Central West residents are advised to avoid eating wild mushrooms following an increase in the number of poisoning cases.
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NSW Poisons Information Centre co-head Genevieve Adamo said her centre has received eight poisoning hospitalisations and 39 mushroom ingestion-related calls in one week.
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"Recent rains in NSW have brought about excellent growing conditions for wild mushrooms," Ms Adamo said.
"But it is difficult for most people to recognise edible from poisonous mushrooms.
"If not properly identified, mushrooms picked in the wild can make you very ill and could be lethal, so people should only eat shop-bought mushrooms.
"Cooking or boiling wild mushrooms does not make them safe to eat."
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Ms Adamo said the poisonous mushrooms can cause severe abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating, confusion and hallucinations.
"Some varieties of mushrooms can cause severe kidney and liver damage, and some can be fatal," she said.
"There is no reliable way to identify mushrooms picked in the wild, so it's best to avoid eating them completely. It is simply not worth the risk."
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NSW Health said last year 218 calls were made to the Poisons Information Centre about wild mushroom exposure, and 70 people were hospitalised from poisoning.
It said those who ingests wild mushrooms should contact the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26) immediately, even if they are completely well as symptoms can be delayed in onset and early treatment is vital.
