Morels as a source of Food, Medicine and Income in Himachal Pradesh: A North West Himalayan Region, India

Himachal Pradesh is situated in north India between 30 0 22’ to 33 0 12’ N latitudes and 75 0 47’’ to 79 0 04’ E longitudes within the Western Himalayas in northern India. The elevation varies from 450 meters to more than 7,026 meters above the mean sea level. Tribal and indigenous communities of Himachal Pradesh are associated with collection of wild mushrooms for edible, medicinal and sale purpose. The Morels ( Morchella spp.) are fungi belong to family Morchellaceae commonly known as Guchhi in Himachal Pradesh. The traditional people of Himachal Himalayan Region (HHR) cooked it as food and used in medicine and health care system. Traditionally, it has been used for gastric problems, as a tonic, to cure cuts and wounds, and reduce joint pain. The native people gather it from the forest regions and sold it to nearby merchants after drying it at home. Presence of nutrients like amino acids, vitamins and minerals, the Guchhi mushrooms are in high demand not only in India but also in various foreign markets such as Switzerland, France, the USA, Italy etc. Commercial cultivation of Guchhi mushrooms will help rural masses and farmers obtain benefits due to their high demand.


Introduction
People have been gathering and eating wild edible mushrooms for thousands of years 1 .The collection of edible wild mushrooms is both a pleasure activity and a source of sustenance for different ethnic and cultural groups.Its nutritional value is extremely high, almost twice as much as any vegetable.All over the world edible mushrooms are considered a good source of food as it is rich with vitamins B, C, D, mineral elements. 2,3The eating of wild fungi was first reliably noted several hundred years before birth of the Christ in China. 4Of the 14,000 mushroom species, more than 3000 species spread over in 31 genera are regarded as prime edibles 5 .However, only 200 species of them are experimentally cultured, 100 species economically cultivated, approximately 60 species commercially grown and about 10 species have reached an industrial scale. 6,7In India around 850 mushrooms species are observed. 8In Distribution Morchella spp. reported from North western Himalayan region especially in temperate zone of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Predesh.In the higher-altitude villages of North-West Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh especially from Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi and Chamba, and.The Morels in Himachal Pradesh are locally known with different names such as Guchhi, Chiaun, Chaeu, Chyau, Rangmuts, Jangmuts, Dhunghloo, Jamchu, Chunchroo, Chauhar khukh.Higher altitudes regions with cool climate at an altitude range from 1800−3600 m are favorable climatic condition for its flourish growth.Morchella conica, Morchella deliciosa, Morchella esculenta, was recorded from the Kinnaur district and Chamba (Pangi) districts of Himachal Pradesh.In Garhwal Himalaya it was obeserved at Niti Valley, Tapoban, Joshimath, Pouri Gahrwal , Naagdev & Jhandidhar, Kumaun and in J&K Poonch, Mahore, Doda, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Udhampur and other high altitude forests 12 .

Botanical description
The genus Morchella is the species of fungus of family Morchellaceae.Six species namely Morchella esculanta, M. angusticeps, M. conica, M. crassipes, M. deliciosa, and M. semilibera have been reported from Himachal Pradesh 11 .Morels exhibit cylindrical structures.Fruit body small to medium size.Pileus is the upper part of a morals and weight about 70 to 80% of the total weight of the plant.The color of pileus is imparted by pigmented oil droplets present in the cells of pileus, which vary from species to species.The stalk or stipe of morel is hollow, variable in shapes.The stalk supports the pileus which is about 20 to 30% of the total morel weight.Description of different species of Morel in Himachal Pradesh is as below. 12,13orchella esculanta (L.) Pers.Fr. (Common morel) Native Place is Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh (Western Himalaya); found solitary or scattered in near lightly burned grassy area, in coniferous forest and swampy ground.Pileus sub-globose, 7-9 cm long and 4-5 cm wide; pits rounded, irregular or longitudinally elongated, yellowish or become light brown when dry; stipe slightly enlarge at the base.M. angusticeps Peck (Black morel):-Pileus 1-5 cm, elongated, , narrowly conical, young grayish, boards of pits darken to black at maturity; stipe nearly as thick as pileus; ribs irregular and longitudinal; stipe smooth and hollow; found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests.M. conica (Pers.).Fr (White morel):-Pileus 4-10 cm, spindle shaped cone, cone having honey coloured vertical ridges with cross connection, turned brown after maturity; stipe 2-4 cm, circular, hollow, whitish yellow with rough surface; found on soil in open forest often a year or two year after forest fire; occur in open forests, frequently one or two years after a forest fire.M. crassipes (Vent.)Pers.(Yellow morel):-Pileus elongated, sub-conic, upto 6-12 cm long, 4-6 cm broad; pits large, shallow, ridges thin; stipe hollow, stout, upto 10-11 cm long, 5-6 cm at the base, yellowish or whitish, base swollen; found in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests.M. deliciosa (Fr.)Jct.(Delicious morel):-Pileus 2-3 cm long, pits of pileus elongated, whitish to yellowish, ridges much thicker than pits; whitish yellow stipe upto 2/3 time thick as pileus; found solitary or scattered in coniferous and mixed coniferous forests.Morchella hybrida (Sowerby) Pers.(The half-free morel):-Pileus with conspicuous ridges pits elongated, dull yellowish brown; ribs longitudinal to irregular with rounded edges; stipe 8-10 cm long, hollow, tapering upwards, apex 1-2 cm thick; found in oak or spruce -silver fir forests.

Morels as a source of food and their nutritional value
The fruit bodies of all the species of the genus are edible and are mainly consumed fresh or processed as flavoring agent in soups and gravies.The rich dietary fiber and bioactive compounds found in edible morels have been proposed to support digestive health by regulating gut microbiota 14 .The nutritional value of morels is highly valued mainly because they are rich in protein, fiber, necessary vitamins and minerals, and low in calories and fat 15 .In far flung area of Himachal native people collect morels species for marketing purposes but sometimes, they are used it edible purpose and flavoring agent.The local people of Himachal Pradesh cook ascocarps (the fruiting body) mixed with rice and vegetables, and consider it as nutritious as meat or fish.The bioactive components present in M. esculenta are responsible for the nutraceutical potential. 10Bhotiya tribes of N.W. Himalaya boil the fruiting bodies of M. esculenta in water and consumed as soup.Morels are spongy, have a meaty flavor, and taste umami.These special qualities set morels apart as meat alternatives for vegetarian and flexitarian diets.Protein (10-25%) comes in second place to water (50-80%) in a normal meat analog recipe 15 .With nice flavor and 39.4% crude protein content, fermented M. esculenta mycelia could potentially replace animal protein as a novel source of protein. 16,17  variety of Guchhi based recipes prepared in three-star or five star hotels.Morchella esculenta, M. conica, and M. crassipes are the top morel species studied in terms of their nutritional value 14 .

Traditional uses of Morels as medicine
The Morels species are used in medicine and health care system by the traditional hills societies and also considered important for clinical use.Information about the use of mushrooms as drugs dates back to the Charaka Samhita (3000-500 BC), an ancient medicinal text from India.Presence of bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, phenolics, tocopherols, and ergosterols in morels contribute to the immunoregulatory, fatigue resistance, antiviral, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammation, gut health preservation, and anti-cancer abilities. 14,18It is considered highly nutritious for pregnant women.It is also used in health care, and medicinal purposes differ among traditional hill societies.Traditionally, Morels has been used for gastric problems, as a tonic, to cure cuts and wounds, and reduce joint pain.Native people of Kullu and Shimla district boiled the fruiting body of M. esculenta and decoction is prepared and consumed to cure cold and cough.The paste of the mushroom is applied to skin problems.

Morels as source of income
The Morels Himachal commonly sold with it trade name Guchhi.Local collectors, local purchasers and exporters of Morchella were interviewed in order to get information on morel collection, storage, preservation and marketing.Collection of Guchhi constitutes a vital source of livelihood for forest-based native people lived in remote and high hill of North West Himalaya.The poor residents in the hills area depend heavily on gathering forest products for trade and subsistence.These operations normally fall under informal or unorganized sector.The main profession of the villagers of remote and hilly region of Shimla, Kullu, and Chamba is sheep rearing, agriculture and collection of Guchhi and other medicinal plants for sale.Other than farming and raising cattle, some people collect Gucchi as part time activity.People residing in the fringes of forest of high altitudes generally collect it while they are with their cattle in the forest and sometime when they are extracting other medicinal plants.As fresh and dried fruiting bodies are edible, but Guchhi are rarely used as supplementary food by local people since these have high market value.It is locally sold to middlemen and traders.Thus it is providing a vital source of income to the poor population of hilly area of Himachal Pradesh.During interviews with some local collectors from Shimla district, particularly in the high altitude villages of Chuhara valley, Ransar valley and its adjacent areas, it is found that one or two people of family are actively involved in Morchella collection.It appears in a large scale during the month of March and local people starts collection from the forests from April and May.The gathering continues till May-end.Guchhi is also collected during rainy season in month of July, August, September in Shimla, but the quality is not good as compared to Guchhi collected in spring season and sold in low rate.Guchhi collection is time-consuming and arduous work and usually collectors spent about 11-12 hour every day for this activity.The locals call someone who finds the Guchhi "the Luckiest Person".Local people often hide the place from where they pluck it.Accordingly a collector one person, on an average, may collect up to 1 kg Guchhi which is reduced to almost half that weight on drying.It was estimated, on an average a family gathers up to 3 kg of Guchhi (on air dry-weight basis) every year.The best size of Guchhi ascocarp collected may be 6 to 10 cm in height and 4.5 -7.5 cm in diameter. 18However, to make more money, the locals uproot these fungi bodies at any stage of growth.Local people tag ascocarps and hang them for 15 to 20 days in a room for drying (Figure 1).It can be stored for few months in dry form at normal room temperature especially when packed in air dry packs.

Commercial status of Morels (Guchhi)
In India best source of morels are Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir & Himachal Pardesh, Jammu & Kashmir state.Morels are actually the growing gold of these mountain ranges.All the species collected and sold but Morchella esculenta, a mushroom variety which commands a huge demand globally.It is an expensive product all the wild harvested mushrooms because of its rich nutritional value coupled with a unique flavor.The trade and earnings depends upon the export of Guchhi which is based on quality control.In most cases, the collectors sell morels in to the middle man or to the shopkeeper.They pay to the collectors on morels quality i.e. good quality fetch high prices while inferior fetch low.These purchases are made under certain rules made by dealers of morels.When the shopkeepers or middle men have sufficient stock, they sold it to exporters in the markets to Chandigarh, Amritsar and Delhi.Middlemen may earn 35-40% of the total profit.One middle man said that in the US and European markets, it sells like hot cakes.Most traders in Delhi are exporting it.A marketing chain of morels is given in Figure 2. Almost every year it is illegally extracted from the forest, air dried and sold in the market at very high rates.Some pharmaceutical companies were also engaged in purchasing.

Prices of morels
Prices of Guchhi greatly depend upon the quality, size, processing and area of collection.The prices also vary from species to species, 30,000 INR or sometimes even more.In simple terms, One kg of dried morel fetches upto Rs. 30,000 to collector depend on quality, the wholesaler sell it in the national and in the international markets with high prize. 18The exporters are the main beneficiaries followed by middle men.The collector get nominal benefits as prices are very low in the area as compared to international markets.Fresh morels prices can fluctuate daily.In India all major exporter/trader start booking their orders from April onwards and start shipping Morels from May end onwards.Quantity which is nearly exported at a time is 500 Kg keeping the best freight cost utilization in mind.As the price of this commodity is really high even an order of 500 Kg is equivalent to INR 1 Crore as per RGSL AGRO-a Exporter, Importer and Trading company in agro products in India.Due to its high prize morel mushrooms also come in smaller packs consisting of only a few grams of them.Table 1 show year-wise extraction of Guchhi from Himachal Pradesh in quintals.

Exporters of Morels
The main growing countries of Morels grade mushroom are India, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Canada, USA.It is believed that India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and possibly Iran collect around 2000 tonnes fresh weight of Morels in a year 19 .Morels are exported to France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and other super rich & developed nations.Table 2 shows major Guchhi exported from Himachal Pradesh in quintals.

Conclusion
Morels are excellent nutritional and economic values.Presence of nutrients like amino acids, vitamins and minerals, the morel mushrooms are in high demand not only in India but also in various foreign markets such as Switzerland, France, the USA, Italy etc.There has been a recent shift in the diet toward more plant-based meals and less meat, so morels can substitute the meat.As a result of the high demand of Morels in national and international market, commercial cultivation of Morel is need of hour.The Indian mushroom industry can be revolutionized by commercial cultivation of Guchhi mushrooms, which also aids farmers in obtaining benefits.

Figure 1 -
Figure 1-Map showing Himachal Pradesh position in India.

Figure- 2 :
Figure-2: Local people of Himalaya collected, dried and sold Guchhi in market:-a) Morchela esculenta in natural habitat; b) Various Morchela sps; c,d,e) Dried Morels (Guchhi) ready to sold in market.

Figure 2 :
Figure 2: A marketing chain of morels

Table 2 : Major Guchhi exported from Himachal Pradesh in quintals
Biotechnology Policy of Himachal Pradesh, Department of Biotechnology & Govt. of H.P. 2001