By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Three members of a Kaohsiung family became ill after eating unidentified wild mushrooms on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 20, with one person admitted to hospital for observation, according to the city’s health authorities.
The mushrooms were reportedly picked outdoors by a friend and given to the family, who cooked them for dinner. All three later experienced diarrhea, dizziness, headaches and vomiting and sought emergency treatment, the China Times reported. The hospital notified the Kaohsiung City Government Health Bureau (高雄市政府衛生局) on Friday, Aug. 21.
The bureau’s initial assessment was that the family may have eaten green-spored parasol mushrooms (綠褶菇, Chlorophyllum molybdites), a toxic species found in grassland and other low-elevation areas across Taiwan. The available reports did not provide laboratory confirmation of the mushrooms’ identity.
According to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration, the mushroom’s gills are white when young and gradually turn yellow-green as it matures. Its appearance can be confused with edible species, making identification based on color, shape, or online photographs unsafe.
Symptoms of green-spored parasol poisoning typically appear within one to three hours and can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool and dehydration, the agency says.
Health authorities advised residents not to collect, eat or give away unidentified wild mushrooms. Anyone who becomes ill after eating one should seek medical attention promptly and retain any leftover mushroom or food so health officials and medical staff can attempt to identify it.
Sources: China Times; Ministry of Health and Welfare
