Gyromitrin
 

Gyromitrin is produced by certain strains of False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta).   It appears that the effect of the toxin varies to a certain degree from person to person. Many have eaten False Morel with no ill effects while others have been killed after ingesting the fungus (Barron, 319).  The first symptoms occur 4 to 6 hours after ingestion with victims experiencing stomach cramps, vomiting, watery diarrhea, tiredness and headaches.  This is only the tip of the iceberg, for some individuals experience more severe symptoms that bring about loss of balance, jaundice, convulsions and coma which at are times followed by death (Barron, 320).

 

Gyromitrin symptoms occur only after a certain dosage of the toxin is ingested.  This in contrary to most other toxins in which there is a direct dose-response relationship.  In other words, the greater the amount of toxin consumed the more severe the symptoms experienced.  Complicating matters though is the fact that the dosage level varies from individual to individual.  A particular dosage may have no effect on one individual and the same amount may be lethal in another.  Heavier individuals receive a lower dosage per volume as compared to individuals of a lower body weight.  To make matters worse, certain individuals may be able to eat and enjoy False Morel with no ill effects at one point in time only to eat and succumb to the toxin at a later date.  Because of these uncertainties False Morel should not be eaten (Barron, 320). 

 

Works Cited

 

Barron, George.  Mushrooms of Northeast North America.  Edmonton: Lone Pine, 1999.