Australia recalls mushroom gummies after hospitalisations

An image of the mushroom gummy packets
[Food Standards Australia New Zealand]

Australia has recalled two mushroom gummies products that have left several people hospitalised with symptoms such as "disturbing hallucinations" and "persistent vomiting."

In a series of public health warnings, people were cautioned against eating Uncle Frog's Mushroom Gummies, due to reports of consumers "experiencing unexpected toxicity".

The brand's Cordyceps and Lion's Mane gummies have been listed as the culprits.

Other reported symptoms include seizure-like activity, anxiety, drowsiness or loss of consciousness and a racing heart.

The hospitalisations have been nationwide, and authorities are now examining what exactly about the products might be making people sick.

The South Australian government said a male in his teens had been found "in an unresponsive state" earlier this month, after ingesting several gummies.

"He was provided with treatment and has now recovered," its statement read.

Other states have also recorded hospitalisations, including five in New South Wales.

“Investigations are ongoing as to what these products contain. We are strongly recommending that people do not consume [them]," the Medical Director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre Dr Darren Roberts said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Uncle Frog's website - which has been temporarily shut down - previously marketed the company as a Byron Bay-based business offering "specially formulated" gummies designed to "promote overall wellbeing."