Chanterelle

Statema, B. C. P.

Fungus

Chanterelle

Cantharellus cibarius

Known today as: A golden, apricot-scented mushroom with blunt ridges for gills.
Kind: Fungus
Constituents: carotenoids, ergocalciferol (vitamin D2), chanterelle polysaccharides
In other databases: GBIF search · Wikidata search

Revised October 3, 2026: Checked against its sources, each read in full, in part, or in its abstract. Version 1, first published September 25, 2026.

Chanterelle: what was it used for?

One of the great edible fungi of Europe.

Chanterelle: what does modern science say?

A safe and nutritious food once correctly identified.

Pharmacognosy & Toxicology

Constituents

carotenoidsthe pigments
ergocalciferol (vitamin D2)a good source; formed from ergosterol by UV light
chanterelle polysaccharides

Mechanism

A safe edible, a good source of vitamin D2 and carotenoids; its poisonous look-alike the jack-o’-lantern is the hazard. In the Materia Medica for the table and the forager’s caution only.

Toxic dose

A food.

Standing

A food.

Phillips, K. M., et al. (2012). “Vitamin D4 in mushrooms.” PLoS ONE 7. Read in full · the text read

Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.

Chanterelle: what lore surrounds it?

Its poisonous look-alikes include the jack-o’-lantern and, for the careless gatherer of young caps, the deadly webcap (see Deadly webcap).

In Their Own Words

Badham records that a waiter told him chanterelles were no novelty to him, having dressed them for years on state occasions at the Freemasons' Tavern.

“I learnt from the waiter, that they were not novelties to him; that in fact, he had been in the habit of dressing them for years, on state occasions, at the Freemasons’ Tavern.”

Charles David Badham, M.D., A Treatise on the Esculent Funguses of England, Cantharellus cibarius, Plate IX. London: Reeve, Brothers, King William Street, Strand, 1847 (Internet Archive OCR text). The text, read in part

Cooke describes the chanterelle as of a bright, deep yellow colour, with a smell like that of ripe apricots.

“It is of a bright, deep yellow colour, with a smell like that of ripe apricots”

M. C. Cooke, A Plain and Easy Account of British Fungi, Cantharellus, p. 62. London: Robert Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly, 1862 (Internet Archive OCR text). The text, read in part

Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.

Sources

Wikipedia, “Cantharellus cibarius,” en.wikipedia.org (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read
Wikipedia (de), “Echter Pfifferling,” de.wikipedia.org (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read
Kumar, A., et al. (2025). Nutritional, nutraceutical, and medicinal potential of Cantharellus cibarius Fr.: a comprehensive review. Food Science & Nutrition 13: e4641. Read in full · the text read

Verification

Checked

October 1, 2026, and October 3, 2026

Passes

Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
Every source read, in full, in part, or in its abstract, and every sentence checked against what was read (October 3, 2026)

Sources

4 cited: 4 read in full.

Corrections

None were needed.

What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.

Cite This Entry

Version 1 · first published September 25, 2026 · last revised October 3, 2026

Chicago: “Chanterelle.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 3, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/chanterelle.
MLA: “Chanterelle.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/chanterelle. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
APA: Chanterelle. (2026, October 3). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/chanterelle

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