Morchella esculenta: The Yellow Morel Mushroom

Morchella esculenta, (commonly known as common morel, morel, yellow morel, true morel, morel mushroom, and sponge morel) is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae of the Ascomycota. It is one of the most readily recognized of all the edible mushrooms and highly sought after. Each fruit body begins as a tightly compressed, grayish sponge with lighter ridges, and expands to form a large yellowish sponge with large pits and ridges raised on a large white stem.

The pitted yellow-brown caps measure 2–7 cm (0.8–2.8 in) broad by 2–10 cm (0.8–3.9 in) tall, and are fused to the stem at its lower margin, forming a continuous hollow. The pits are rounded and irregularly arranged. The hollow stem is typically 2–9 cm (0.8–3.5 in) long by 2–5 cm (0.8–2.0 in) thick, and white to yellow.

The fungus fruits under hardwoods and conifers during a short period in the spring, depending on the weather and is also associated with old orchards, woods, and disturbed grounds.

Uses of morel mushrooms

Morel is one of the most easily recognized edible mushrooms and is highly sought after. However, raw morels are poisonous and must always be cooked before consumption. The species has been found to have medicinal properties, including anti-tumor and antiviral effects, immune-regularity properties, and fatigue resistance. Morels have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat indigestion, excessive phlegm, and shortness of breath. In wider Asia, they are used to produce enzymes that act as a food preservative.

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Most Expensive Mushrooms in Himalayas

Price ranges between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 30,000 for a kilogram!

Morchella Esculenta commands a huge demand despite its high price tag. They are locally called ‘guchchi’ in the Himalayan region and are prized for their spongy, honeycomb texture and unique flavour. But that’s not the only reason for the luxury pricing. Gucchi mushrooms cannot be cultivated commercially and instead they grow wild only in some regions of India like the Kangra Valley, Jammu and Kashmir, Manali, and other parts of Himachal Pradesh after the snowfall period.

Medicinal Properties of Morchella esculenta

1. Antitumor activity

The antitumor activity of a 50% ethanolic extract of Morchella esculenta mycelium grown in submerged culture was determined by the mouse solid tumor model induced by Daltons Lymphoma Ascites cells.

2. Antioxidant activity

Methanolic extracts prepared from the mycelia of M. esculenta showed high antioxidant activity (85.4%) at 25 mg/ml; for comparison, the activities of the common antioxidants ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, and BHA were 36.9%, 80.5% and 98.1% (at 0.5 mg/ml), respectively.

3. Anti-inflammatory activity

Anti-inflammatory activity of a 50% ethanolic extract of Morchella esculenta mycelium grown in submerged culture has been determined by carrageenan-induced acute and formalin-induced chronic inflammatory models. Later work showed further elaborated on the dose-dependent inhibition of both acute and chronic inflammation.