After a spate of poisonings from the notorious "Death Cap" mushroom, California health officials are sounding the alarm: leave wild mushrooms in the forest and stick to those sold at grocery stores or farmers markets. Since mid-November 2025, at least 23 people across the state have fallen seriously ill after eating foraged mushrooms, and one person has died, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Poison Control System. The culprit in nearly all cases? Amanita phalloides, better known as the Death Cap.
Foraging for wild mushrooms has long had a romantic appeal—think of the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of finding a prized ingredient, and the promise of a truly local meal. But this year, that adventure has turned deadly. As reported by NPR and NBC News, clusters of poisonings have been reported in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas, with cases also emerging in northern counties like Humboldt. The risk, however, is statewide, say officials, and the message is clear: the woods are not your salad bar.
What makes the Death Cap so dangerous? For starters, it’s a master of disguise. According to Dr. Rais Vohra, Medical Director at the Fresno-Madera Division of the California Poison Control System, "These mushrooms don’t announce themselves as toxic the way that toxic plants might. They’re not brightly colored, [and] they don’t taste bad." In fact, the Death Cap looks like the kind of artisanal mushroom you might find paired with goat cheese on a food blog. It grows under oak and pine trees, smells pleasant, and tastes mild. But within hours of consumption—anywhere from 6 to 24, sometimes up to 12—the toxin amatoxin begins its deadly work.
Amatoxin is a potent chemical that attacks the liver and kidneys, causing rapid organ failure. As Dr. Vohra explains, "Cooking, boiling, or freezing them doesn’t make them safe to eat." The toxin can’t be destroyed by heat or cold. Once ingested, initial symptoms—nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea, and abdominal pain—often appear within the first day. But the danger doesn’t stop there. Even if symptoms improve, patients can develop life-threatening liver failure within days. As Dr. Craig Smollin, medical director for the California Poison Control System’s San Francisco division, told NBC News, "All of these patients were involved with independently foraging the mushrooms from the wild. They all developed symptoms within the first 24 hours."
The severity of this year’s outbreak has been striking. Of the 23 confirmed cases, patients ranged from as young as 1.5 years old to 56. One adult died, several required intensive care, and at least one person has already received a liver transplant, with another awaiting a donation. Dr. Smollin noted that some of the patients were part of cohorts who consumed the same batch of foraged mushrooms, with the largest group numbering about seven people.
Why the sudden spike in cases? Experts point to a combination of factors: a particularly prolific season for Death Caps, thanks to heavy rains, and the mushroom’s ongoing spread into new regions. Levon Durr, owner of Fungaia Farm near Eureka, told local media that Amanita phalloides has recently migrated north into southern Humboldt County. "There’s some really dangerous liver-toxic toxins in a few wild mushrooms that are now also growing in Humboldt County," Durr said. "We do have that mushroom up here now."
The Death Cap is an invasive species, originally from Europe, that arrived in California in the 1930s, likely hitching a ride with imported nursery trees. It grows in a symbiotic relationship with trees, especially oaks and pines, and its ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually gives it an evolutionary edge. Anne Pringle, a mycology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained, "If Eve can make more of herself, she doesn’t need Adam." This reproductive flexibility has helped the Death Cap establish itself across the West Coast, the Eastern Seaboard, and even parts of the South.
Identifying the Death Cap can be tricky, even for experienced foragers. John Conner, a handler at Fungaia Farm, advises looking for the distinctive volva—a white, cup-like sac at the base of the stem, often hidden in the soil. But as Durr warns, "To see this feature clearly, the mushroom must be completely dug out of the ground." And that’s not all: the Death Cap’s resemblance to edible mushrooms in the Amanita genus, commonly eaten in Central America, has led to tragic mistakes, particularly among foragers relying on knowledge from outside the U.S. Heather Hallen-Adams, toxicology chair of the North American Mycological Association, noted, "Death caps are not often found in that region, foragers might not realize the potential risk of lookalikes in California."
The explosion of interest in mushroom foraging over the past decade hasn’t helped. Social media, phone apps, and even AI-generated guidebooks have made information about wild mushrooms more accessible—but not necessarily more accurate. Pringle cautioned, "I have seen AI-generated guidebooks that are dangerous." Mike McCurdy, president of the Mycological Society of San Francisco, added, "Experienced mushroom collectors won’t pay any attention to [blanket warnings]," but he still recommends seeking expertise from local mycological societies and questioning the reliability of online sources.
Given these risks, California health officials have taken a hard line. In a December 10 advisory, Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s public health officer, warned, "Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season." The CDPH echoed this sentiment, urging residents to buy mushrooms only from trusted sources. As Dr. Vohra put it, "The best way to enjoy mushrooms, if you do want mushrooms in your diet, is to go get them from a grocery store or a farmer’s market where an authority has cultivated them safely."
For those determined to forage, experts strongly recommend taking a class or joining a guided event, such as those hosted by the Humboldt Bay Mycological Society. "Get to know mushrooms before you go out and forage, and definitely before you go out and eat," Durr advised. "Never eat a wild mushroom unless it’s been identified by an expert." And if you suspect you’ve eaten a wild mushroom and start to feel sick, don’t wait: call 911 or the California Poison Control System at 1-800-222-1222 immediately. Early intervention is critical, as there is no standard treatment for amatoxin poisoning, and experimental drugs like silibinin are hard to obtain.
While the allure of wild mushrooms is understandable, the risks this season are simply too high. For now, California’s woods are best enjoyed with your eyes—and your camera—rather than your fork.
