Erowid Psilocybin Mushroom Vault : Wild Mushroom Identification Warning

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Wild Mushroom Identification Warning

There is NO way to identify a mushroom based solely on a photo or even a written description. Identifying mushrooms is a complex process and it's easy to make mistakes. There are many varieties of both edible and psychoactive mushrooms which have poisonous look-alikes. Even an expert can be fooled by the outward appearance of these deadly look-alikes.

Unless you can either explore with a mycologist or knowledgeable and seasoned mushroom hunter, or take the time to learn the careful process of mushroom identification yourself through reading books and preferably joining a mycological society...we would strongly recommend not eating mushrooms you pick yourself.

Learning to identify mushrooms isn't difficult in and of itself, but it takes training. Because the down-side of eating a poisonous mushroom is so great...one needs to be extraordinarily careful.

Last Modified - Fri, Mar 31, 2006

By Erowid

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