● Species profile
Fly Agaric
Amanita muscaria
Photo: Kieran Roy Powell, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The red cap with white spots from every fairy tale. It contains ibotenic acid and muscimol, not psilocybin, and eating it raw can cause serious poisoning. Easy to recognize, but not a food.
Historical Use and Context
Siberian peoples including the Koryak and Khanty used fly agaric as a ritual intoxicant, and 18th-century European travelers wrote about the practice.
The common name comes from its old European use as a fly killer: pieces were soaked in milk to attract and stun flies. Its red cap and white spots made it a fixture of fairy tale art and Christmas imagery.
The Short Answer
Not a food. Poisonous mushroom that can cause confusion, coma and trouble breathing.
Do not eat it. Fly agaric is poisonous and has put people on breathing machines, and at least one person died after eating dried caps. Its chemicals were also found in mushroom gummies tied to a 2024 outbreak.
How Strong Is the Research?
Case reports and outbreak data
⚠ What Happens if Someone Eats It
Symptoms usually start within 2 to 3 hours: vomiting, confusion, sweating, drooling, hallucinations, then deep sleepiness. Severe cases can stop breathing, and one fatal case collapsed about 10 hours after eating it.
⚠ Who Is at Risk
- Everyone. There is no safe way to eat it, and the FDA says it is not safe for use in food.
- Anyone thinking about 'Amanita' gummies, chocolates or 'microdose' products. In 2024 one brand was linked to 180 illnesses, 73 hospital stays and 3 possible deaths.
- Parents and pet owners. Its bright red cap draws kids and dogs, so remove it from yards and play areas.
- Foragers who learned mushrooms in another country. Fly agaric can look like edible mushrooms found elsewhere, which is how some poisonings happen.
- If you think someone ate it: call Poison Control (US 1-800-222-1222) or emergency services right away, even before symptoms.
How to Recognize It
1
How to Spot It
Red or orange cap (sometimes yellow) with white warty flecks, white gills, a white ring on the stem and a bulb at the base.
2
What It Gets Mistaken For
In one CDC report, a forager mistook it for an edible mushroom from his home country. Rain can also wash the white flecks off, which makes it harder to spot.
3
Products Claiming Amanita
In December 2024 the FDA said Amanita muscaria and its chemicals (muscimol, ibotenic acid, muscarine) are not safe or approved for food, so treat any edible that lists them as a red flag.
The Research in Plain English
2024 · 180 people in 34 states · FDA outbreak investigation
People got sick after eating Diamond Shruumz chocolates, cones and gummies; 73 were hospitalized and 3 deaths were possibly linked. Testing found muscimol (a fly agaric chemical) in some products, along with other drugs, so muscimol alone does not explain every case. Read the study ↗
2022 · 2 adult men · case reports
One man who ate dried caps for their mind-altering effects had cardiac arrest about 10 hours later and died 9 days after. A 75-year-old who ate one cap by mistake while foraging needed a breathing tube but recovered. Read the study ↗
2019 · 2 people in Minnesota · CDC report
A father picked fly agarics thinking they were an edible mushroom from his home country. Within 2 to 3 hours he had confusion, vomiting and drooling, and needed a breathing machine for 4 days; his daughter had mild symptoms. Read the study ↗
This Fly Agaric guide summarizes published research for general education and isn't medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you take medication.
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