Turbinellus floccosus is poisonous to some people who eat it, but has been consumed without incident by others.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur, though are sometimes delayed by up to 8–14 hours.
A tricarboxylic acid known as α-tetradecylcitric acid may be responsible for the extreme gastrointestinal symptoms.
Laboratory experiments showed it increased tone of guinea pig smooth muscle of the small bowel (ileum), and that when given to rats, it led to mydriasis, skeletal muscle weakness, and central nervous system depression.
Turbinellus floccosus contains more than double the amount of this acid than the related T. kauffmanii.

Despite its toxicity, T. floccosus is one of the ten wild mushrooms most widely consumed by ethnic tribes in Meghalaya, northeast India, and is highly regarded by the Sherpa people in the vicinity of Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal.
What is not known is whether the Indian populations of T. floccosus are nontoxic, or whether the local people have developed an immunity to it.
It is also enjoyed in Mexico.
American mycologist David Arora reported that some enjoyed it while he felt it had a strong sour taste.

The fruit body of T. floccosus produces oxylipin (lipids generated by oxygenation of fatty acids) that are active against the fungal plant pathogens Colletotrichum fragariae, C. gloeosporioides, and C. acutatum.
Extracts of the fungus have shown in standard laboratory tests to have antimicrobial activity against several human pathogenic strains.
T. floccosus also contains the dicatecholspermidine derivative pistillarin, a compound that inhibits DNA damage by hydroxyl radicals generated by the Fenton reaction.
Pistillarin is responsible for the green color obtained when iron salts are applied to the fruit body surface.
Turbinellus floccosus is poisonous to some people who eat it, but has been consumed without incident by others. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur, though are sometimes delayed by up to 8–14 hours. A tricarboxylic acid known as α-tetradecylcitric acid may be responsible for the extreme gastrointestinal symptoms. Laboratory experiments showed it increased tone of guinea pig smooth muscle of the small bowel (ileum), and that when given to rats, it led to mydriasis, skeletal muscle weakness, and central nervous system depression. Turbinellus floccosus contains more than double the amount of this acid than the related T. kauffmanii.
Despite its toxicity, T. floccosus is one of the ten wild mushrooms most widely consumed by ethnic tribes in Meghalaya, northeast India, and is highly regarded by the Sherpa people in the vicinity of Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal. What is not known is whether the Indian populations of T. floccosus are nontoxic, or whether the local people have developed an immunity to it. It is also enjoyed in Mexico. American mycologist David Arora reported that some enjoyed it while he felt it had a strong sour taste.
The fruit body of T. floccosus produces oxylipin (lipids generated by oxygenation of fatty acids) that are active against the fungal plant pathogens Colletotrichum fragariae, C. gloeosporioides, and C. acutatum. Extracts of the fungus have shown in standard laboratory tests to have antimicrobial activity against several human pathogenic strains. T. floccosus also contains the dicatecholspermidine derivative pistillarin, a compound that inhibits DNA damage by hydroxyl radicals generated by the Fenton reaction. Pistillarin is responsible for the green color obtained when iron salts are applied to the fruit body surface.
Turbinellus floccosus