“Addiction is a tough illness, and recovery from it is a hard but noble path. Men and women who walk that path deserve our support, encouragement, and admiration.” –Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

I remember, while serving in a restaurant in Boracay back in the 1980s, two Caucasian customers, who were regulars, would always request to mushrooms added to their dishes. One of them, a Danish musician, said, in Europe, he would always eat lion’s mane mushrooms—he admitted to being “addicted.” Also known as the bearded tooth, hedgehog, or pom pom mushroom, the breed of fungi can be found growing on hardwood trees in late summer and fall.
Its taste is reportedly comparable to seafood.
I remembered this customer after reading a story by Jennifer P. Rendon about the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region VI (PDEA-6) saying it has yet to receive reports on wild mushrooms being used to get high.
According to the report, the Department of Education “recently raised alarm on reports that some high schools used wild mushrooms or psychedelic mushrooms because of its hallucinogenic properties.” It went on to say, “There were also reports claiming that some students were hospitalized after consuming wild mushrooms.”
The report added, PDEA-6 officer-in-charge Alex Tablate admitted their office had yet to release a confirmed scientific study on the narcotic effects of wild mushrooms.
According to the Mother Nature Network, an online environmental news outlet, two of the deadliest mushrooms in the world are the “destroying angels” and “death caps.”
They noted, mushrooms classified under genus Amanita, which are among the most toxic, are the world’s deadliest.
Death caps have been blamed for the most mushroom poisonings around the world. It is native to Europe and the United States and are distinguishable by a six-inch cap. The mushroom is also said to be sticky to the touch and can appear yellow, brown, white, or green in color. The cap also has white gills and grows on a stalk about five inches tall with a white cup at its base.
They commonly appear from September to November under pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees.
While there are no immediate symptoms, ingesting the mushroom may result in vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps. After several days, the symptoms reportedly go away but, during that time, internal organs have already been severely damaged and death can occur six to 18 days after ingestion.
Meanwhile, destroying angels get the name from their pure white stalks and caps. Like the death caps, they belong to the genus Amanita, with several species sprouting up in different regions of the country.
They are seen during the summer and fall and form relationships with the roots of certain trees found in or near woodland areas or near shrubs and trees in suburban lawns.
After consuming the mushroom, symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain around five to 12 hours after ingestion. As with death caps, symptoms will typically go away but, a day or two later, more severe symptoms will be experienced. At the point, the person who ingested the mushroom will likely suffer liver and kidney failure.

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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ