FLORA FAUNA AND FUNGA

Busting Mushroom Myths And Misconceptions

Part I

Before we dive deep into the mycoverse and start learning about mushrooms that we have encountered in Sikkim, there are a few myths and misconceptions about mushrooms that we would like to shed light upon.

1. All mushrooms are poisonous/mushrooms are poisonous

Most people we meet during our forays seem to think mushrooms are all poisonous which is not true. In fact, among the mushrooms that we have studied so far only around 2 percent are poisonous when ingested/eaten. An interesting thing to note is that there are only around 4-5% mushrooms which we are edible. While these small percentages indicate that most mushrooms are not poisonous, wild mushrooms should still be approached with extreme caution and you should never eat any mushroom unless you are a 1000 percent sure.

As a joke, many mushroom enthusiasts say that all mushrooms are edible and many you can only eat once. Please take this very seriously when you are picking and trying to eat wild mushrooms. NEVER EVER TRY TO EAT A MUSHROOM THAT IS UNKNOWN TO YOU.

2. Mushrooms are unsafe to touch!  

One of the most common misconceptions about fungi are that they are not to be touched or they are not safe/poisonous to the touch. This is not true at all. So far there is only one known mushroom that can cause a rapid inflammation and irritation when touched. You can pick and touch almost all mushrooms you encounter in the wild. Picking or touching mushrooms is safe but eating them is not and especially not raw. Some people may have an allergic reaction to high exposure to spores of a mushroom, however that is something that will rarely happen unless done deliberately.

You must be careful when you are out there in the forests about what you touch and it is always a best practice to wash your hands properly after handling any wild mushrooms.

3. Brightly coloured mushrooms are poisonous/safe

The fruiting body of fungi, also known as mushrooms, express themselves in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. Since mushrooms are the reproductive organs of fungi and their purpose is to make sure spores are spread far and wide, mushrooms like to stand out. The mushrooms want to be found!!

So, their colours have nothing to do with toxicity or edibility, there are plenty of mushrooms that are brightly coloured which are edible and plenty that are toxic.

In Sikkim, several species of mushroom from the family Russula are eaten. This family of mushrooms has many distinct features one of which are a myriad of colours including red, yellow, purple, black, green, white, and brown. While this family has several edible species, there are also plenty that are inedible and some that are toxic as well. We believe that some of the cases of mushroom poisoning occur in the state because of wrongful identification of some members of this family of mushrooms.

As we continue our journey into the magical kingdom of fungi which it seems so far has been ignored mostly even by science, we will learn that mushrooms are mysterious and magical beings which possess a form of biological intelligence that has been detrimental to the sustenance of life on earth itself. The sheer scale of their impact on life on our planet makes it seem like it is okay to say that Fungi are the true rulers here.