Mushrooms · Wild culinary mushroom
Pine bolete
Boletus pinophilus · also called Pinewood king bolete, pine porcini, Kiefern-Steinpilz, borowik sosnowy
Pine bolete is a wild culinary mushroom, a relative of porcini, eaten fresh or dried. We found no human trial showing a health benefit from eating it. Its big research topics are what it picks up from the forest: it had the highest mercury of 28 species in one Spanish study, and old Polish samples held radioactive caesium. Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it in person.
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 Pine bolete
Pine bolete is a wild culinary mushroom closely related to porcini and often sold under that name. Most research on it is about what it picks up from forest soil rather than health: it is a strong mercury accumulator, and older Polish samples held radioactive caesium. We found no human health trial. The practical cautions are where it grew, identification by an expert, and what a label really says.
Mercury: a strong accumulator
In 238 samples of 28 wild species from north-west Spain, pine bolete had the highest mean mercury: 6.9 mg per kg dry weight in the pore layer and 4.5 in the rest of the mushroom. The authors say most of the mushrooms are no mercury risk, but that pine bolete and three others should be eaten in low amounts.
In ten forest areas of Poland and Belarus, median mercury in pine bolete caps reached 3.6 mg per kg dry matter, and the mushroom took up much more mercury than was in the soil. These authors say occasional eating may be safe. Both sets of figures are for wild mushrooms in particular places.
Radioactive caesium from old fallout
Four Polish pools of pine bolete collected in 1998 and 2000 held 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter of caesium-137 in the caps and 425 to 631 in the stalks. Boletes from Europe held two to four orders of magnitude more than porcini from Yunnan, China, where levels were very low. These are old samples. They say nothing about mushrooms picked today, and the abstract compares them with no safety limit.
Cadmium and other metals
In a Bulgarian mountain study, cadmium and copper made up the largest shares of pine bolete's metal health-risk index. The authors say cadmium was under an EU threshold. Three other species had an index above 1 for children aged 1 to 3; pine bolete was not named among them. A Polish and Swedish survey of 22 species concluded no health hazard from metals in 100 g portions. For dried boletes bought in shops, a 2026 Polish survey found large differences between suppliers (pine bolete is not named in its abstract).
Pine bolete and the porcini label
Pine bolete is a separate species from porcini (Boletus edulis). A DNA study of wild-mushroom products sold in the USA found Boletus pinophilus in two dried products labelled as porcini and in a porcini powder, and their labels fitted. The same study found that other products held species that did not match the label, and a few held species of dubious edibility. Our porcini page covers Boletus edulis; see also bay bolete, a different species again.
What it is
Pine bolete is a fungus, Boletus pinophilus, in the family Boletaceae. GBIF lists the name as accepted and gives Pine Bolete as the English name. It is a bolete, a group that lives on tree roots, so it is collected wild. The part eaten is the mushroom itself, the cap and stalk.
What the research shows on benefits
Researchers have measured what is in pine bolete. Potassium is the most abundant element in a survey of 22 species, and a review says it can accumulate considerable selenium. A lab study found that the way it is cooked changes its phenolic content and test-tube antioxidant readings. None of this shows a health benefit in people, and we found no human trial of pine bolete for any health outcome. Our search was not exhaustive.
Legal and regulatory status
We did not open any regulation. The Bulgarian authors cite an EU regulation from 2008 for the cadmium threshold, which we did not read. We did not read EFSA, FDA or national limits for mercury or caesium, so none is stated. Rules differ by country and change.
At a glance
Traditional uses history, not proof
- Eaten as a wild culinary mushroom and sold dried or as a powder, often under the porcini name (a 2021 DNA study).
- No traditional medicine use was found in the sources we read.
Studied for research
- Nutrition as a food (minerals such as potassium), insufficient evidence of any health effect
- Selenium and fibre content, insufficient (a review estimate and a composition survey)
- Antioxidant readings in the test tube after cooking, insufficient (lab only; no people studied)
Main compounds
- Potassium and other minerals
- Selenium, which a review says this bolete can accumulate
- Beta-glucans (fibres in the cell wall) and phenolic compounds
- Also mercury, cadmium and radioactive caesium-137 taken up from the soil
Common forms
- Fresh, cooked mushroom
- Dried mushroom, soaked before use
- Powder sold under the porcini name
- Extract or capsule (not assessed in the sources we read)
Research links: Mercury in boletes, Poland and Belarus (abstract) · Mercury in 28 edible mushrooms, Spain (abstract) · Radiocaesium in Boletus mushrooms, Europe and Yunnan (abstract) · Metals in wild mushrooms, Bulgaria (letter) · DNA check of wild-mushroom products (abstract) · Penn State Extension: Preparing and preserving mushrooms · Research Library · Genes & Biomarkers Library
What it is and its history
- Accepted scientific name
- Boletus pinophilus
- Naming authority
- Pilat & Dermek (GBIF)
- Synonyms
- Boletus pinicola (alias used in some literature, per our earlier summary file; not checked in GBIF)
- Common names
- Pine bolete (English); Pinewood king bolete (English); Pine porcini (English (trade use)); Kiefern-Steinpilz (German); Borowik sosnowy (Polish)
- Family or group
- Boletaceae (a fungus family; boletes), not a plant
- Classification
- Fungi > Basidiomycota > Agaricomycetes > Boletales > Boletaceae > Boletus > Boletus pinophilus
- Native range
- Not checked as a range. The studies read sampled Poland, Belarus, Sweden, Bulgaria and Spain.
- Habitat
- The Missouri page says boletes are mycorrhizal (the fungus lives as a network on tree roots and forms the mushroom above ground); that page is about the bitter bolete. The name 'pine' is from the common name; no habitat source for this species was read.
- What it looks like
- Fruiting body: Not described here. Identification of wild mushrooms must be done in person by an expert, so no field description is given.
- Cultivation
- Wild-collected in all sources read; no cultivation source was read.
- Harvest and processing
- Sold fresh, dried or as a powder, often under the porcini name. Drying concentrates mercury, caesium and metals per gram. Details not checked.
- Look-alikes and adulterants
- Name: Bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus); Note: The Missouri Department of Conservation lists it as not edible and extremely bitter, and says it resembles the king bolete (Boletus edulis). No source we read says it is confused with pine bolete.; Name: Other boletes; Note: The same page says other boletes may look alike. A 2026 report describes poisonings from Neoboletus boletes in China. No source we read names poisonous or red-pored look-alikes of pine bolete.
- Sustainability and conservation
- Not checked.
Traditional use and history history, not clinical proof
| Tradition or era | Documented use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Food use | Eaten as a wild culinary mushroom and sold as porcini; a 2021 DNA study found it in dried porcini products and a porcini powder. No traditional medicine history source was read, so none is stated. | p34414024 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selenium | trace element | Fruiting body A review says Boletus pinophilus can accumulate considerable selenium; bioaccessible intake from it can be twofold greater than from B. edulis (review authors' estimate). | Nutrient; no pine bolete health effect shown. 5 | Compositional analysis |
| Potassium | mineral | Fruiting body Most abundant of 16 elements measured across 22 wild species including pine bolete (no pine-only figure in the abstract). | Nutrient. 1 | Compositional analysis |
| Beta-glucans | cell-wall polysaccharides | Fruiting body Measured in B. pinophilus but not given in the abstract; range across eight wild species and one cultivated was 13.5 to 40.9 g total beta-glucan per 100 g dry mass. | Structural; no pine bolete health effect shown. 13 | Compositional analysis |
| Phenolic compounds | phenolics | Fruiting body Measured; no pine-only value in the abstract. | Test-tube antioxidant readings after cooking. 16 | Laboratory research |
| Mercury (contaminant) | toxic metal | Caps and the pore layer Median up to 3.6 mg per kg dry matter in caps (Poland and Belarus); mean 6.9 (pore layer) and 4.5 (rest) mg per kg dry weight (Spain). | Contaminant taken up from soil. 6 12 | Compositional analysis |
| Caesium-137 (contaminant) | radionuclide | Caps higher than stipes in the Polish pools 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter in caps, 425 to 631 in stipes (Poland, 1998 to 2000). | Contaminant from old fallout. 7 | Compositional analysis |
Mechanisms, receptors and pathways
| Target or pathway | Gene or receptor | What was found | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant assays | not specified | Cooking changed phenolic content and test-tube radical-scavenging readings in four Boletus species. This is not a finding in people. 16 | Laboratory research |
Absorption, metabolism and elimination
- Absorption
- Not found for pine bolete.
- Distribution
- Not found.
- Metabolism
- Not found.
- Elimination
- Not found.
- Bioavailability
- Not established. The review's selenium figure is described as 'bioaccessible', an estimate.
Isolated compounds versus whole extracts
Pine bolete is eaten as a whole food, fresh or dried, or sold as a powder under the porcini name. No pine bolete capsule or extract was assessed in the sources read.
Nutritional composition
Potassium was the most abundant element in a survey of 22 wild species that included pine bolete. USDA has no pine bolete entry in the files we hold, so no nutrient table is given.
3 not enough evidence
What was looked at
The 3 benefits and uses checked for Pine bolete, each with how strong the evidence is. Tap one to open it.
What is Pine bolete good for?
The uses people ask about and how strong the human evidence is for each. None is proven for pine bolete. 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.
Nutrition as a food (minerals)
Not enough evidencePine bolete is a wild culinary mushroom. In a study of about 1,500 samples of 22 wild species that included it, potassium was the most abundant element measured. This describes the food. No trial shows a health benefit from eating it.
1 studiesEaten fresh and cooked, or dried and soaked. Drying removes water, so…
Studies, doses and limits
What the trials found
No human trial of eating pine bolete was found.
Results
Potassium was the most abundant of 16 elements measured in a Polish and Swedish survey of 22 species; the highest shares of recommended intakes were for potassium, magnesium and copper (across species). The abstract gives no pine-bolete-only figures. USDA has no pine bolete entry in the files we hold, so no nutrient table is given.
Why this rating
Composition data only; no study measured a health effect of eating pine bolete.
Form and dose studied
Eaten fresh and cooked, or dried and soaked. Drying removes water, so a figure per gram of dried mushroom is higher than per gram of fresh. Check which basis a number uses.
Who was studied
General food use
Limits
Wild samples differ by place and age. Only the abstract was read, so pine-bolete-specific values were not seen.
Why researchers looked
Pine bolete is mainly a food. Most papers measure what it holds, or what it picks up from the soil, not what it does in people.
Traditional use
No traditional medicine use was found in the sources read.
Proposed mechanism Compositional analysis
Not applicable: a composition fact, not a mechanism.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
Wild pine bolete can carry mercury and radioactive caesium; see the Safety tab.
Selenium and fibre content
Not enough evidenceA review says Boletus pinophilus can accumulate considerable selenium, and estimates that the selenium a person could take in from it may be about twice that from porcini. A Polish study measured beta-glucan (a fibre) in pine bolete but the abstract gives no value. These are composition points, not health effects.
2 studiesNot applicable.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
The 2013 review says the bioaccessible selenium intake from B. pinophilus can be twofold greater than from B. edulis and B. reticulatus; it puts those at 24 micrograms for a 100 g portion. The 2017 beta-glucan study tested B. pinophilus among eight wild species but the abstract gives no pine bolete result; the range across all species was 13.5 to 40.9 g total beta-glucan per 100 g dry mass.
Why this rating
A review estimate and a composition survey; the pine bolete figure was not seen in a measured table.
Who was studied
General food use
Limits
The selenium comparison is the review authors' estimate. Selenium in wild mushrooms varies with the soil.
Why researchers looked
Selenium and beta-glucan are the nutrients researchers most often report for porcini-group mushrooms.
Proposed mechanism Compositional analysis
Not applicable: composition.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
Selenium, like the metals, depends on where the mushroom grew.
Antioxidant readings in the test tube
Not enough evidenceA lab study cooked four Boletus species, pine bolete among them, in five ways and measured phenolic compounds and test-tube antioxidant activity. Microwaving kept phenolics best and boiling lowered them. This is a laboratory result, not a finding in people.
1 studiesMushrooms cooked in five ways in the lab. No supplement was assessed.
Studies, doses and limits
Results
Microwaving retained total phenolics better than steaming, pressure-cooking, frying or boiling, and boiling lowered them significantly (all four Boletus species together). Effects on the three antioxidant assays differed by species and cooking method. No pine-bolete-only numbers appear in the abstract.
Why this rating
Test-tube assays only; no study in animals or people was found for pine bolete.
Form and dose studied
Mushrooms cooked in five ways in the lab. No supplement was assessed.
Limits
Antioxidant assays are chemical tests and do not show a benefit when eaten. Results for pine bolete alone were not seen.
Why researchers looked
Researchers measure antioxidant capacity of mushroom extracts as a first look at what they contain.
Proposed mechanism Laboratory research
Radical-scavenging assays measure how well an extract neutralises a chemical dye or radical in a test tube. They do not show what happens in the body.
A proposed mechanism does not show that the effect happens in people.
Not applicable.
Connections to the rest of health
How Pine bolete 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
E. Health conditions
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mushroom poisoning | Adverse effect or risk | Low certainty | Neoboletus poisoning report; no pine-bolete-specific look-alike source read. Preparation or compound: Mistaken wild boletes |
11 15 |
F. Functional actions
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Biological association | Not enough evidence | Test-tube assays only; no trial. Preparation or compound: Cooked Boletus mushrooms |
16 |
G. Root causes and contributing factors
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy metal exposure | Moderate certainty | Highest mean mercury of 28 species in one Spanish survey; depends on site. Preparation or compound: Wild pine bolete (mercury, cadmium) |
12 6 9 | |
| Environmental toxins | Moderate certainty | Polish samples from 1998 to 2000 held 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter in caps; old samples. Preparation or compound: Wild pine bolete (radiocaesium) |
7 |
L. Active compounds
| Connected to | Kind of connection | Evidence status | Context | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selenium | Biological association | Compositional analysis | Nutrient; no pine bolete health effect shown. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
5 |
| Potassium | Biological association | Compositional analysis | Nutrient. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
1 |
| Beta-glucans | Biological association | Compositional analysis | Structural; no pine bolete health effect shown. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
13 |
| Phenolic compounds | Biological association | In vitro | Test-tube antioxidant readings after cooking. Preparation or compound: Fruiting body |
16 |
| Mercury (contaminant) | Biological association | Compositional analysis | Contaminant taken up from soil. Preparation or compound: Caps and the pore layer |
6 12 |
| Caesium-137 (contaminant) | Biological association | Compositional analysis | Contaminant from old fallout. Preparation or compound: Caps higher than stipes in the Polish pools |
7 |
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 the research found for 3 outcomes
Each outcome below is one thing researchers measured. Certainty is how far the evidence can be trusted, not how well it works. The full studies are on the next tab.
The evidence
The research centre for Pine bolete. 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 for 13 papers: abstracts for 10 (composition and contamination surveys, one lab cooking study, one review, one poisoning case report and one DNA survey), title-and-record only for two (mushroom allergy), and the full text of a short letter that has no abstract. We also read a full-text table for caesium, two guidance pages (Missouri Department of Conservation and Penn State Extension), and checked the name in GBIF. Index Fungorum, EFSA, FDA and poison-centre statements were not read. Certainty ratings are the compiler's own reading.
Study library: every study we checked 16
| Study | Design | People | Product, dose, length | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brzezicha-Cirocka 2019 Elemental composition of selected species of mushrooms based on a chemometric evaluation. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · PMID 30784799 · DOI |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
About 1,500 samples of 22 wild mushroom species from regions of Poland and the Umea area of Sweden | Wild fruiting bodies including Boletus pinophilus fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says potassium was the most abundant element in all samples, and the highest shares of recommended intake were for potassium, magnesium and copper. Boletus pinophilus was one of several species that could be told apart within one region of Poland by potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and cadmium. Based on provisional tolerable weekly intakes for 100 g portions, the authors conclude no health hazard is associated with eating these mushrooms. The abstract gives no values specific to pine bolete. Composition data; no pine-bolete-specific value in the abstract Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: 16 elements; regional and species differences; share of recommended intakes Limitations: Abstract only, so pine bolete numbers were not seen; wild samples from particular places. Funding and conflicts: Not stated in the abstract Read: abstract |
| Castillo 2013 Protein identification of two allergens of Boletus edulis causing occupational asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine · PMID 23675726 · DOI |
Case report (title only) fungus (letter) |
Not read | Boletus edulis (porcini), a different species from pine bolete fruiting body Not shown here |
Only the title and record were read; PubMed has no abstract. The title says two allergens of Boletus edulis were identified in occupational asthma. It is about porcini, not pine bolete, and is cited only to show that boletes can cause allergy. Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Allergen identification Limitations: Title and record only; a different species. Funding and conflicts: Not read Read: title and record only |
| Cutler II 2021 What's for dinner this time?: DNA authentication of "wild mushrooms" in food products sold in the USA. PeerJ · PMID 34414024 · DOI |
Laboratory survey fungus (DNA survey) |
16 wild mushroom food products bought from local grocers and a large online retailer in the USA | Dried mushrooms, powders and mixes, tested by DNA fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says 28 species were found across 16 products, that products labelled wild mushrooms often held cultivated species, that truly wild species were not always the labelled ones, and that a few widely distributed products contained species of dubious edibility. In the full text, Boletus pinophilus was found in two dried porcini products labelled from Siberia or Russia and one porcini powder, and their labels fitted; it also appeared in a mushroom powder with no ingredient list. It was among the most frequently found species (six samples). Boletus pinophilus is sold under the porcini name Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Which fungal species the products contained Limitations: US market only; 16 products; full text read for the passages naming Boletus pinophilus. Funding and conflicts: Authors declare no competing interests apart from an editor role at the journal Read: abstract and full-text passages |
| 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 survey fungus (lab survey) |
164 samples of commercial dried mushrooms of six species from the Polish market | Dried mushrooms (the abstract does not name Boletus pinophilus) fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says contamination depended on species, supplier and certification status. Boletus edulis and Suillus species had the most cadmium and arsenic respectively, and one Imleria badia sample had an extreme arsenic value (369 mg per kg). Organic-certified products had lower mercury and arsenic. Pine bolete is not named in the abstract, so these results are used only to show that dried wild boletes vary a lot by supplier. Large differences between suppliers and products Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic; health risk Limitations: Pine bolete not named in the abstract; Polish market only. Funding and conflicts: Authors declare no conflicts of interest Read: abstract |
| Falandysz 2013 Macro and trace mineral constituents and radionuclides in mushrooms: health benefits and risks. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · PMID 23179616 · DOI |
Narrative review fungus (review) |
Review of published data on elements and radionuclides in wild and cultivated mushrooms | Wild and cultivated mushrooms fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says minerals of nutritional value occur in wild mushrooms together with hazardous elements such as cadmium, lead, mercury, silver, arsenic and radionuclides. In the full text, Boletus pinophilus is named among Boletus species that can accumulate considerable selenium, and the authors say the bioaccessible selenium intake from B. pinophilus can be twofold greater than from B. edulis and B. reticulatus (which they put at 24 micrograms for a 100 g portion). Review statement about selenium in B. pinophilus Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Selenium and other elements; hazardous elements and radionuclides Limitations: A narrative review; the selenium statement is the authors' estimate and the B. pinophilus figure was not measured in a trial. Full text read only around the selenium passage. Funding and conflicts: Not checked Read: abstract and full-text passage |
| Falandysz 2014 Mercury in certain boletus mushrooms from Poland and Belarus. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B · PMID 25035918 · DOI |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
Four Boletus species and the soil under them from ten forested areas in Poland and Belarus | Wild caps and stipes of Boletus pinophilus (with B. reticulatus, B. impolitus, B. luridus) fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says median mercury in caps of the four species ran from 0.38 to 4.7 mg per kg dry matter and in stipes from 0.13 to 2.5. Caps of B. reticulatus and B. pinophilus reached medians of up to 4.7 and 3.6 mg per kg, and these two very efficiently took up mercury (bioconcentration factors up to 130 for caps and 58 for stipes). Eating them would give an elevated mercury dose; the authors say occasional eating of the two species may be safe. Median cap mercury up to 3.6 mg per kg dry matter for B. pinophilus Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Mercury in caps, stipes and soil; bioconcentration; estimated intake Limitations: Wild samples from ten places; dry-matter basis; the abstract does not say how many pine bolete samples. Funding and conflicts: Research support from a non-US government source; no conflict statement in the abstract Read: abstract |
| Falandysz 2015 Evaluation of the radioactive contamination in fungi genus Boletus in the region of Europe and Yunnan Province in China. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · PMID 26048471 · DOI |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
Wild Boletus mushrooms from Europe (Poland, Belarus, Sweden; 1995 to 2010) and Yunnan, China (2011 to 2014) | Wild caps and stipes of several Boletus species including B. pinophilus fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says boletes collected in Europe, including Boletus pinophilus, held two to four orders of magnitude more caesium-137 than Boletus edulis from Yunnan (5.2 to 10 Bq per kg dry matter in caps). In the full-text table, four Polish pine bolete pools collected in 1998 and 2000 had caps with 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter and stipes with 425 to 631. For potassium-40, the abstract says pine bolete caps were richer than stipes. Pine bolete caps 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter (Poland, 1998 to 2000) Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Caesium-137 and potassium-40 Limitations: Old samples; they say nothing about mushrooms picked today. Dry-matter basis. No safety limit is compared in the abstract. Funding and conflicts: Research support from a non-US government source; no conflict statement in the abstract Read: abstract and full-text table |
| GBIF 2026 GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Boletus pinophilus Pilat & Dermek (key 5954949), checked 2026-10-25 GBIF API · Source |
Taxonomy record n/a |
n/a | n/a Not shown here |
GBIF returns Boletus pinophilus Pilat & Dermek as ACCEPTED (key 5954949), kingdom Fungi, phylum Basidiomycota, class Agaricomycetes, order Boletales, family Boletaceae, genus Boletus. The record gives the English vernacular name Pine Bolete and says it was published in 1973 in Ceska Mykologie 27(1): 6. Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Accepted name Limitations: A database record; Index Fungorum was not checked. Funding and conflicts: Public database Read: record |
| Ivanova 2020 Evaluation of the Human Health Risk of Wild Edible Mushrooms Consumption from Batak Mountain, Bulgaria. Iranian Journal of Public Health · PMID 33083337 |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
Nine wild edible mushroom species collected in 2014 and 2018 on Batak Mountain, western Rhodopes, Bulgaria | Wild fruiting bodies including Boletus pinophilus fruiting body Not shown here |
The letter (the PubMed record has no abstract, so the full text was read) says cadmium and copper had the largest shares of the health risk index for Boletus pinophilus (35.60 and 34.54 percent) and cobalt the smallest (0.35 percent). Three other species (Amanita caesarea, Cantharellus aurora and C. tubaeformis) had an index above 1 for children aged 1 to 3; pine bolete was not among them. The authors say cadmium in the mushrooms was under the threshold in an EU regulation from 2008. Cadmium and copper made up most of pine bolete's share of the metal risk index Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Eight metals; daily intake; health risk index (HRI) Limitations: A short letter on one mountain area; it gives shares of an index, not metal concentrations; the study design and the EU threshold were not checked further. Funding and conflicts: Authors declare no conflict of interest Read: full text of the letter |
| Lee Qiyu 2026 Edible mushroom allergy: a clinically heterogeneous and under-recognized condition. European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · PMID 42788552 · DOI |
Review (title only) fungus (review) |
Not read | Edible mushrooms in general fruiting body Not shown here |
Only the title and record were read; PubMed has no abstract. The title describes edible mushroom allergy as clinically varied and under-recognised. Nothing about pine bolete was read. Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Mushroom allergy Limitations: Title and record only. Funding and conflicts: Not read Read: title and record only |
| Li 2026 Beyond gastroenteritis: first evidence of systemic biochemical disturbances, predominantly coagulation dysfunction, in Neoboletus poisoning. Toxicon · PMID 42476469 · DOI |
Case report fungus (poisoning report) |
Two poisoning episodes in Yunnan, China (2022 and 2023), eight people in total | Wild Neoboletus boletes (a different group from pine bolete) fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract describes a first episode with four adults, one of whom had belly pain, dizziness and sweating that settled within an hour, and a second episode with a mixed wild mushroom meal in which three of four people were sick. Blood tests in the two men with the highest intake showed a longer clotting time (thrombin time up to 37.5 seconds), high blood sugar, raised creatine kinase, mild liver and kidney changes. The causes were most likely Neoboletus obscureumbrinus and N. multipunctatus. This is not about pine bolete. Dose-dependent blood-test changes after Neoboletus poisoning Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Symptoms, blood tests, species identification Limitations: Small case series; a different genus; it does not say these mushrooms resemble pine bolete. Funding and conflicts: Authors declare no competing interests Read: abstract |
| Melgar 2009 Mercury in edible mushrooms and underlying soil: bioconcentration factors and toxicological risk. Science of the Total Environment · PMID 19631362 · DOI |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
238 samples of 28 wild edible mushroom species and the soil beneath them, Lugo province, north-west Spain | Wild fruiting bodies, cap-pore layer (hymenophore) and the rest analysed separately fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says the highest mean mercury (mg per kg dry weight) was in Boletus pinophilus, 6.9 in the hymenophore and 4.5 in the rest of the fruiting body, ahead of three other species. All 28 species took up mercury from the soil. The authors conclude eating most of the mushrooms is not a mercury risk but that B. pinophilus and three other species should be eaten in low amounts. Highest mean mercury of 28 species: 6.9 and 4.5 mg per kg dry weight Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Mercury by species; bioconcentration; toxicological risk Limitations: Wild samples from one province; dry-weight basis. Funding and conflicts: Research support from a non-US government source; no conflict statement in the abstract Read: abstract |
| Mironczuk-Chodakowska 2017 Quantitative evaluation of 1,3,1,6 beta-D-glucan contents in wild-growing species of edible Polish mushrooms. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny · PMID 28895671 |
Laboratory survey fungus (lab survey) |
Eight wild Polish mushroom species including Boletus pinophilus, and cultivated Agaricus bisporus for comparison | Dried wild fruiting bodies fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says mean total beta-glucan across the species ran from 13.5 g per 100 g dry mass (cultivated portobello) to 40.9 g (Tricholomopsis rutilans), and that wild mushrooms generally had more 1,3-1,6-beta-glucan than cultivated ones. It lists Boletus pinophilus among the species tested but gives no value for it. Beta-glucan was measured; no pine bolete figure in the abstract Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Total beta-glucan and 1,3-1,6-beta-glucan Limitations: Abstract only; the pine bolete value was not seen. A beta-glucan measurement does not show a health effect from eating the mushroom. Funding and conflicts: Not stated in the abstract Read: abstract |
| Missouri Department of Conservation 2026 Missouri Department of Conservation: Bitter Bolete (field guide page), read 2026-10-25 mdc.mo.gov · Source |
Guidance page n/a |
n/a | n/a Not shown here |
The page lists the bitter bolete as not edible and says it can be extremely bitter. It says this species resembles the choice king bolete (Boletus edulis). It also says other boletes may look alike and some may be edible. It does not mention pine bolete. Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Edibility and resemblance Limitations: A US state field guide; it compares the bitter bolete to the king bolete, not to the pine bolete. The page shows no update date. Funding and conflicts: Public body Read: full text |
| Penn State Extension 2024 Penn State Extension: Preparing and Preserving Mushrooms (updated 22 November 2024), read 2026-10-25 extension.psu.edu · Source |
Guidance page n/a |
n/a | n/a Not shown here |
The page says only an expert can tell poisonous from edible mushrooms, that unless you are an expert you should not forage your own, and that cooking or drying does not destroy their toxins. Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Wild mushroom safety advice Limitations: A US university extension page, general to all mushrooms. Funding and conflicts: Public body Read: full text |
| Sun 2014 Effect of different cooking methods on total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of four Boletus mushrooms. Journal of Food Science and Technology · PMID 26396332 · DOI |
Laboratory study fungus (lab study) |
Fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus, B. badius, B. pinophilus and B. edulis | Mushrooms steamed, pressure-cooked, microwaved, fried or boiled, then tested in the lab fruiting body Not shown here |
The abstract says microwaving kept total phenolics better than the other cooking methods and boiling lowered them significantly. Effects on the phenolic acid profile and on the three antioxidant assays differed by species and by cooking method. The abstract gives no numbers for pine bolete separately. Cooking changed lab phenolic and antioxidant readings; no health outcome measured Methods, limits and fundingOutcomes: Total phenolics; hydroxyl-radical scavenging, reducing power, DPPH scavenging (test-tube antioxidant assays) Limitations: Test-tube assays only; results by species not in the abstract. Funding and conflicts: Not stated in the abstract Read: abstract |
What we do not know yet
- No human trial of pine bolete for any health outcome was found.
- No source naming poisonous, bitter or red-pored look-alikes of pine bolete was read.
- No regulatory text was opened.
- No study of cooking, soaking or drying effects on mercury or caesium in pine bolete was found, and no data on allergy rates, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or powders, extracts and capsules.
- Survey figures are for particular places and years and may not match any product you buy.
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".
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 4
- Wild boletes can be mistaken for each other, and cooking does not remove toxins. Penn State Extension says only an expert can tell poisonous from edible mushrooms, and that cooking or drying does not destroy their toxins. The Missouri Department of Conservation lists the bitter bolete as not edible and extremely bitter, and says it resembles the king bolete (porcini); it says other boletes may look alike too. That page does not mention pine bolete. A 2026 report from China describes poisonings with other wild boletes of the genus Neoboletus, with changes in blood clotting and blood sugar; that report is not about pine bolete. We read no source naming particular poisonous or bitter look-alikes of pine bolete, or red-pored look-alikes, so none is named here. Authoritative guidance 15 14 11
- Wild pine bolete is a strong mercury accumulator. In 238 samples of 28 wild species in north-west Spain, Boletus pinophilus had the highest mean mercury: 6.9 mg per kg dry weight in the pore layer and 4.5 in the rest. In ten forest areas of Poland and Belarus, median mercury in pine bolete caps reached 3.6 mg per kg dry matter. One set of authors advises eating it in low amounts; the other says occasional eating may be safe. Levels depend on the site. Laboratory survey 12 6
- Wild pine bolete can hold radioactive caesium from old fallout. Four pools of Polish pine bolete collected in 1998 and 2000 had caesium-137 of 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter in caps and 425 to 631 in stipes. European boletes overall held two to four orders of magnitude more than porcini from Yunnan, China. These are old samples and do not describe mushrooms picked today. Laboratory survey 7
- Cadmium and other metals. In a Bulgarian mountain study, cadmium and copper made up the largest shares of pine bolete's metal health-risk index (35.6 and 34.5 percent). The authors say cadmium was under an EU threshold. A Polish and Swedish survey of 22 species concluded no health hazard from the metals in 100 g portions of these mushrooms. Both are wild samples from particular places. Laboratory survey 9 1
Side effects 2
| Effect | How often | Severity and recovery | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poisoning from mistaken wild boletes (sickness, dizziness, sweating; clotting changes after other Neoboletus species) The report is about Neoboletus boletes, not pine bolete, and it does not say they look like pine bolete. | Not found for pine bolete look-alikes; the 2026 Neoboletus report covers 8 people | mild to moderate in the report; not stated for other species One person's episode settled within an hour; follow-up of the second was not in the abstract | Case report 11 |
| Allergic reactions or asthma from handling or eating mushrooms Only titles and records were read. One letter is about porcini (Boletus edulis), a related species, not pine bolete. | Not found for pine bolete | unknown unknown | Case report 10 2 |
Liver
No liver injury from eating pine bolete was found in the sources read. Mild liver blood-test changes occurred in a Neoboletus poisoning report, a different mushroom. 11
Monitoring. Seek medical care for poisoning signs; no routine monitoring is suggested by the sources read.
- p42476469.
This is a safety connection. It is not evidence that Pine bolete supports liver health.
Medicines and supplements 2
| With | Why it matters | Importance | Evidence | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription and over-the-counter medicines prescription | No interaction report for pine bolete was found in the sources read. This is absence of evidence, not proof of safety. | None found Not enough evidence | Ask a pharmacist if you take regular medicines and plan to eat wild mushrooms often. | |
| Potassium limits (for example advanced kidney disease or some medicines that raise potassium) condition | Inference only from composition: potassium was the most abundant element in a survey of 22 species that included pine bolete. | No source linked pine bolete to a potassium problem. Raised only because dried mushrooms are potassium-dense. | Theoretical Very low certainty 1 | If your doctor has told you to limit potassium, ask before eating dried mushrooms often. |
Who should check first 3
| Situation | Advice | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone who cannot be sure of the mushroom's identity | Do not eat it. Only an expert can separate poisonous from edible mushrooms, and cooking or drying does not destroy toxins (Penn State Extension). | Authoritative guidance 15 14 |
| Known mushroom allergy or occupational asthma from mushrooms | Ask an allergy specialist before eating or handling. | Case report 10 2 |
| Pregnancy, breastfeeding and young children | No pine-bolete-specific safety data were found. In the Bulgarian study, three other mushroom species had a metal risk index above 1 for children aged 1 to 3; pine bolete was not among them. Ask a clinician about wild mushrooms in these groups. | Laboratory survey 9 |
Overdose, product quality and regulators
Summary. Pine bolete is a widely eaten mushroom. The hazards in the sources read are mistaken identity of wild boletes, mercury, radiocaesium, other metals, allergy and mislabelled products, not a toxin in pine bolete itself.
Animal. Not reviewed.
Human doses studied. No dose studies. No amounts are advised here.
High dose or long term signals. Mercury and caesium intake would add up with frequent large servings of contaminated mushrooms; the studies estimate this, they do not measure harm in people.
Genotoxicity. Not read.
Toxic or hazardous parts. Fungus: cap and stalk are eaten. In the Polish and Belarusian study, caps held more mercury than stipes.
Pine bolete is wild-collected, so what it carries depends on the soil, the forest and the year. Drying removes water, so a figure per kg of dried mushroom is higher than per kg fresh; every number must be read with its basis.
Mercury. Highest mean mercury of 28 species in north-west Spain (6.9 and 4.5 mg per kg dry weight in two tissue layers). Median up to 3.6 mg per kg dry matter in caps in Poland and Belarus, with bioconcentration factors up to 130 for caps. The two papers differ in tone: the Spanish authors advise low amounts, the Polish and Belarusian authors say occasional eating may be safe. 12 6
Radiocaesium (caesium-137). Polish pine bolete from 1998 and 2000 held 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter in caps. European boletes held two to four orders of magnitude more than Yunnan porcini. Old samples; no safety limit is compared in the abstract. 7
Cadmium, copper and other metals. Cadmium and copper had the largest shares of pine bolete's metal risk index in a Bulgarian mountain study, and cadmium was under the EU threshold the authors cite. The letter gives shares, not concentrations. 9
Dried commercial boletes. A 2026 survey of 164 dried commercial mushrooms from Poland found large differences between suppliers, and organic-certified samples had lower mercury and arsenic. Pine bolete is not named in the abstract, so this is context only. 4
Labelling: pine bolete sold as porcini. A DNA study of US wild-mushroom products found Boletus pinophilus in two dried products labelled as porcini from Siberia or Russia and in a porcini powder; the labels fitted. Other products held species that did not match the label, and a few held species of dubious edibility. 3
| Body | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri Department of Conservation (United States (state)) | Field guide page lists the bitter bolete as not edible and extremely bitter, and says it resembles the king bolete. Not a statement about pine bolete. source | 2026-10-25 |
| Penn State Extension (United States (university)) | Says only an expert can separate poisonous from edible mushrooms and that cooking or drying will not destroy toxins. source | 2024-11-22 |
When to get medical help
- Severe or repeated vomiting, diarrhoea or belly pain, dizziness, confusion or heavy sweating after eating a wild mushroom: get emergency medical help or call your local poison service now. Do not wait for it to pass.
- Unusual bleeding, easy bruising, passing very little urine, yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine after eating wild mushrooms: get medical help now.
- Wheezing, chest tightness, swelling of the lips or face, or hives after handling or eating mushrooms: treat as an emergency.
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 pine bolete?
Is pine bolete the same as porcini?
Is pine bolete healthy?
Does pine bolete contain mercury?
It can. In north-west Spain it had the highest mean mercury of 28 species (6.9 and 4.5 mg per kg dry weight in two tissue layers). In Poland and Belarus, median cap mercury reached 3.6 mg per kg dry matter. The authors differ: Spanish authors advise low amounts, Polish and Belarusian authors say occasional eating may be safe.
Is wild pine bolete radioactive?
It can hold radioactive caesium-137 from old fallout. Four Polish pools from 1998 and 2000 had 810 to 1,195 Bq per kg dry matter in caps. Those are old samples, and levels depend on the forest, so ask a local food-safety service about your area.
Does pine bolete contain heavy metals other than mercury?
Cadmium and copper were the biggest shares of its metal risk index in a Bulgarian study, and the authors say cadmium was under an EU threshold. This is one mountain area, so it says little about another.
What mushrooms look like pine bolete?
Can other boletes poison you?
Does cooking or drying remove mercury or caesium?
We found no study of this for pine bolete. A lab study shows cooking method changes phenolic content in Boletus mushrooms, but it did not measure mercury or caesium. Drying removes water, so figures per kg of dried mushroom are higher than per kg fresh.
Can you be allergic to pine bolete?
Is pine bolete safe in pregnancy, breastfeeding or for children?
No pine-bolete-specific safety data were found. Ask a clinician about wild mushrooms in these groups.
Does pine bolete interact with medicines?
No interaction report was found in the sources we read, which is not proof of safety. Ask a pharmacist if you take regular medicines.
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 for 13 papers: abstracts for 10 (composition and contamination surveys, one lab cooking study, one review, one poisoning case report and one DNA survey), title-and-record only for two (mushroom allergy), and the full text of a short letter that has no abstract. We also read a full-text table for caesium, two guidance pages (Missouri Department of Conservation and Penn State Extension), and checked the name in GBIF. Index Fungorum, EFSA, FDA and poison-centre statements 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 wild mushrooms.
Sources 16
Each source was opened and checked. Where we read only the abstract, it says so. The small numbers in the text point here.
- Brzezicha-Cirocka J, Grembecka M, Grochowska I, et al. Elemental composition of selected species of mushrooms based on a chemometric evaluation.. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2019. PMID 30784799. DOI 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.02.036. (abstract)
- Castillo C, Lara B, Cruz MJ, Munoz X. Protein identification of two allergens of Boletus edulis causing occupational asthma.. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2013. PMID 23675726. DOI 10.1164/rccm.201211-2110LE. (title and record only)
- Cutler II WD, Bradshaw AJ, Dentinger BTM. What's for dinner this time?: DNA authentication of "wild mushrooms" in food products sold in the USA.. PeerJ. 2021. PMID 34414024. DOI 10.7717/peerj.11747. (abstract and full-text passages)
- 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)
- Falandysz J, Borovicka J. Macro and trace mineral constituents and radionuclides in mushrooms: health benefits and risks.. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2013. PMID 23179616. DOI 10.1007/s00253-012-4552-8. (abstract and full-text passage)
- Falandysz J, Krasinska G, Pankavec S, Nnorom IC. Mercury in certain boletus mushrooms from Poland and Belarus.. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B. 2014. PMID 25035918. DOI 10.1080/03601234.2014.922853. (abstract)
- Falandysz J, Zalewska T, Krasinska G, et al. Evaluation of the radioactive contamination in fungi genus Boletus in the region of Europe and Yunnan Province in China.. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2015. PMID 26048471. DOI 10.1007/s00253-015-6668-0. (abstract and full-text table)
- GBIF. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Boletus pinophilus Pilat & Dermek (key 5954949), checked 2026-10-25. GBIF API. 2026. (record)
- Ivanova M, Dospatliev L, Grigorova D, Papazov P. Evaluation of the Human Health Risk of Wild Edible Mushrooms Consumption from Batak Mountain, Bulgaria.. Iranian Journal of Public Health. 2020. PMID 33083337. (full text of the letter)
- 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 J, Lu YT, Li XJ, et al. Beyond gastroenteritis: first evidence of systemic biochemical disturbances, predominantly coagulation dysfunction, in Neoboletus poisoning.. Toxicon. 2026. PMID 42476469. DOI 10.1016/j.toxicon.2026.109224. (abstract)
- Melgar MJ, Alonso J, Garcia MA. Mercury in edible mushrooms and underlying soil: bioconcentration factors and toxicological risk.. Science of the Total Environment. 2009. PMID 19631362. DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.07.001. (abstract)
- Mironczuk-Chodakowska I, Witkowska AM, Zujko ME, Terlikowska KM. Quantitative evaluation of 1,3,1,6 beta-D-glucan contents in wild-growing species of edible Polish mushrooms.. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny. 2017. PMID 28895671. (abstract)
- Missouri Department of Conservation. Missouri Department of Conservation: Bitter Bolete (field guide page), read 2026-10-25. mdc.mo.gov. 2026. (full text)
- Penn State Extension. Penn State Extension: Preparing and Preserving Mushrooms (updated 22 November 2024), read 2026-10-25. extension.psu.edu. 2024. (full text)
- Sun L, Bai X, Zhuang Y. Effect of different cooking methods on total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of four Boletus mushrooms.. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2014. PMID 26396332. DOI 10.1007/s13197-012-0827-4. (abstract)
