Amanita pantherina (Panther Cap)

Poisoning first

Amanita pantherina is a poisonous mushroom. Reported effects include confusion, agitation, coma and seizures. [1][2] Do not wait for symptoms to pass. In the US call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, and see poisoning: what to do first and plant and mushroom poisoning. For animals see pet and animal poisoning. In the US, 988 reaches the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This page does not help identify mushrooms, and a photo or name never shows that a mushroom is safe.

Evidence labels: evidence of harm (case reports and poison-center series that show harm occurs but not how often), insufficient evidence, mixed. "Proper evidence not found" means we looked and found nothing usable.

What it is

Amanita pantherina, the panther cap, is the accepted name in the GBIF backbone (authority (DC.) Krombh., 1846), family Amanitaceae, with many older synonyms including Agaricus pantherinus DC. and Amanitaria pantherina. [3] Its toxins are ibotenic acid and muscimol, which are absorbed rapidly from the gut. [4] A review identifies the "pantherina syndrome," a central nervous system disturbance, as caused mainly by A. pantherina and A. muscaria. [5] It is not a psilocybin mushroom; see the Psilocybe species directory for that group and Amanita muscaria for its closest relative in toxicology.

How the toxins act

Case reports describe ibotenic acid as an excitatory amino acid at glutamate receptors and muscimol as an agonist at GABA receptors. [6] A case report of A. pantherina poisoning with coma described a "burst suppression" brain-wave pattern, from which the patient recovered without lasting effects a week later. [6]

How serious can it be?

• Poison-center comparison. In a US regional poison-center review (2002 to 2016) of 34 cases, 10 involved A. pantherina. Compared with A. muscaria, A. pantherina ingestions had more stomach and intestinal symptoms (80% vs 35%), nervous-system depression (70% vs 35%) and excitation (70% vs 35%). A 3-year-old who ate A. pantherina was intubated and spent three days in intensive care. [7]
• Two syndromes. In a study of 17 A. pantherina and 32 A. muscaria patients, A. pantherina patients were more often comatose (5 of 17 versus 2 of 32). [1] A 2025 case report says A. pantherina contains more muscimol and so causes coma more often. [2]
• Severe case. A 56-year-old woman was found unresponsive with limb jerking about 4 hours after a reported ingestion of garden mushrooms thought to be an edible species. Brain-wave testing confirmed seizure activity; she needed days of hospital care and anti-seizure medicine and recovered without lasting effects. [2]
• Mistaken identity. In a Polish case report, two people ate panther caps by mistake; symptoms began after about two hours, including depression of the nervous system, unsteady walking and hallucinations, and resolved with supportive care. The toxicology clinic that reported it says confusion of toxic mushrooms with edible species is among the most important factors in the poisonings it sees. [4] A toxicology method paper notes that poisoning with A. pantherina is mostly accidental because it can be mistaken for edible species, that the outlook is generally good, and that deaths are rare. [8]

The findings are mixed on exactly how the two species compare: the two poison-center studies agree that A. pantherina produced more severe nervous-system depression, but they differ on other symptoms and have small numbers. [7][1]

Special groups

Children: the poison-center series above included a child needing intensive care. [7] Pregnancy, older adults, and people with other illnesses or medicines: Proper evidence not found for A. pantherina specifically in the sources we read. See pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Research on benefit

Insufficient evidence. Proper evidence not found for any human treatment benefit. We searched PubMed for the species name with poisoning and toxicology and found case reports, poison-center series and analytical methods only.

Quality and labeling concerns

Products marketed as "Amanita" edibles may not contain what the label says; in one US laboratory study, gummies claiming A. muscaria extract contained neither of its main toxins. [9] The FDA says A. muscaria constituents are not authorized in conventional food. [10] These statements concern A. muscaria; we found no equivalent regulator statement about A. pantherina specifically. See unverified mushroom gummies.

Legal context

Laws change and this is not legal advice. In the text of the US federal Schedule I section (21 CFR 1308.11, read 2026-10-22) we found no entry for muscimol, ibotenic acid or Amanita. [11] Other countries and US states: not verified. See psychedelic legal status by country.