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A new age skincare expert who uses 'ancient...wild foraged' ingredients says she played no part in a woman's death from a suspected mushroom poisoning at a wellness retreat over the weekend.

Rachael Dixon, 53, became critically ill and later died from a suspected heart attack after allegedly drinking a mushroom tonic at 'alternative health' clinic Soul Barn, in Clunes, near Ballarat, western Victoria, about 12am on Saturday night. 

The 'intuitive facialist' Jude Darmanin had been listed on the clinic's schedule to do a skincare session using 'wild foraged plants' on Saturday.

But on Tuesday she stressed she had no involvement in the death later that night.

There is no suggestion the suspected poisoning was intentional or that Ms Darmanin was part of the events leading up to Ms Dixon's death.




'Intuitive facialist' Jude Darmanin (pictured) was scheduled to provide 'foraged' skincare at a wellness facility the same day a woman died at the centre





Ms Darmanin said in an online post (pictured) that she was 'deeply saddened' by news of Rachael Dixon's death

'(The specialist) weaves ancient skincare rituals and combines them with modern techniques to create nurturing yet active facials,' Soul Barn advertised.

'Using infused herbal oils sourced from local farms and wild foraged plants, plus handcrafted skincare from around the world especially chosen for its potency and purity.

'This is a facial like none other, one you will never forget!' 

On Tuesday night, Ms Darmanin said she was 'deeply saddened by the tragic event that occurred at Soul Barn'.

'I don't know any more than what was reported in the news as I was not present,' she said.

She then apologised to customers whose appointments on Sunday were cancelled and promised to reschedule them soon.

Ms Dixon and two other Soul Barn customers were rushed from the wellness centre to hospital after the possible poisoning.

One line of inquiry police will investigate is whether the trio consumed a drink with 'magic' mushrooms, which contain the hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin.

It is currently mushroom season in Australia's south and Clunes, located some 30km north of Ballarat, is surrounding by forests.

It's often difficult to distinguish the difference between edible and lethal mushrooms.

Poisonous galerina mushrooms can often be mistaken for the lookalike psilocybin mushroom candy 'magic' mushrooms, with potentially lethal consequences, and the pair often grow nearby each other.




it's believed Ms Dixon (pictured) died after drinking a poisonous mushroom tonic about midnight on Saturday





Soul Barn (pictured) remained closed on Tuesday following the 53-year-old mother's death