Deadly Mushroom Survival

First aid guide

What to do if someone eats a wild mushroom

If you think someone has swallowed a wild mushroom, stay calm and make one phone call. Poison experts answer 24 hours a day and can tell you exactly what to do next. Calling early matters: with the most dangerous mushrooms, early treatment gives the best chance of removing the toxins before they spread.

Last reviewed 9 November 2026. Sources: America's Poison Centers, MedlinePlus, CDC, American Red Cross, North American Mycological Association, ASPCA. Links are at the end of this page.

Do this now

  1. Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. It connects you to your local poison center, and the call is free and confidential. Call even if the person feels fine.
  2. Call 911 instead if the person collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or cannot be woken.
  3. Do not wait for symptoms. Some poisonous mushrooms cause no symptoms for many hours.
  4. Do not make them vomit, and do not give anything to eat or drink unless the poison center tells you to.
  5. Save the mushroom. Put any leftover pieces in a paper bag or wax paper (not plastic) and keep them cool, for example in the refrigerator. Take photos of the cap, the stem and the underside, and note exactly where it was growing. Wash your hands afterward.
  6. Save any vomit in a clean container if you can. It may help experts work out what was eaten.
  7. Follow the advice you are given. If you are told to go to the emergency room, take the mushroom sample and the photos with you.

What to tell the operator

Have this ready if you can, but do not delay the call to find it all.

  • Who ate it: age, weight (for example 40 lb, or 18 kg) and any known health conditions
  • What was eaten: what the mushroom looked like and where it was growing
  • How much, and how long ago
  • Whether the person has vomited or has any symptoms
  • Any first aid already given
  • Where you are, and how far it is to a hospital

Symptoms to watch for

Symptoms depend on the mushroom. Stomach symptoms are common: stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Symptoms can start within hours or be delayed. With some of the most dangerous mushrooms they usually begin 6 to 24 hours after eating.

Feeling better does not mean the danger has passed. With these mushrooms, stomach symptoms can ease for a day or two while the liver and kidneys are still being damaged. This is why you call first, and do not wait to see how the person feels.

Children and pets

Children. Treat any suspected wild mushroom in a child as a call-now situation. Watch young children outdoors where wild mushrooms grow, because to a child a mushroom can look like food.

Pets. If you think a dog or cat has eaten a wild mushroom, call your vet or an emergency animal hospital right away, or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435. It is open 24 hours a day, and a consultation fee may apply. Do not wait for signs of illness, and do not make your pet vomit unless a vet or the poison center tells you to. Save a sample of the mushroom the same way as above.

What not to do

  • Do not wait for symptoms or for the person to start feeling better.
  • Do not make them vomit, by any method.
  • Do not use home remedies, such as trying to neutralize the poison with lemon juice or vinegar, or "cure-all" remedies.
  • Do not rely on cooking, boiling, freezing, drying, soaking or peeling. None of these makes a poisonous mushroom safe.
  • Do not rely on a guess to decide a mushroom is safe. Only a mushroom expert can say a wild mushroom is safe to eat.
  • Do not leave the sample behind: if you are sent to the hospital, take it and your photos with you.

This is not an identification guide

This page cannot tell you which mushrooms are safe, and only an expert can confirm that a wild mushroom is safe to eat. Poison centers work with mushroom experts (mycologists) to identify mushrooms after a poisoning, which is why the sample and photos matter. If you want to learn about wild mushrooms, learn from a local mycological expert or club, and do not eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it.

Outside the United States

This guide is written for the US. Elsewhere, call your local emergency number or your local poison centre. In Australia, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 (any time), or Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.

After the incident

The North American Mycological Association asks people to report mushroom poisonings to its Poison Case Registry, even if the only effect was an upset stomach.

Sources

General information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace advice from Poison Help, a doctor, a vet or emergency services. Follow advice from your local emergency authority. In an emergency, call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

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