphasizes ANSES.
The majority of poisonings were linked to picked mushrooms, but in 4.5% of cases, they had been purchased at a market or in a shop. If people were most often poisoned during a meal, 3% of cases followed ingestion, by a child or an adult with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease or intellectual disability, of ‘a piece of inedible mushroom found in the garden or school yard.
1. Collect only the mushrooms you know perfectly well
Some highly poisonous mushrooms are very similar to edible species. Beware: Poisonous mushrooms can grow where you picked edible mushrooms another year. And separate the harvested mushrooms well by species to avoid mixing pieces of poisonous mushrooms with edible mushrooms.
2. Do not cut the stems of your mushrooms
Pick only specimens in good condition and take the entire mushroom: stem and cap, to allow identification.
3. Never put them in a plastic bag
Place the mushrooms by separating the species, in a crate, cardboard or basket, but never in a plastic bag which accelerates rotting.
4. Do not hesitate to have your picking identified
If in doubt about the condition or identification of one of the mushrooms harvested, do not eat the harvest before having it checked by a specialist in the field. Pharmacists or mycology associations and societies in your area can be consulted. A useful reflex: photograph your picking before cooking by separating the species! The photos will be useful to the toxicologist of the Poison Control Center in the event of poisoning, to decide on the appropriate treatment.
Do not consume mushrooms identified solely through a smartphone mushroom recognition app, due to the high risk of error. Last year, a few cases of confusion with an edible species were linked to the use of a digital mushroom recognition application.
5. Consume them as quickly as possible
Store the mushrooms avoiding any contact with other foods in the refrigerator (max 4°C) and consume them within two days of picking. Caution: consume the mushrooms in reasonable quantities after sufficient cooking (20 to 30 minutes in the pan or 15 minutes in boiling water) and do not eat them raw. Finally, never feed the mushrooms you have picked to young children.
What to do in case of poisoning with mushrooms?
Not all mushrooms you pick are edible. There are about a hundred poisonous species in Europe. Main responsible for 95% of fatal accidents: the famous Amanita phalloides. But other mushrooms are to be avoided: the fly agaric, the viral amanita, the boletus satan, among others.
Poisoning is usually manifested by nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. In the event of such symptoms, call the nearest poison control center immediately. Lay the sick person on their side and give them nothing to drink: no water, milk or alcoholic beverages. If possible, put aside the remains of the meal, the peelings (or failing that, the vomit) in order to identify the person responsible for the poisoning and to facilitate treatment.
>> Namely: IThe time to onset of symptoms is variable, most often a few hours after consumption, but it can be longer and exceed 12 hours. The condition of the intoxicated person can worsen rapidly.
Poison control center numbers:
- ANGERS : 02 41 48 21 21
- BORDEAUX : 05 56 96 40 80
- LILLE : 08 00 59 59 59
- LYONS : 04 72 11 69 11
- MARSEILLES : 04 91 75 25 25
- NANCY : 03 83 22 50 50
- PARIS : 01 40 05 48 48
- TOULOUSE : 05 61 77 74 47
>> In case of vital distress: loss of consciousness, respiratory distress, etc., call 15, 112 or 114 (SMS for the deaf and hard of hearing).
Read also :
- Seniors: mushrooms good for memory
- Slimming: what if we dared to have mushrooms for breakfast?
- Shiitake, the mushroom champion
