What do a false morel & a spy satellite have in common?

Hi,

Not exactly clock and dagger stuff here, though rather interesting.

The tank of dangerous hydrazine was the stated reason for shooting down the bus-sized spy satellite. Probably hydrazine is something you have never really concerned yourself with and never thought about until recently.

The False Morel Gyromitra esculenta , which pops up during morel season in various regions, is consider poisonous due to hydrazine. Just as often as false morels mentioned, the usual caution is stated, "False morels have hydrazine, which is a component in jet fuel. Do not eat it." Accordind to Tom Volk, "The active ingredient is called gyromitrin (N-methyl-N-formylhydrazine), which is metabolized to monomethylhydrazine (rocket fuel!) in the body." Despite the warnings, there are people who eat it anyway. The hydrazine has an accumulative effect, a gathering storm mind you, because it never leaves your system. You can eat them over some years with no ill effect, then once you have passed a certain threshold you have liver failure and chronic health problems. However depending on your body chemistry and general health, the consumption of the false morel can affect you quicker. There is research to suggest hydrazine can trigger tumors, which really isn't a swell residual affect from dining.

If you want to learn the straight story on the false morel, then please read Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month: Gyromitra esculenta, one of the false morels for complete information.

Regards,

Granted, not all mushrooms can kill you like a false morel can, but isn't it true in general that a mushroom can contain any number of dangerous substances that it sucks from the enviroment? I've always understood that Funghi Kingdom exists in this dark netherworld between life and death and often feeds from decomposing and sometimes dangerous (to the body) elements. For example, there is often a boon of real morels after a forest fire. The real trick is not to eat a mushroom which contains to much of the bad stuff that your body cannot metabolize.

It is fascinating stuff.

Hi,

It is not recommended to collect mushrooms adjacent to an expressway nor from a neighbor's lawn who chemically treats it. You're right you need to evaluate where you are collecting from.

Regards,