Poisonous mushrooms of Northeast India: Toxicity, health risks and ethnobotanical insights

Abstract

Mushroom poisoning poses a significant threat due to the human consumption of wild, poisonous mushrooms endowed with harmful toxins. The ethnic communities in Northeast India frequently encounter adverse effects from consuming poisonous mushrooms, often due to a lack of taxonomic expertise. Many wild mushroom species, such as Agaricus xanthodermus, Amanita phalloides, A. virosa, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Gyromitra infula, Inocybe geophylla, and Russula nobilis, are recorded from the region, which are poisonous for human consumption. These mushrooms contain toxic compounds that cause cytotoxic, myotoxic, metabolic, neurotoxic, gastrointestinal disorders, and other adverse reactions. Hence, the poisonous mushrooms of the region should be scientifically explored to identify and distinguish them from the edible ones. This review documents the reported poisonous mushroom species of Northeast India and provides insight into the occurrence of cases of mushroom poisoning in the region.