Illness from Maitake

[Rondayvous]

I would never say it is always the case. God knows there are people that can't eat wheat, nuts, certain seeds etc ... But I wonder how many cases of people eating otherwise edible mushrooms might be eating old, rotten or contaminated mushrooms.

It reminds me of people that go fishing without an ice chest or a stringer. 90 degrees outside, catch a fish and throw it into a bucket where it sits for an hour or two. By the time they get it home rigor mortis has set in, the fish stink and taste awful, or worse.

Personally, if a knife doesn't cut effortlessly through a polypore I don't put it in my bag. One of my favorite mushrooms is the young white outer grown on a hemlock varnish cap. Cut just a bit too far and it is bitter, tough and nasty. Inedible when mature.

I wonder if "over-ripe" hens might be part of the issue some have?

[GCn15]

On 10/23/2020 at 7:17 PM, Rondayvous said:

I would never say it is always the case. God knows there are people that can't eat wheat, nuts, certain seeds etc ... But I wonder how many cases of people eating otherwise edible mushrooms might be eating old, rotten or contaminated mushrooms.

It reminds me of people that go fishing without an ice chest or a stringer. 90 degrees outside, catch a fish and throw it into a bucket where it sits for an hour or two. By the time they get it home rigor mortis has set in, the fish stink and taste awful, or worse.

Personally, if a knife doesn't cut effortlessly through a polypore I don't put it in my bag. One of my favorite mushrooms is the young white outer grown on a hemlock varnish cap. Cut just a bit too far and it is bitter, tough and nasty. Inedible when mature.

I wonder if "over-ripe" hens might be part of the issue some have?

I agree. I have been out on numerous forays and have seen people put past prime mushrooms in their baskets that I would never consider consuming. Even some of the harvest pictures I see online make me cringe. I understand people want their pay off after a day of foraging but some mushrooms are best left in the bush. Also, I have real life experience picking in areas of contamination and that can make you sick quick as well. (I learned the hard way) Near mines, large factories, roadways, paper mills etc. should be avoided.

[Jeff Falcone]

On 8/31/2018 at 11:17 AM, The Mushroom Whisperer said:

 

The following is not in reference specifically to Hens, but I think does pertain to the conversation.

In addition to a possible reaction to unknown compounds in the fungi, I've known people to have bad reactions to old mushrooms (possible bacteria issue).  The other thing that gets some people is the amount of fiber in the mushrooms...people go without eating much fiber, to suddenly eating a bunch in the form of the mushrooms.  Some are higher in fiber than others.  Just something additional to consider.

I personally would try them again after parboiling!

Two types of mushrooms have made me sick:  chanterelles and morels.  I over-indulged the chanterelles three days in a row, and I believe the morels were simply not cooked long enough.  My friend, the morel chef, a doctor who wrote a well known mushroom toxicology book, was sickened by the morels, too.

I think this is dead on. I've read that the most common way folks get sick from mushrooms is from bacteria growing on spoiled mushrooms

[Norri252]

On 11/12/2020 at 4:41 PM, Jeff Falcone said:

I think this is dead on. I've read that the most common way folks get sick from mushrooms is from bacteria growing on spoiled mushrooms

I belive so myself but there is one mushroom I know of that I had a really bad digestive reaction to, lions mane. Every time I consume it for neurological benefit even in small amounts in a capsule I'm bloated for a while, push my luck and I'm not eating too much for a while. I wold only pick a wild mushroom to eat is it looks already clean as a mushroom can be. If there's is any other growths or infection looking things visible on it then I'm leaving it be.

[clamp connection]

Why do several profiles on this thread and elsewhere say "0 posts" when they clearly have posted?

[Norri252]

1 hour ago, clamp connection said:

Why do several profiles on this thread and elsewhere say "0 posts" when they clearly have posted?

I have no idea it says I have one but I have more than that.

Anyhow I did get some maitake from the grocery store today and cooked some up in a pan, I handle this stuff well. No major bloating or cramps and gonna throw some oyster mushrooms I got for dinner in the pan later too. I was a little worried at first knowing how badly I handled lions mane and that others might be like that.

[clamp connection]

3 different people posted on this thread between Oct 12-22 and all of their profiles say "0 posts".  Weird. Maybe you have to have 2 posts before the software can count them....

Anyway...I've never tried maitake

[Dave W]

I have consumed Grifola frondosa for years, without incident. However, I have a few possibly relevant comments.

I once gave a large Maitake/Hen-of the-Woods/Sheep's-Head/Ram's-Head to a cousin of mine who maintains a vegan diet. After several consecutive days of consuming this as a main dinner ingredient he developed indigestion, at which point he threw the remainder of the mushroom into the compost. As mentioned in one comment above, toleration for processing fiber is not the same for all people. Even someone who can tolerate digesting high-fiber foods in substantial quantity is likely to experience an unpleasant reaction when "tipping point" is surpassed. Grifola flesh is at least somewhat fibrous, more-so when it's post-mature and starts to dry out. 

About 10 years back there was a severe drought here in NE PA that persisted through much of summer into fall. Very few mushrooms. But, I did find one decent-sized Grifola in seemingly good condition growing near a large dead oak. This particular specimen had an unpleasant odor and an even more unpleasant taste. I tossed the whole thing into the compost. A local friend of mine had the same experience with Grifola that fall. Now, the ones mentioned in this discussion have been described as tasting okay. But, my experience with the foul Hen was food for thought. I think that the lack of rainfall had caused the fungus to tap into the reserve moisture available within the inner layers of wood in the dead tree. Perhaps this moisture was fouled by years of soaking rotting wood? If so, then this suggests that Grifola fruit bodies --like many other types of fungi-- are apt to uptake substances present in the environment. So, I wonder if one or more of the adverse reports seen in this discussion were the result of the mushroom being collected where a contaminant --chemical fertilizer, herbicide, other chemical-- was present? 

Also, among all the incidents reported here, I see not a single photograph of the culprit. Grifola is easily confused with Meripilus sumstinei (Black Staining Polypore). Although not considered to be toxic, Meripilus fruit bodies --especially when past maturity-- likely challenge one's digestion. Also, perhaps due to the similarity in the common names --Hen vs. Chicken-- over the years I have observed a few accounts where people confused Laetiporus (Chicken) with Grifola (Hen). Although generally considered to be edible, Laetiporus is known to cause some folks to experience an adverse reaction; some species more than others. Bondarzewia berkeleyi does not really look much like Grifola. But a person unfamiliar with identifying fungi could easily mis-ID Berkeley's as Grifola. B. berkeleyi --which often has a pleasant odor-- is well known to cause very unpleasant reactions for some people. 

Grifola attracts lots of insects. It is not unusual to find an otherwise nice-looking specimen that exhibits little raised black dots embedded into the flesh. These are tiny piles of insect/isopod feces. When I find a Hen that's got the back dots, I either trim away the affected parts or leave the entire mushroom in the woods. 

[djg]

I've been away for a while and I just thought I'd check into the forum again to see if the Spring morel season has started in IL yet.  A guy on another forum posted he found one in Central Illinois around March 15th, 2021.  Couldn't believe it.

Anyway, and not meaning to beat a dead horse, back to the topic.  I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences.  Just to clarify, my last find I tried was a fresh specimen and I only prepared the lobes by sauteing.  Didn't hunt them in 2019 or 2020.  But I'll give them one last try by parboiling them first.

Thanks

[wavin]

I was glad to find this thread. I've been enjoying fresh maitakes purchased through a CSA, which sources them from Hokto Kinoko Company in southern California. I sautee them in ghee, olive oil, or a mixture, and I think I'm cooking them plenty. After they're cooked, I generally add them to eggs or soups.

But I've started to notice a correlation, that I seem to have some diarrhea after eating them -- more so when I eat a larger amount at once. It does not seem serious, and I plan to continue eating them in small quantities. I don't know how these cultivated maitakes might differ from wild ones as far as this effect.

Just one person's experience. I was glad to discover this thread to help figure out whether I'm alone in this reaction. This site also mentions that fresh maitakes can cause diarrhea: https://www.botanical-online.com/en/mushrooms/maitake-mushroom-properties

[Janet]

First time eating chicken of the woods couple of weeks ago, small amount. No issues. Tasted great so couple of days later made a big portion with rice. G.I. tract went nuts! Definitely connected. Last night I ate a small amount, and G.I. tract affected again, plus feeling dizzy all morning from last nights dinner! My friend and I collected about 40 pounds of chicken of the woods iso now I am going to have to give it away and empty my freezer! Other friends collected Hens/Miyataki — I think I’ll be skipping on these too alas!!! BUMMED.

[Calvert]

That's unfortunate Janet.  It's fairly common for people to have digestive upsets  after eating Laetiporus.  I haven't had any problems myself.  I wouldn't avoid Hens/Maitake as they're quite distant taxonomically.  Worth trying.

It would be like avoided salad because potatoes didn't agree with you.  They're far from the same thing.

 

[djg]

I'll be camping this week and next week, weather permitting, and will be doing a little walking in the woods.  I hope to find some Grifola frondosa this year so I can try it one last time.  I will take photos of what I collect and I'll break a piece off to see if it turns black (photo) to eliminate the possibility of it being a black staining polypore.  i usually find some Laetiporus, but don't harvest too much because there's not much flavor there for me.  Still fun to find.

[Fred9000]

I don’t know if other people experience this, but FWIW, maitake mushrooms make me extremely sick to my stomach. It happened once and then 20 years later I gave it another shot; same response. I don’t have this reaction to any other mushroom, so apparently it can happen. Too bad because they’re SO good!

[Dave W]

Judging from the comments seen in this discussion, it seems some people are sensitive to Grifola. Is such a sensitivity innate or acquired? It's possible to develop a sensitivity to some edible fungi, especially after being consumed in large quantity and/or on several consecutive days. But, some people may simply be allergic to Grifola. Interesting, because I don't recall ever reading in any filed guide that Grifola is inedible for some people. 

[Pamela Daly]

I got severe diarrhea after eating hen of the woods mushrooms. It was my first time trying them. Bought at a farmers market. I heard they were tasty. I fried them of like I do morals. Several hours later "it"hit. I could not even make it to the toilet in time. The next day I was in my car no way near a bathroom. Again "it " hit. Needless to say the rest got thrown out. I've eaten morals most of my life and never got sick. I'll stick with them.

[toadstool2]

I've had hen of the woods for the first time. Unfortunately, I'm one of those with a reaction. There's no GI reaction, except some dizziness that started 30 mins after eating three small pieces.