A mother and daughter from South Australia are sending a message to home gardeners after they have been taken to hospital after eating a poisonous mushroom from their plant spot.
Alice Both said she thought the vegetable “tasted good” when she bit it off, but when she woke up the next morning from gastrointestinal-like symptoms, she decided to identify the fungus using the app on her phone.
Ms. Both first tried growing mushrooms in her barn after seeing a textbook online, but after an unsuccessful attempt turned them into compost for her plant site to improve the soil.
She was thrilled to see white buttons make their way through the soil and prepared them for her 12-year-old daughter.
They were both taken to the emergency department of Mount Barker Hospital before being taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital.
“I felt dizzy, I felt like I was fading away at that moment. I felt very bad, I had a fever, ”Ms. Both told The Advertiser.
This year alone, 19 children under the age of five have been poisoned by wild mushrooms in South Australia.
The safest way to make sure the mushrooms you eat aren’t deadly is to buy them at the supermarket or in greens, a SA Health spokeswoman said.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and can last up to three days.
However, some fungi, such as champignons, can cause fatal liver damage.
In Victoria, eight people were hospitalized from mushroom poisoning in 2020 and one died.
If you suspect that you or someone else has consumed a wild mushroom, contact the Poison Information Center at 13 11 26.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/mother-and-daughter-poisoned-by-backyard-mushroom-c-6822265
