Which of These Mushrooms Could Kill You?

There are tens of thousands of mushroom species out there, and some of them could kill you. Today we’re going to test how well you can separate the perfectly safe from the perilously poisonous, and dive into the chemistry behind what makes seemingly identical species so different.

Credits:
Producer: Elaine Seward
Writer: Samantha Jones, Ph.D.
Scientific Consultants: Leila Duman, PhD Brianne Raccor, PhD, Jianping Xu, PhD Kathie Hodge, PhD

Executive Producer: George Zaidan
Executive Producer: Hilary Hudson

Sources:

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[swayeverything]

So Mario wasn't really growing larger. He was just high AF

[SteelSagas]

1) All fungi are edible.
2) Some fungi are only edible once.

-Terry Pratchett.

[samhaines]

great video, wish it was longer! part 2? (would including cubensis or paneolus & their lookalikes violate terms of use? or cross ethical boundaries?)

[Ice_Karma]

I recognized them all except the ink cap, but I knew the shaggy mane, so I still got that one right.

[jinkiesjess]

Holy cow, I actually got them all right! There was one where I thought maybe they were both toxic, but I thought "if I had to choose one that's edible..." and it turned out to be right.
I'm not a big mushroom eater but I love taking pictures of them when I go for walks. haha

[LeRoiJojo]

Knew the morell (quite popular with mushroom enthusiasts here in Quebec), and the fly agaric. And you want no wild guesses with mushrooms.

[Curly]

Both the Morel and the Verpa can give the Morel Syndrome (as every mushroom in the morella family). But from my expirience its more likely to get it when you eat large amounts, undercooked or not entirely fresh mushrooms. Because of the many crevisces of these Mushrooms its hard too see if theres mold forming on the cap. i always get ~10% moldy caps when im foraging for them and often its hard to see it.

[imnotputtinginmyname]

I'm a recreational mushroom forager, and I knew every mushroom in that video, even the ones I haven't seen in the wild before (matsutake, verpa, death cap). They picked a bunch of easily-identifiable mushrooms. The ones that scare me at the LBMs - little brown mushrooms. I can't tell them apart at all. Some are delicious, some will kill you. I avoid them all.

[NotHPotter]

Aha! Finally found it! My daughter has suddenly taken an interest in foraging, and I knew I'd seen something recently related. Thank you, Reactions!

[mgarcia]

Sadly, death caps kill dogs all the time. Dog owners need to be extremely vigilant and aware of what is constantly growing in their yards, because just one poisonous mushroom can kill a 50 lb. dog within hours! You need to search your yard every day because they pop up very quickly. You may not see anything now, but when you check later, there they are. Some look like typical mushrooms (amanita), but others are hard to see in the dirt because they are brown, like potatoes (earthballs), and light purple inside. You need to remove the complete root so they don't grow back, so don't just pull them up and forget about them.

[gearhead]

I knew the fly agaric, morel, and the brain looking one. I've actually found one and debated picking it thinking it may be a misshapen morel, good thing I didn't! I didn't know about that other one that looks almost IDENTICAL to the morel, that's scary. I thought I would recognize the death cap(destroying angel)but I missed it, usually the pics are of taller, whiter ones with a flatter canopy. Oops! Guess I'm dead.

[Dwightstjohn-foki]

Vancouver, BC's fall show is all about mushrooms, in the land of mushrooms. Every one of a couple of hundred varieties are collected in BC and show up at the show, poisonous or not. The lawn grounds of the Squamish Hospital has one group of the largest Amanita I've ever seen. At least you're close to the hospital.

[kinliss]

No reference of magic mushrooms though. :(

[grbadalamenti]

I always wanted to take a micology course, a lot of people in rural areas in Eastern Europe and Russia die because it is common to go out and pick mushrooms based on oral knowledge passed on by friends or relatives. Without any professional supervision, they simply cook, eat and hope not to die.

[TheWildHaggis]

Two things have kept me from going horizontal. One, a grandma who took me mushroom hunting when I was a child. Second, know which mushrooms only grow in your neck of the woods. Then, don't share you favourite spots with others as there's more for you.

[MiguelAPerez]

I was only able to identify the matsutake and the very last amanita. I guess I had a nice soup and a trip. Then I died because I missed all the others.

[bridgetwatson]

I'm on my mom's account, and I want to be a mycologist. I recognized the amanita mascara.

[sirdefibrillator]

Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) is not that toxic as represented. Eating one cap at most will increase salivation and give some relaxation. Eating 3-5 caps will induce delirious trip. Death may occur after eating about 15 caps. But be aware number of consumed caps is not definite for described effects. Effects may vary depending on cap size, region, season and weather conditions they grew. There is also Amanita Pantherina which depending on grew conditions may be very similar to Fly Agaric, but it contains more Ibotenic acid and Muscimol. Fried in butter Fly Agaric is very delicious btw.

[badushasiraj]

I got them all correct by picking the more phallical looking one 😂

[whoamiwhoami]

This video only assured me to keep avoiding mushrooms that i encounter in the forest and may never be able to try them