ALS associated with certain mushrooms

#1

ALS cluster linked to false morel mushrooms

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the muscle wasting disease of ice bucket challenge fame, is sometimes genetic, sometimes sporadic, but sometimes pops up in clusters. One such cluster in a little skiing village in France unnerved the local GP - and was eventually pinned on false morel mushrooms. The cluster in the Alps eventually grew to include 16 people— a total 10 times higher than the area’s small population should have produced.

https://archive.is/bJMoo

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#2

My wife and came close to eating false morels. Real morels were plentiful at our home in the mountains and we generally hunted for a few each spring. Fortunately, something about a handful we brought home one morning didn’t look quite right so we did some research and saved ourselves. We found the best way to be certain was to look internally. Real morels are completely hollow inside but the false morels have spongy fiber inside.