Mushrooms · Wild culinary mushroom
Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius · also called Golden chanterelle, girolle (names used in the papers we read)
Chanterelle is a golden, apricot-scented wild mushroom prized in cooking. It is a food, not a proven remedy: we found no human trial of it for any health outcome, and lab and mouse findings are only early ideas. The most serious caution is not the mushroom itself but mistaken identity. Poisonous look-alikes such as jack-o'-lantern cause violent stomach illness, and a deadly webcap has caused permanent kidney failure. Chanterelles also take up metals and radioactivity from the soil, so where they grew matters.
General information, not medical advice. Last substantive update · Not medically reviewed. A named clinician has not signed off on this page. How this page is made
About Chanterelle
Chanterelle is a wild mushroom eaten for its flavour. There is no human research on health benefits. The real concerns are poisonous look-alikes, metals and radioactivity taken up from soil, and possible allergy. Safety information for medicines and pregnancy is missing, not reassuring.
What it is
Chanterelle usually means Cantharellus cibarius, the golden chanterelle (GBIF accepted name, family Hydnaceae). It is a fungus that lives with trees, so it is picked wild rather than farmed. Reviews describe an apricot-like aroma and a nutritious, low-fat mushroom rich in carbohydrates, protein and fibre.
The word chanterelle covers more than one species. A 2026 DNA study found 11 Cantharellus taxa in eastern US oak forests, including a new species, so wild chanterelles sold under one name may be several species. That is our reading of the abstract.
What research has tested
We found no trial in which people ate or took chanterelle and a health outcome was measured. The research is about composition and the lab. The USDA record gives raw chanterelle as 32 kcal per 100 g with potassium 506 mg and vitamin D2 5.3 micrograms. A mouse study found that a polysaccharide extract improved colitis markers, and a cell study found that a methanol extract fraction slowed a leukaemia cell line in a dish.
These results are ideas for future research. They are not evidence that chanterelle prevents or treats any condition.
Metals and radioactivity
Chanterelles take up metals and radioactive caesium from the soil. In 33 dried commercial chanterelle samples from Poland, cadmium had a median of 0.17 mg per kg and the average hazard index was 0.2212 at the moderate eating level the authors assumed, under their safety limit of 1. Other mushrooms in the same study varied far more.
Wild Polish chanterelles had caesium-137 of 118 to 1647 Bq per kg dry weight. The authors estimated yearly doses of 6.97 to 23.4 microsieverts for typical Polish consumption and judged the lifetime cancer risk low. A wider 2026 review says yearly mushroom exposure in some countries may exceed 1 mSv, and cooking lowers caesium-137 by 20 to 75 percent but not completely.
Blanching fresh chanterelles lowered cadmium by about 11 to 36 percent, and blanching plus pickling removed 77 to 91 percent in a Polish study of 1565 fruiting bodies.
Forms and what is known about them
Fresh and cooked is the usual food form. Dried chanterelle is also sold, and drying means metals are measured per gram of dried product. Powders and extracts appear in laboratory studies, not in human trials. This page gives no amounts and does not recommend any product.
Rules and official statements
The USDA lists raw chanterelle in its food database (record 168422). We did not find or read a chanterelle-specific statement from the European Food Safety Authority, the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, NCCIH, LiverTox or LactMed. Absence of a statement is not a safety guarantee.
At a glance
Traditional uses history, not proof
- A review describes the golden chanterelle as highly valued in culinary traditions worldwide for its apricot-like aroma (Kumar 2025).
- A study of a related species, the funnel chanterelle, describes how it became a popular seasonal food for city foragers in Sweden and Norway from the late 1970s (Svanberg 2025).
Studied for research
- Nutrition as a food: low-energy with potassium, iron, copper and niacin in a USDA record (no health effect shown), insufficient
- Vitamin D2 content: 5.3 micrograms per 100 g raw in the USDA record; no study of blood vitamin D, insufficient
- Gut inflammation in mice (crude polysaccharide extract), insufficient
- Leukaemia cell line in a dish (solvent extract), insufficient
- Antioxidant and other lab claims in reviews, insufficient
Main compounds
- Carbohydrates and polysaccharides including beta-glucans, the main components named in reviews
- Phenolic compounds, sterols (ergosterol 61 mg per 100 g in the USDA footnote) and carotenoids
- Vitamin D2 (5.3 ug per 100 g raw, USDA)
Common forms
- Fresh chanterelle, cooked
- Dried chanterelle (metals are measured per gram of dried product)
- Blanched or pickled chanterelle (lowered cadmium in a Polish study)
- Powders and extracts used in laboratory research
Research links: Poisoning by deadly webcap: long-term outcome (abstract) · Deadly webcap in a married couple, Denmark (abstract) · Omphalotus (jack-o'-lantern) species and illudin toxin (abstract) · Mushroom poisonings in South Sardinia (abstract) · Metals in dried mushrooms on the Polish market (abstract) · Radioactivity in Polish chanterelles (abstract) · Blanching and pickling lower cadmium in chanterelle (abstract) · Research Library · Genes & Biomarkers Library
What it is and its history
- Accepted scientific name
- Cantharellus cibarius
- Naming authority
- Fr. (GBIF)
- Common names
- Chanterelle (English); Golden chanterelle (English); Girolle (French)
- Family or group
- Hydnaceae (a fungus family), not a plant
- Classification
- Fungi > Basidiomycota > Agaricomycetes > Cantharellales > Hydnaceae > Cantharellus > Cantharellus cibarius
- Native range
- Not checked in the sources read. Kumar 2025 describes a wild edible ectomycorrhizal mushroom of global culinary interest.
- Habitat
- Mycorrhizal, living with trees (Kumar 2025 abstract; Bily 2026 says chanterelles are ectomycorrhizal with a broad range of trees). This is why it is picked wild rather than farmed.
- What it looks like
- Fruiting body: Described in the review abstract by its apricot-like aroma. No identification description is given here by design.
- Cultivation
- Not checked in the sources read.
- Harvest and processing
- Household drying, freezing, blanching and pickling are the treatments described in the papers read (Drewnowska 2017).
- Look-alikes and adulterants
- Name: Jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus species); Note: A 2026 paper says Omphalotus poisoning is mainly due to mistaking it for edible mushrooms such as Pleurotus and Cantharellus (Li 2026). A lab paper describes Omphalotus olearius and Cantharellus albovenosus as similar in appearance (Yao 2025). Omphalotus causes vomiting and cramps.; Name: Deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus); Note: Mistaken for the funnel chanterelle, a relative, in Sweden and Norway (Svanberg 2025); a Danish case report says it is sometimes mistaken for chanterelles (Vejrup 2026). It causes permanent kidney failure.; Name: False chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca); Note: Named as 'False Chanterelle' in a lab paper (Nowak 2016). No source we read describes poisoning from it, so no claim is made.
- Sustainability and conservation
- Not checked.
Traditional use and history history, not clinical proof
| Tradition or era | Documented use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide cooking | The review abstract describes the golden chanterelle as highly valued in various culinary traditions worldwide for its apricot-like aroma. | p39803245 |
| Scandinavia (funnel chanterelle, a relative) | The funnel chanterelle became a popular seasonal food for city foragers in Sweden and Norway from the late 1970s, after earlier generations had avoided wild mushrooms. This is a different but related species. | p40426182 |
Traditional use shows how it was used. It does not show that it works or is safe today.
What is inside, and how it may work
What it contains and how those compounds act in cells and animals. Laboratory and animal mechanisms are not proven effects in people.
Main compounds
| Compound | Family | Where it is concentrated | Activity studied | Level of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polysaccharides including beta-glucans | polysaccharide | Fruiting body Not given in the abstracts read. | Reviews describe medicinal polysaccharides; the mouse colitis extract was a crude polysaccharide. 10 1 | Animal research |
| Phenolic compounds, sterols, carotenoids and indole compounds | mixed | Fruiting body Ergosterol 61 mg per 100 g raw (USDA footnote). | Reviews list antioxidant activity from lab work. 10 4 18 | Laboratory research |
| Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) | vitamin | Fruiting body 5.3 ug per 100 g raw (USDA); 14.2 ug per 100 g fresh in another paper quoted by Kumar 2025 (not re-opened). | A nutrient. Vitamin D2 is less effective than D3 at raising total blood 25(OH)D in trials of supplements. 18 2 | Review |
| Cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic, caesium-137 (contaminants) | contaminant | Fruiting body See the Safety tab for measured values. | Not a health benefit; taken up from soil. 5 16 | Lab analysis |
Mechanisms, receptors and pathways
| Target or pathway | Gene or receptor | What was found | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gut barrier and inflammation (mouse colitis model) | Mucin-2 and tight junction proteins | In mice, a crude polysaccharide extract raised mucin-2 and tight junction protein expression, lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines and shifted gut bacteria. 1 | Animal research |
| Cancer cell growth (leukaemia cell line) | Not identified | One fraction of a methanol extract inhibited the MV4-11 cell line in a dish. The compound responsible was not identified. 15 | Laboratory research |
Absorption, metabolism and elimination
- Absorption
- Not found in the sources read.
- Distribution
- Not found.
- Metabolism
- Not found.
- Elimination
- Not found.
- Bioavailability
- Not established in people.
Isolated compounds versus whole extracts
The mouse and cell findings used a crude polysaccharide extract and solvent fractions. Eating the cooked mushroom is not the same thing, and no human trial tested either.
Nutritional composition
USDA, per 100 g raw: 32 kcal, 1.49 g protein, 0.53 g fat, 6.86 g carbohydrate, iron 3.47 mg, potassium 506 mg, copper 0.353 mg, niacin 4.085 mg, riboflavin 0.215 mg, vitamin D2 5.3 ug. These are food composition facts, not advice.
6 not enough evidence
What was looked at
The 6 benefits and uses checked for Chanterelle, each with how strong the evidence is. Tap one to open it.
- Chanterelle as a food (nutrients)Not enough evidence
- Vitamin D2 content and vitamin D statusNot enough evidence
- Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other lab activitiesNot enough evidence
- Gut inflammation (colitis) in miceNot enough evidence
- Cancer cell lines in the labNot enough evidence
- Blood sugar, germ-fighting and other claims in reviewsNot enough evidence
Lab markers tracked in the studies
Blood vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D)Gut barrier proteins and inflammatory cytokines (mice)
What is Chanterelle good for?
What chanterelle has been studied for and how strong the evidence is. None of it is proven in people. Read this together with the Safety tab.
Benefits, one by one
Each card is a research question, not a promise. Tap a goal to filter. Open a card to see the studies, doses and limits.
Chanterelle as a food (nutrients)
Not enough evidenceRaw chanterelle is a low-energy food: about 32 kcal, 1.5 g protein, 0.5 g fat and 6.9 g carbohydrate per 100 g in the USDA record, with potassium, iron, copper, niacin and riboflavin. That describes what the food contains. No trial shows that eating chanterelle changes anyone's health.
3 studiesFresh, cooked chanterelle is the usual food form. Dried chanterelle i…
Studies, doses and limits
Results
USDA record, per 100 g raw: energy 32 kcal; protein 1.49 g; fat 0.53 g; carbohydrate by difference 6.86 g; iron 3.47 mg; potassium 506 mg; sodium 9 mg; copper 0.353 mg; riboflavin 0.215 mg; niacin 4.085 mg.
Effect sizes as reported
Nutrient values only; no health effect measured
Why this rating
Composition is measured, but nothing shows a health benefit from eating it. Values come from one reference record and vary with where the mushroom grew.
Form and dose studied
Fresh, cooked chanterelle is the usual food form. Dried chanterelle is also sold; drying concentrates metals per gram (see the Safety tab). This page gives no amounts.
Limits
One USDA record; composition varies by origin. The review text also quotes higher vitamin D2 values from other papers.
Why researchers looked
Chanterelle is a prized wild food, so most of the research asks what is in it.
Traditional use
Reviews describe it as a valued culinary mushroom worldwide (Kumar 2025).
Proposed mechanism Other
Not a mechanism claim. The values are laboratory measurements of the food.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
Wild-picked chanterelles can be confused with poisonous look-alikes and can carry metals and radioactivity. See the Safety tab first.
Vitamin D2 content and vitamin D status
Not enough evidenceRaw chanterelle in the USDA record has 5.3 micrograms of vitamin D2 per 100 g. One review quotes a higher figure from another paper. No study tested whether eating chanterelle changes vitamin D in the blood.
3 studiesWhole mushroom only in the sources read. This page gives no amounts.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
USDA: 5.3 ug vitamin D2 and 0 ug vitamin D3 per 100 g raw. Kumar 2025 quotes 14.2 ug per 100 g fresh from another paper (not re-opened). The review also calls chanterelle the richest vitamin D source in nature; the USDA record does not support that, and we do not repeat it.
Effect sizes as reported
Content measured; no effect on blood vitamin D tested
Why this rating
Content is measured, but no trial of chanterelle on blood vitamin D exists in what we found, and vitamin D2 in general is a weaker route than D3.
Form and dose studied
Whole mushroom only in the sources read. This page gives no amounts.
Limits
The two food figures differ (5.3 versus 14.2 ug per 100 g), the sources do not say why.
Why researchers looked
Mushrooms make vitamin D2 when exposed to light, so chanterelles picked in the open may contain some.
Proposed mechanism Pharmacological theory
Mushroom ergosterol turns into vitamin D2 under ultraviolet light. This is established food chemistry, not a chanterelle trial.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
None specific to vitamin D2 from chanterelle. See the Safety tab for look-alike and metal cautions.
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other lab activities
Not enough evidenceReviews list many activities for chanterelle extracts, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These come from test tubes and animals. No human trial confirms any of them.
2 studiesExtracts, not the cooked mushroom.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
The abstracts give no numbers. Kumar 2025 lists antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, anthelmintic, antihyperglycaemic, wound-healing and iron-chelating activity; Chen 2024 lists antioxidant, antimicrobial, immune, anti-inflammatory, antitumour, neuroprotective, antidiabetic and prebiotic effects in vivo or in vitro.
Effect sizes as reported
Many lab effects reported; none shown in people
Why this rating
Only lab and animal reports, summarised in two narrative reviews that do not grade the evidence.
Form and dose studied
Extracts, not the cooked mushroom.
Limits
Reviews do not grade or compare studies; extracts and doses differ from eating the mushroom; publication bias is possible.
Why researchers looked
Many mushrooms contain phenols, polysaccharides and sterols, so researchers test extracts in the lab.
Proposed mechanism Laboratory research
Lab findings with extracts; the reviews describe phenolic compounds, sterols and polysaccharides but the abstracts give no clear mechanism for a person.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
Lab results do not show that eating chanterelle is useful or safe for any condition. See the Safety tab.
Gut inflammation (colitis) in mice
Not enough evidenceA crude polysaccharide extract of golden chanterelle improved colitis markers in mice. This is one mouse study of an extract. It does not show that eating chanterelle helps anyone's gut.
1 studiesA crude polysaccharide extract, not the whole mushroom.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
Mouse study (Alioui 2024): improved body weight, gut barrier proteins, cytokines and gut bacteria after DSS colitis. The abstract gives no numbers.
Effect sizes as reported
Improvements in mouse colitis markers
Why this rating
Single animal study of an extract; no human data.
Form and dose studied
A crude polysaccharide extract, not the whole mushroom.
Limits
One mouse model; numbers not read; not tested in people.
Why researchers looked
Mushroom polysaccharides are tested for gut-barrier and immune effects.
Proposed mechanism Animal research
In mice the extract raised mucin-2 and tight junction proteins, shifted cytokines toward anti-inflammatory ones and changed the gut bacteria (abstract).
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
No safety findings were reported in the abstract. Not a treatment for any bowel disease.
Cancer cell lines in the lab
Not enough evidenceA solvent extract of chanterelle slowed the growth of one leukaemia cell line in a dish. This does not mean chanterelle treats or prevents cancer. No study in people was found.
2 studiesMethanol extract fractions, not a food or supplement.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
A 2024 study found that one combined fraction (LH-20F-IV) of a methanol extract of grocery-store C. cibarius showed the greatest inhibition of the human leukaemia cell line MV4-11. Kumar 2025 also lists cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines (quoted from other papers, not re-opened).
Effect sizes as reported
Cells slowed in a dish
Why this rating
Cell-line work only.
Form and dose studied
Methanol extract fractions, not a food or supplement.
Limits
One cell line; no numbers read; solvent extracts are not how the mushroom is eaten.
Why researchers looked
Many mushroom extracts are screened against cancer cell lines.
Proposed mechanism Laboratory research
Not worked out; the study screened fractions for activity.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
No claims about cancer are made here. See the Safety tab.
Blood sugar, germ-fighting and other claims in reviews
Not enough evidenceReviews also list blood sugar, antimicrobial and wound-healing effects for chanterelle. We read only the abstracts, which give no human data. Treat these as ideas that need testing.
2 studiesExtracts.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
Abstract lists only (Kumar 2025; Chen 2024). No numbers or study details were read.
Effect sizes as reported
Not available
Why this rating
Listed in reviews from lab or animal work.
Form and dose studied
Extracts.
Limits
The underlying papers were not opened.
Why researchers looked
Reviews collect lab reports on edible mushrooms.
Proposed mechanism Laboratory research
Not described in the abstracts.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
See the Safety tab.
Connections to the rest of health
How Chanterelle connects to the rest of our health knowledge graph. Every link says what kind of connection it is. A safety link (for example to the liver) is a warning, not a benefit. A study that merely mentions a topic never creates a benefit link.
Explore every connection: goals, body systems, organs, symptoms, genes
B. Body systems
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digestive System | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Studied for: Chanterelle as a food (nutrients) Studied for: Gut inflammation (colitis) in mice | 18 10 4 1 |
| Bones Joints Muscles | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Studied for: Vitamin D2 content and vitamin D status | 18 10 2 |
| Immune System | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Studied for: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other lab activities Studied for: Cancer cell lines in the lab | 10 4 15 |
| Endocrine System | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Studied for: Blood sugar, germ-fighting and other claims in reviews | 10 4 |
C. Body parts and organs
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kidneys | Adverse effect or risk | Not enough evidence | Permanent kidney failure after mistaking it for an edible mushroom. Preparation or compound: Deadly webcap (Cortinarius), a look-alike of some chanterelles; not the chanterelle |
9 19 |
| Gut | Adverse effect or risk | Not enough evidence | Vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea after eating it by mistake. Preparation or compound: Jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus), a look-alike |
13 11 |
I. Biomarkers
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Measured in trials: mixed. A lab change is not the same as a health benefit. | 2 18 |
| Gut barrier proteins and inflammatory cytokines (mice) | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Measured in trials: improved. A lab change is not the same as a health benefit. | 1 |
K. Biological pathways
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal barrier and inflammation | Preliminary mechanism | Animal | Altered in a mouse colitis model by a polysaccharide extract. | 1 |
| Vitamin D metabolism | Preliminary mechanism | Not enough evidence | Chanterelle contains vitamin D2; no study tested its effect on blood vitamin D. | 18 2 |
L. Active compounds
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polysaccharides including beta-glucans | Biological association | Animal | Reviews describe medicinal polysaccharides; the mouse colitis extract was a crude polysaccharide. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
10 1 |
| Phenolic compounds, sterols, carotenoids and indole compounds | Biological association | In vitro | Reviews list antioxidant activity from lab work. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
10 4 18 |
| Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) | Biological association | Review | A nutrient. Vitamin D2 is less effective than D3 at raising total blood 25(OH)D in trials of supplements. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
18 2 |
| Cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic, caesium-137 (contaminants) | Biological association | Lab analysis | Not a health benefit; taken up from soil. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
5 16 |
Each connection is stored with the ingredient, the connected record, the kind of connection, the evidence status, the supporting studies, the preparation or compound involved, and a review date (last reviewed October 25, 2026).
Evidence at a glance: what changed in 1 lab markers
Tap a number to show only those markers. Counts are markers, not people.
The evidence
The research centre for Chanterelle. Every record here was checked against PubMed or the publisher's page; we never list a study we have not verified.
Evidence by outcome
Bars show how many studies we found for each outcome, not how well it works. People are added up across trials only (reviews are not added, to avoid double counting).
How we rate evidence
High certainty
Several well-run trials or reviews agree; further research is unlikely to change the picture much.
Moderate certainty
Good trials point the same way, but some doubt remains.
Low certainty
Small, short or inconsistent trials. The finding could change with better research.
Very low certainty
Very little or very weak human data. Treat as a possibility only.
Mixed findings
Trials or reviews disagree with each other.
Not enough evidence
Not enough human research to say either way.
Evidence against
Good research found no benefit, or found harm.
We take the reviewers' own risk-of-bias and GRADE statements where they exist, and otherwise judge from study size, design, consistency, directness and whether a product matches what is sold. Many publications do not make evidence high. Method note: We read PubMed records and abstracts for 18 papers (two food-science reviews, one mouse study, one cell study, three laboratory analyses of metals and radioactivity, one radiocaesium review, a species description, an observational poisoning study, an ethnobiology paper, a kidney-failure series, a case report, a lipid-profiling paper, a vitamin D2 review, a taxonomy paper and one lab paper naming the false chanterelle), plus the USDA FoodData Central record and the GBIF taxonomy record. Several papers were also read in PMC full text. A 2026 allergy letter was read as title and record only. Index Fungorum, EFSA, FDA, EMA, NCCIH, LiverTox and LactMed were not read. Certainty ratings are the compiler's own reading.
Study library: every study we checked 20
| Study | Design | People | Product, dose, length | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alioui 2024 Polysaccharides derived from golden mushroom (Cantharellus cibarius Fr.) modulate gut microbiota and enhance intestinal barrier function to ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. Frontiers in Pharmacology · PMID 39744127 · DOI |
Animal research animal |
BALB/c mice with colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) | Crude polysaccharide extract from golden chanterelle (CCP) fruiting body Not shown here 14 days of treatment after 7 days of DSS · vs Mice with colitis not given the extract (as described in the abstract) |
In mice, the extract improved body weight, raised mucin-2 and tight junction protein expression, lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines, raised anti-inflammatory cytokines and shifted the gut bacteria after DSS colitis. No numbers are given in the abstract. Better colitis markers in mice Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Body weight, colon tissue, mucin-2 and tight junction proteins, inflammatory cytokines, gut bacteria (16S rRNA) Limitations: Mouse study of a crude polysaccharide extract, not of eating the mushroom. Results in mice often do not carry over to people. Numbers were not read. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| Bieg 2026 Content of Vitamin D2 in Alternative Biological and Nutritional Sources and Its Effectiveness as Compared to Vitamin D3 - A Narrative Review. Metabolites · PMID 42506436 · DOI |
Narrative review review |
Review of mushroom and algae vitamin D2 content and of human trials comparing vitamin D2 with vitamin D3 | Vitamin D2 from mushrooms and algae fruiting body · vs Vitamin D3 |
The abstract says UV light markedly raises the vitamin D2 content of mushrooms compared with ordinary cultivated ones. In randomised trials vitamin D2 raised blood 25(OH)D2 but often lowered 25(OH)D3, and it was less effective than D3 at raising total 25(OH)D (confirmed by a recent meta-analysis, per the abstract). Vitamin D2 is a weaker route than D3 Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Vitamin D2 content; blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D in trials Limitations: The review is about vitamin D2 from mushrooms in general. It does not test chanterelle. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| Bily 2026 Cantharellus diversity in mixed oak forests of Virginia, with a new species, Cantharellus sabuletorum. Mycologia · PMID 41191597 · DOI |
Other n/a |
31 31 specimens from 12 Virginia counties |
DNA study of Cantharellus (chanterelle) species fruiting body |
The study found 11 Cantharellus taxa in eastern US oak forests, including a new species, and says chanterelles are ectomycorrhizal fungi that live with many kinds of trees. Several chanterelle species in one region Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Species diversity Limitations: A taxonomy paper. It says nothing about health or food safety. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| Chen 2024 Insights into chemical components, health-promoting effects, and processing impact of golden chanterelle mushroom Cantharellus cibarius. Food & Function · PMID 38967456 · DOI |
Narrative review review |
Review of laboratory and animal papers on golden chanterelle | Golden chanterelle fruiting body and extracts fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says the mushroom is rich in carbohydrates, protein, minerals and vitamins and low in fat, and that antioxidant, antimicrobial, immune, anti-inflammatory, antitumour, neuroprotective, antidiabetic and prebiotic effects were claimed in vivo or in vitro (animals or cells). It notes that heavy metal accumulation in the mushroom is discussed. Overview; effects are cell or animal findings Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Composition, claimed functions, processing, heavy metal accumulation Limitations: Abstract read only. The review does not grade the evidence and the abstract names no human trials. Funding and conflicts: No conflict statement in the abstract record. Read: abstract |
| Domagalska 2026 Evaluation of Toxic Elements in Commercial Dried Mushrooms from the Polish Market: Exposure Assessment and Health Risk Characterization. Molecules · PMID 42280168 · DOI |
Laboratory analysis n/a |
164 164 samples of commercial dried mushrooms from Poland, 33 of them chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) |
Measurement of cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic dried fruiting body · vs Five other mushroom types |
In the 33 dried chanterelle samples (mg per kg): cadmium median 0.17 (range 0.04 to 0.22), mercury median 0.018 (maximum 0.202), arsenic median 1.217 (maximum 2.811), lead mostly below the detection limit (median 0.05 is the substituted value; maximum 1.878). At the moderate eating level the authors assumed (3.6 g a day), the mean hazard index for chanterelle was 0.2212, under the safety limit of 1. In other mushrooms the range was wide: one bay bolete sample had arsenic of 369 mg per kg and a hazard index of 63.57. Certified organic samples had lower mercury and arsenic. Chanterelle samples under the safety limit on average; wide product-to-product variation Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Metal concentrations and estimated health risk (hazard index) Limitations: Dried commercial products from Poland, not fresh wild mushrooms; the table units were read from the paper's tables. Producers varied a lot. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract and full text (PMC) |
| Drewnowska 2017 Pickling of chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius mushrooms highly reduce cadmium contamination. Environmental Science and Pollution Research · PMID 28766143 · DOI |
Laboratory analysis n/a |
1565 1565 fruiting bodies of C. cibarius from five sites in Poland |
Household treatments: drying, deep freezing, blanching, pickling with diluted vinegar fruiting body Blanching for 5 or 15 min · vs Untreated mushrooms |
Blanching fresh chanterelles lowered cadmium by about 11 to 36 percent and blanching deep-frozen ones by about 40 percent. Pickling blanched chanterelles in a diluted vinegar marinade removed a further 37 to 71 percent. In total 77 to 91 percent of the cadmium was lost with blanching plus pickling. Blanching time and water type made little difference. Large cadmium losses with blanching and pickling Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Cadmium remaining after each treatment Limitations: Cadmium only, from Polish sites. The authors did not test other metals or medical outcomes. The study does not say that the remaining cadmium is risk-free. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| GBIF Secretariat 2026 GBIF: Cantharellus cibarius Fr. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (API) · Source |
Database record n/a |
n/a | n/a Not shown here |
Accepted species, key 5249504; family Hydnaceae, order Cantharellales, class Agaricomycetes, phylum Basidiomycota, kingdom Fungi. Match type exact. Accepted name confirmed Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Accepted name and rank Limitations: Taxonomy database only; says nothing about health or about how many species are sold as chanterelle. Funding and conflicts: n/a Read: database record, checked 2026-10-25 |
| Gao 2026 Level, accumulation, transfer of radiocesium and plutonium in soil-mushroom systems and their health implications: A review. Journal of Hazardous Materials · PMID 41448089 · DOI |
Narrative review review |
Over 5000 records across 493 mushroom species, 1984 to 2025 | Radiocaesium and plutonium in mushrooms fruiting body |
The highest plutonium (239+240Pu) level in the review, 53.78 Bq per kg, was found in C. cibarius from Ukraine. Annual exposure from mushroom eating in Ukraine, Japan and Poland may exceed 1 mSv a year. Cooking and other culinary processing lowered caesium-137 by 20 to 75 percent but not completely. Species and place matter; processing helps partly Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Radionuclide levels and health implications Limitations: A review across many species. The abstract does not give a chanterelle-only exposure figure. Funding and conflicts: No conflict statement read in the abstract record. Read: abstract |
| Hedman 2017 Long-term clinical outcome for patients poisoned by the fungal nephrotoxin orellanine. BMC Nephrology · PMID 28372584 · DOI |
Observational |
28 28 Swedish patients who ate deadly webcap (Cortinarius), 1979 to 2012 |
Poisoning by deadly webcap (orellanine) Follow-up average 16.9 years · vs Matched case-control group |
The abstract says deadly webcap may be mistaken for other edible mushrooms and can cause irreversible kidney damage. Of 28 patients, 22 developed acute kidney injury needing dialysis and 15 were transplanted. At follow-up 23 were alive and 5 had died. Severe, often permanent kidney failure Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Kidney failure, dialysis, transplant, survival Limitations: Swedish case series. It does not say which edible mushroom each person thought they were picking. Funding and conflicts: Research support, non-US government (per record). Read: abstract |
| Kumar 2025 Nutritional, Nutraceutical, and Medicinal Potential of Cantharellus cibarius Fr.: A Comprehensive Review. Food Science & Nutrition · PMID 39803245 · DOI |
Narrative review review |
Review of laboratory, animal and food-science papers on golden chanterelle | Golden chanterelle fruiting body, extracts and isolated compounds fruiting body |
The abstract lists antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial and other activities and describes the mushroom as rich in carbohydrates, protein, beta-glucans and fibre and low in fat. The full text says C. cibarius is known to accumulate heavy metals, quotes blanching and pickling lowering cadmium, and gives a fresh vitamin D2 figure taken from another paper (14.2 ug per 100 g) that differs from the USDA record. It also calls chanterelle the richest vitamin D source in nature, which the USDA record does not support and which is not repeated here. Overview; most activities are from the lab Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Composition, listed biological activities, preservation, uses Limitations: A narrative review, not a systematic one. It lists activities without grading them and mixes cell, animal and food-science work. No human trial of eating chanterelle is described in the parts read. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract and full text (PMC) |
| La Rosa 2024 Epidemiology and clinical aspect of mushroom poisonings in South Sardinia: A 10-year retrospective analysis (2011-2021). Food Science & Nutrition · PMID 38268883 · DOI |
Observational |
164 164 mushroom poisoning cases in three Sardinian provinces, 2011 to 2021 |
Review of records from mycological inspectorates 10 years |
Species were identified in 162 of 164 cases: 81 were toxic species, 60 edible and 45 not edible. Omphalotus olearius (jack-o'-lantern) was the most frequent toxic species (22 percent in the abstract). The full-text table lists Cantharellus cibarius, classed as edible, with 2 poisoning episodes and abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting; the abstract and table do not say why. Jack-o'-lantern is the leading toxic species; two chanterelle-linked episodes of unknown cause Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Cases, species involved, symptoms Limitations: Local records from one island. The reason for the two chanterelle episodes (misidentification, spoilage, allergy or other) is not stated in what we read. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract and full-text table (PMC) |
| Lee Qiyu 2026 Edible mushroom allergy: a clinically heterogeneous and under-recognized condition. European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · PMID 42788552 · DOI |
Other |
Letter on allergy to edible mushrooms | n/a Not shown here |
Only the title and record were read; the PubMed record has no abstract. The title says that edible mushroom allergy is clinically varied and under-recognised. No chanterelle-specific report was read. Allergy to edible mushrooms exists Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Allergy Limitations: Title and record only. The letter was not opened, so nothing further is claimed. Funding and conflicts: Not read. Read: title and record only |
| Li 2026 Omphalotus yunnanensis: A New Poisonous Mushroom Discovered from China Based on Morphological, Molecular and Toxin-Detection Evidence. Toxins · PMID 41591186 · DOI |
Laboratory analysis n/a |
Description of a newly named toxic mushroom species (jack-o'-lantern relative) from China | Species description and toxin measurement fruiting body |
The abstract reports that several poisoning incidents in China were caused by Omphalotus species and that illudin S was found in the new species at 6.98 to 86.1 mg per kg dry weight. The introduction (full text) says Omphalotus poisoning causes vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea 1 to 6 hours after eating, and that the main cause is mistaking Omphalotus for edible mushrooms such as Pleurotus and Cantharellus because of superficial similarity. Toxin confirmed; look-alike risk stated Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Species identification; illudin content Limitations: The new species is a Chinese tropical white species, not the golden chanterelle's usual look-alike. This is a description of a species, not a study of poisoned patients. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract and introduction (PMC) |
| Nowak 2016 A New Method for the Isolation of Ergosterol and Peroxyergosterol as Active Compounds of Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca and in Vitro Antiproliferative Activity of Isolated Ergosterol Peroxide. Molecules · PMID 27455215 · DOI |
Laboratory research in-vitro |
Fruiting bodies of Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (named 'False Chanterelle' in the abstract) and human colon cell lines | Isolation of ergosterol peroxide fruiting body Not shown here |
Ergosterol peroxide and ergosterol were isolated from the false chanterelle, and ergosterol peroxide slowed the LS180 colon cancer cell line in a dish. The abstract says nothing about whether the mushroom is poisonous. Lab chemistry only Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Compound isolation; effect on cell growth Limitations: A chemistry paper. It is cited only to show the name, not to say anything about safety. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| Shall 2024 Inhibitory Effects of the Methanol Extract of the Golden Chanterelle Mushroom, Cantharellus cibarius (Agaricomycetes) in Treating a Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms · PMID 39704616 · DOI |
Laboratory research in-vitro |
Human acute myeloid leukaemia cell line MV4-11 grown in the lab | Chromatographic fractions of a methanol extract of grocery-store C. cibarius fruiting body Not shown here |
One combined fraction, called LH-20F-IV, showed the greatest inhibitory activity against the MV4-11 cell line. No numbers are given in the abstract. Cell growth slowed in a dish Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Inhibition of leukaemia cell growth in vitro Limitations: Cells in a dish, using a solvent extract that is not how the mushroom is eaten. It does not show any effect in a person. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract |
| Strumińska-Parulska 2025 Evaluation of radioactivity in chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) and health implications. Environmental Geochemistry and Health · PMID 40493290 · DOI |
Laboratory analysis n/a |
Chanterelles collected across Poland, and forest topsoil | Measurement of caesium-137, potassium-40, polonium-210 and lead-210 fruiting body |
Caesium-137 was 118 to 1647 Bq per kg dry weight, natural potassium-40 was 1316 to 1895 Bq per kg dry weight, polonium-210 was 2.23 to 8.57 and lead-210 was 1.50 to 6.14 Bq per kg dry weight. Full text: for a typical Polish mushroom eater the estimated total yearly dose from these four sources in chanterelles was 6.97 to 23.4 microsieverts, and the authors judged the lifetime cancer risk low. Measured radioactivity; low estimated risk (authors' view) Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Radioactivity in mushrooms; estimated annual dose and cancer risk from eating them Limitations: Poland only, a point-in-time measurement, and an estimate built on assumed eating habits. The levels depend on where the mushroom grew. Funding and conflicts: No conflicts declared by the authors. Read: abstract and full text (PMC) |
| Svanberg 2025 How funnel chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis) became an urban forager favorite in Scandinavia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine · PMID 40426182 · DOI |
Other |
100 Newspaper archives plus a 2017 questionnaire of 100 mushroom gatherers in Norway and Sweden |
Historical and interview study of the funnel chanterelle, a related species |
Full text: foragers sometimes confuse funnel chanterelle with the deadly poisonous webcap (Cortinarius rubellus), which grows in similar places and sometimes among funnel chanterelles. Each year people seek treatment in Sweden for poisoning from mistaking the webcap for funnel chanterelle. The paper is about the funnel chanterelle, a relative of the golden chanterelle. Look-alike danger stated for a related species Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: History of use; gatherer knowledge Limitations: Qualitative study of a different (related) species. Not a poisoning study. Funding and conflicts: The authors declare no competing interests. Read: abstract and full text (PMC) |
| USDA Agricultural Research Service 2019 USDA FoodData Central: Mushrooms, Chanterelle, raw (SR Legacy FDC 168422) USDA FoodData Central (API record) · Source |
Database record n/a |
One record of raw chanterelle | n/a Not shown here |
Per 100 g raw: energy 32 kcal; water 89.85 g; protein 1.49 g; fat 0.53 g; carbohydrate by difference 6.86 g; iron 3.47 mg; potassium 506 mg; sodium 9 mg; copper 0.353 mg; riboflavin 0.215 mg; niacin 4.085 mg; vitamin D2 5.3 ug (0 ug D3). Record footnote: ergosterol 61 mg per 100 g. One reference record of nutrient values Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Nutrient values per 100 g raw Limitations: A single laboratory record for one sample set. Values vary with where and how the mushroom grew. A nutrient value does not show a health effect. Funding and conflicts: n/a Read: database record, read 2026-10-25 |
| Vejrup 2026 [Acute dialysis-requiring and irreversible renal failure in a married couple after ingestion of deadly webcap] Ugeskrift for Laeger · PMID 42740553 · DOI |
Case report |
2 A married couple in Denmark |
Ingestion of deadly webcap |
The abstract (Danish paper, abstract read in the record) says the deadly webcap is sometimes mistaken for chanterelles. The couple were admitted with severe kidney failure and gastroenteritis 10 days after eating it, and both ended with end-stage kidney disease needing lifelong dialysis or a transplant. Irreversible kidney failure in both people Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Kidney failure Limitations: Two people, one case report. The abstract says treatment is only symptomatic. Funding and conflicts: No conflict statement in the abstract record. Read: abstract (Danish article) |
| Yao 2025 Discrimination of wild edible and poisonous fungi with similar appearance (Cantharellus albovenosus vs Omphalotus olearius) based on lipidomics using UHPLC-HR-AM/MS/MS. Food Chemistry · PMID 39612836 · DOI |
Laboratory analysis n/a |
Two wild fungi, an edible chanterelle (Cantharellus albovenosus) and the poisonous jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus olearius) | Lipid profiling by mass spectrometry fruiting body |
The paper describes the two as having a similar appearance. It found 37 lipids that separate them, and as little as 5 percent (w/w) of the poisonous mushroom mixed into the edible one could be detected. A laboratory method can tell them apart Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Lipid markers that tell the two fungi apart Limitations: A lab method, not something to use at home. The edible species is Cantharellus albovenosus, not C. cibarius. Funding and conflicts: The authors declare no competing interests. Read: abstract |
What we do not know yet
- No trial of eating or taking chanterelle for any health outcome was found.
- No chanterelle-specific regulator statement (EFSA, FDA, EMA, NCCIH, LiverTox, LactMed) was read.
- No source on poisoning by the false chanterelle was found.
- No interaction, pregnancy, breastfeeding or children data were found.
- The cause of two chanterelle-linked poisoning episodes in Sardinia is not stated.
How new research is added
New studies are found by a saved PubMed search and placed in a review queue. A person reads each one before it changes any evidence rating or safety wording. New publications never change ratings automatically.
Lab markers
What changed in blood or saliva tests during trials. A changed number is not the same as feeling or being healthier, and we give no "normal ranges".
Other 2
Blood vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D)
Mixed results in trials
The blood level doctors measure to check vitamin D status.
Not enough evidenceResults and what it means
Why it was measured
The standard test of vitamin D status.
Statistical vs. clinical meaning
No chanterelle study; shown only to explain why vitamin D2 from food is not the same as D3.
Safety implication
None specific.
| Study | Result | People | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | In randomised trials of vitamin D2 (not of chanterelle), vitamin D2 raised 25(OH)D2 but often lowered 25(OH)D3 and was less effective than D3 at raising total 25(OH)D. | Adults in trials reviewed (general, not chanterelle) | Vitamin D2 supplementation compared with vitamin D3 |
| 18 | The food itself contains vitamin D2 (5.3 ug per 100 g raw). No study measured blood levels after eating chanterelle. | n/a (food record) | n/a |
Gut barrier proteins and inflammatory cytokines (mice)
Improved in trials
Proteins that seal the gut lining (mucin-2, tight junction proteins) and immune signals called cytokines.
Not enough evidenceResults and what it means
Why it was measured
They show how inflamed or leaky the gut lining is in the mouse colitis model.
Statistical vs. clinical meaning
Animal markers only.
Safety implication
None specific.
| Study | Result | People | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mucin-2 and tight junction protein expression went up and pro-inflammatory cytokines went down in mice with colitis given the polysaccharide extract; no numbers in the abstract. | BALB/c mice with DSS colitis | Crude polysaccharide extract of C. cibarius |
Safety
What studies and official sources say about side effects, medicines and who should check first. Each point shows what kind of evidence it comes from.
Main points to know 5
- Poisonous look-alikes cause real illness, and one is deadly. Sources describe two different dangers from mistaking other fungi for chanterelles. Jack-o'-lantern fungi (Omphalotus) cause vomiting, belly cramps and diarrhoea 1 to 6 hours after eating, and a 2026 paper says the main cause is mistaking them for edible mushrooms such as Pleurotus and Cantharellus. In Sardinia, Omphalotus olearius was the most frequent toxic species in ten years of poisoning records. The deadly webcap (Cortinarius) has been mistaken for the funnel chanterelle and can cause permanent kidney failure; in one Swedish series, 22 of 28 poisoned people needed dialysis and 15 were transplanted. This page cannot teach identification. Never eat a wild mushroom unless it has been confirmed by a qualified local expert. Case series 13 11 17 9 19
- Kidney failure after deadly webcap can appear days later. A Danish case report says the deadly webcap is sometimes mistaken for chanterelles. A couple were admitted with severe kidney failure and gastroenteritis 10 days after eating it, and both ended up needing lifelong dialysis or a transplant. The abstract says treatment is only symptomatic. Case report 19 9
- Chanterelles take up metals and radioactivity from the soil. A Polish study of 33 dried commercial chanterelle samples found cadmium at a median of 0.17 mg per kg and a mean hazard index of 0.2212 at the moderate eating level the authors assumed, below their safety limit of 1. Other mushrooms in the same study varied far more, with one bay bolete sample showing a hazard index of 63.57. Wild Polish chanterelles contained caesium-137 at 118 to 1647 Bq per kg dry weight; the authors judged the estimated cancer risk from eating them low. Levels depend on where the mushroom grew. Lab analysis 5 16 8
- Allergy to edible mushrooms exists. A 2026 letter says edible mushroom allergy is varied and under-recognised. We did not find a chanterelle-specific report, and we read only the title and record of the letter. Insufficient 12
- No drug interactions or pregnancy data were found. We found no report, trial or regulator statement about chanterelle and medicines, pregnancy, breastfeeding or children. That is a gap in the research, not proof that nothing happens. The look-alike and metal cautions apply at any age. Gap
Side effects 4
| Effect | How often | Severity and recovery | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stomach and gut upset (vomiting, belly pain, diarrhoea) after eating mushrooms recorded as chanterelle The cause was not stated. It could be a mistaken identity, spoilage, a reaction to the mushroom or something else. | Two episodes among 164 mushroom poisoning cases in South Sardinia over ten years | moderate The papers read do not describe recovery for these two episodes | Observational 11 |
| Jack-o'-lantern (Omphalotus) poisoning after mistaking it for an edible mushroom: vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea 1 to 6 hours later The toxin in Omphalotus species is illudin. The Sardinia table lists symptoms such as colic, cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, sweating, tremor and vomiting. | Most frequent toxic species in Sardinian records (22% in the abstract's wording) | moderate Not described in the abstracts read | Observational 13 11 |
| Deadly webcap (Cortinarius) poisoning: stomach upset, then kidney failure Not caused by the chanterelle itself. The risk is eating the wrong fungus. | 28 patients followed in a Swedish series over 34 years | life-threatening Often permanent: 22 of 28 needed dialysis and 15 were transplanted | Case series 9 19 |
| Allergic reactions to edible mushrooms No chanterelle-specific report was read. | Not known | variable Not described | Insufficient 12 |
Liver
No report of liver injury from eating chanterelle was found in the sources read. We did not find a LiverTox entry for chanterelle. This is a gap, not a safety guarantee.
How often. No rate can be given.
This is a safety connection. It is not evidence that Chanterelle supports liver health.
Medicines and supplements 3
| With | Why it matters | Importance | Evidence | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription medicines in general prescription | Unknown. No report, trial or label statement was found. | Gap Not enough evidence | Ask a pharmacist or doctor if you take regular medicines and plan to eat large amounts of wild mushrooms, especially if you are unwell afterwards. | |
| Blood thinners and drugs that suppress the immune system prescription | Some other medicinal mushrooms carry cautions of this kind. No such caution was found for chanterelle. | Unknown. We found no report or study. | Gap Not enough evidence | Tell your pharmacist what you eat if you take these medicines. |
| Vitamin D supplements supplement | Chanterelle contains vitamin D2 (5.3 ug per 100 g raw in the USDA record). No interaction with supplements has been reported. | Not known to matter. No report found. | Other Not enough evidence 18 | No action needed beyond asking your doctor if you track your vitamin D intake. |
Who should check first 4
| Situation | Advice | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Any wild mushroom that has not been confirmed by a qualified local expert | Do not eat it. Sources show that other fungi are mistaken for chanterelles and that some cause permanent kidney failure. This page does not teach how to tell them apart, and pictures or phone apps are not enough. | Case series 9 17 19 |
| Known allergy to edible mushrooms | Avoid chanterelle unless an allergy specialist advises otherwise. | Insufficient 12 |
| Pregnancy, breastfeeding and young children | No safety data were found for chanterelle in these groups. Ask a doctor or midwife. The look-alike risk applies to everyone. | Gap |
| People who eat large amounts of wild mushrooms from one polluted area | Metal and radioactivity levels depend on the place the mushrooms grew, and sources say chanterelles take them up. Ask local public health sources about the area. | Lab analysis 5 16 8 |
Overdose, product quality and regulators
Summary. The golden chanterelle itself is a long-used food. The documented dangers are look-alike fungi, metals and radioactivity taken up from soil, and possible allergy.
Animal. Not reviewed for toxicity. The animal study read (mouse colitis) reported no safety findings in its abstract.
Human doses studied. No human trials. This page gives no amounts and none are advised.
High dose or long term signals. No long-term safety study of eating chanterelle was found. Metals and radioactivity build up in mushrooms, so regular large intakes from contaminated sites are the concern the papers raise; the authors of the Polish studies judged typical exposure low.
Overdose response. Not described.
Genotoxicity. Not read.
Toxic or hazardous parts. Fungus: fruiting body (eaten). The golden chanterelle is not described as poisonous in the sources read. Other fungi that look similar can be poisonous. No identification help is given here. Raw eating was not covered by any source we read.
Chanterelles take up cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic and radioactive caesium from the soil. Amounts depend on the location and the product.
Metals in dried chanterelle (Poland). In 33 samples (mg per kg): cadmium median 0.17 (0.04 to 0.22); mercury median 0.018 (maximum 0.202); arsenic median 1.217 (maximum 2.811); lead mostly below the detection limit (maximum 1.878). Mean hazard index 0.2212 at the assumed 3.6 g a day, below 1. Certified organic samples had lower mercury and arsenic across the study. 5
Radioactivity in wild Polish chanterelles. Caesium-137 118 to 1647 Bq per kg dry weight; natural potassium-40 1316 to 1895. The authors estimated 6.97 to 23.4 microsieverts a year in total for typical Polish consumption and judged the lifetime cancer risk low. A wider 2026 review says yearly exposure from mushrooms in some countries may exceed 1 mSv and that cooking lowers caesium-137 by 20 to 75 percent but not fully. It also lists a plutonium level of 53.78 Bq per kg in C. cibarius from Ukraine, the highest in the review. 16 8
Household treatment lowers cadmium. Blanching fresh chanterelles lowered cadmium by about 11 to 36 percent, blanching frozen ones about 40 percent, and blanching then pickling removed 77 to 91 percent in total (1565 fruiting bodies from five Polish sites). 6
Species named on labels. A 2026 DNA study found 11 Cantharellus taxa in eastern US forests, including a new species, so wild chanterelles sold under one name may be more than one species. This is our reading of the abstract, not a statement in the paper. 3
| Body | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|
| USDA FoodData Central (United States) | Lists raw chanterelle as a food with nutrient values (SR Legacy record 168422). This is a food-composition record, not a safety opinion. source | 2019-04-01 |
When to get medical help
- Vomiting, belly cramps or diarrhoea within hours of eating a wild mushroom: get medical advice the same day, and tell the clinicians exactly what was eaten.
- Stomach upset followed days later by much less urine, swelling, back or side pain or extreme tiredness: this is a possible kidney warning after a poisonous fungus. Get emergency care at once. Symptoms can appear days after the meal (10 days in one case report).
- Trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, or hives after eating mushrooms: call emergency services.
- Anyone else who shared the same meal should be checked too.
If someone may be poisoned or in a crisis, contact a clinician or emergency service straight away. In the US, Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.
General information only, not medical advice. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before use, especially with medicines, in pregnancy or with a health condition. See the Natural Remedy Safety guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chanterelle?
Is chanterelle safe to eat?
The golden chanterelle is a long-used food and the papers we read do not describe it as poisonous. The danger is mistaken identity: other fungi that look similar can cause severe illness. Sardinian records also list two poisoning episodes linked to chanterelle with unknown cause. Only eat wild mushrooms confirmed by a qualified local expert.
What are the poisonous look-alikes?
What about the false chanterelle?
A lab paper uses the name false chanterelle for Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, but none of the sources we read describes poisoning from it. We make no claim about whether it is harmful.
Can I tell look-alikes apart from a description or an app?
Does chanterelle have any health benefits?
Is chanterelle a good source of vitamin D?
It contains vitamin D2: 5.3 micrograms per 100 g raw in the USDA record, and a higher figure is quoted from another paper. No study tested the effect on blood vitamin D, and in trials vitamin D2 raised total blood vitamin D less than D3. One review calls it the richest source in nature, but the USDA record does not support that.
Does chanterelle contain heavy metals?
Is wild chanterelle radioactive?
Can chanterelle cause allergy?
Allergy to edible mushrooms exists and is described as under-recognised in a 2026 letter, but we found no chanterelle-specific report. Tell a doctor about any swelling, hives or breathing trouble after eating mushrooms.
Does chanterelle interact with medicines?
We found no report, trial or label statement about medicines and chanterelle. That means unknown, not safe. Ask a pharmacist or doctor if you take regular medicines.
Is chanterelle safe in pregnancy, breastfeeding or for children?
We found no safety data for these groups. Look-alike poisoning is dangerous at any age. Ask a doctor or midwife.
Explore by health goal
Editorial transparency
- Written by
- AlternativeMed editorial team. Research compiled with AI assistance, then checked against PubMed records.
- Medical review
- None. This page has not been reviewed by a physician or pharmacist.
- First published
- 2026-10-25
- Last substantive update
- 2026-10-25
- How we research
- We read PubMed records and abstracts for 18 papers (two food-science reviews, one mouse study, one cell study, three laboratory analyses of metals and radioactivity, one radiocaesium review, a species description, an observational poisoning study, an ethnobiology paper, a kidney-failure series, a case report, a lipid-profiling paper, a vitamin D2 review, a taxonomy paper and one lab paper naming the false chanterelle), plus the USDA FoodData Central record and the GBIF taxonomy record. Several papers were also read in PMC full text. A 2026 allergy letter was read as title and record only. Index Fungorum, EFSA, FDA, EMA, NCCIH, LiverTox and LactMed were not read. Certainty ratings are the compiler's own reading.
- How we rate evidence
- See "How we rate evidence" in the Evidence tab.
- Independence
- No product is promoted on this page. No affiliate links are shown. This page is information, not a recommendation to eat or pick chanterelle.
Sources 20
Each source was opened and checked. Where we read only the abstract, it says so. The small numbers in the text point here.
- Alioui Y, Ullah H, Ali S, et al. Polysaccharides derived from golden mushroom (Cantharellus cibarius Fr.) modulate gut microbiota and enhance intestinal barrier function to ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice.. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2024. PMID 39744127. DOI 10.3389/fphar.2024.1498625. (abstract)
- Bieg F, Galanty A, Arancibia-Ávila P, et al. Content of Vitamin D2 in Alternative Biological and Nutritional Sources and Its Effectiveness as Compared to Vitamin D3 - A Narrative Review.. Metabolites. 2026. PMID 42506436. DOI 10.3390/metabo16070485. (abstract)
- Bily D, Swenie RA, Gyatso T, et al. Cantharellus diversity in mixed oak forests of Virginia, with a new species, Cantharellus sabuletorum.. Mycologia. 2026. PMID 41191597. DOI 10.1080/00275514.2025.2559556. (abstract)
- Chen X, Xu B. Insights into chemical components, health-promoting effects, and processing impact of golden chanterelle mushroom Cantharellus cibarius.. Food & Function. 2024. PMID 38967456. DOI 10.1039/d4fo00891j. (abstract)
- Domagalska J, Rusin M, Rogala D, et al. Evaluation of Toxic Elements in Commercial Dried Mushrooms from the Polish Market: Exposure Assessment and Health Risk Characterization.. Molecules. 2026. PMID 42280168. DOI 10.3390/molecules31111865. (abstract and full text (PMC))
- Drewnowska M, Hanć A, Barałkiewicz D, Falandysz J. Pickling of chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius mushrooms highly reduce cadmium contamination.. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2017. PMID 28766143. DOI 10.1007/s11356-017-9819-2. (abstract)
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF: Cantharellus cibarius Fr.. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (API). 2026. (database record, checked 2026-10-25)
- Gao Y, Cao L, Liu M, et al. Level, accumulation, transfer of radiocesium and plutonium in soil-mushroom systems and their health implications: A review.. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2026. PMID 41448089. DOI 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140870. (abstract)
- Hedman H, Holmdahl J, Mölne J, et al. Long-term clinical outcome for patients poisoned by the fungal nephrotoxin orellanine.. BMC Nephrology. 2017. PMID 28372584. DOI 10.1186/s12882-017-0533-6. (abstract)
- Kumar A, Devi R, Dhalaria R, et al. Nutritional, Nutraceutical, and Medicinal Potential of Cantharellus cibarius Fr.: A Comprehensive Review.. Food Science & Nutrition. 2025. PMID 39803245. DOI 10.1002/fsn3.4641. (abstract and full text (PMC))
- La Rosa L, Corrias S, Pintor I, Cosentino S. Epidemiology and clinical aspect of mushroom poisonings in South Sardinia: A 10-year retrospective analysis (2011-2021).. Food Science & Nutrition. 2024. PMID 38268883. DOI 10.1002/fsn3.3793. (abstract and full-text table (PMC))
- Lee Qiyu ML, Song Chia J. Edible mushroom allergy: a clinically heterogeneous and under-recognized condition.. European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2026. PMID 42788552. DOI 10.23822/EurAnnACI.1764-1489.452. (title and record only)
- Li ZF, Zhang J, Min XD, et al. Omphalotus yunnanensis: A New Poisonous Mushroom Discovered from China Based on Morphological, Molecular and Toxin-Detection Evidence.. Toxins. 2026. PMID 41591186. DOI 10.3390/toxins18010040. (abstract and introduction (PMC))
- Nowak R, Drozd M, Mendyk E, et al. A New Method for the Isolation of Ergosterol and Peroxyergosterol as Active Compounds of Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca and in Vitro Antiproliferative Activity of Isolated Ergosterol Peroxide.. Molecules. 2016. PMID 27455215. DOI 10.3390/molecules21070946. (abstract)
- Shall A, Dadey E, Wu Q, et al. Inhibitory Effects of the Methanol Extract of the Golden Chanterelle Mushroom, Cantharellus cibarius (Agaricomycetes) in Treating a Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line.. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 2024. PMID 39704616. DOI 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2024055328. (abstract)
- Strumińska-Parulska D, Moniakowska A, Szymańska K, Falandysz J. Evaluation of radioactivity in chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) and health implications.. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 2025. PMID 40493290. DOI 10.1007/s10653-025-02576-9. (abstract and full text (PMC))
- Svanberg I, Løvaas M, Ståhlberg S. How funnel chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis) became an urban forager favorite in Scandinavia.. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2025. PMID 40426182. DOI 10.1186/s13002-025-00789-x. (abstract and full text (PMC))
- USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA FoodData Central: Mushrooms, Chanterelle, raw (SR Legacy FDC 168422). USDA FoodData Central (API record). 2019. (database record, read 2026-10-25)
- Vejrup AL, Langkilde RZ, Thuesen AD. [Acute dialysis-requiring and irreversible renal failure in a married couple after ingestion of deadly webcap]. Ugeskrift for Laeger. 2026. PMID 42740553. DOI 10.61409/V11250893. (abstract (Danish article))
- Yao J, Zhu J, Marchioni E, et al. Discrimination of wild edible and poisonous fungi with similar appearance (Cantharellus albovenosus vs Omphalotus olearius) based on lipidomics using UHPLC-HR-AM/MS/MS.. Food Chemistry. 2025. PMID 39612836. DOI 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142189. (abstract)
