Morchella angusticepes Peck (M. angusticepes Peck) is a very interesting fungus as well as being a Morel. It is a member of the Morchellaceae family which is distributed through most temperate regions. All these members can be found in Asia, Europe especially the Mediterranean countries and  North America (Emery & Barron, 2010). It is however a true native of the USA.

Components

Morchella generally contains a variety of compounds which have nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits. We find compounds such as amino acids, polysaccharides including galactomannans, various trace elements, dietary fiber, vitamins and a number of aromatics and other unusual pharmaceuticals. 

Uses

Morchella angusticepes Peck is a traditional Chinese food and a medicine which is used to treat coughs, various chest infections and gastrointestinal conditions (Duncan et al., 2002). Some of the polysaccharides have been modified to improve their cholesterol lowering activity in rats (Li et al., 2017). These particular compounds also have potent antioxidant activity and can even prevent the proliferation of various cancer cell lines such as human hepatoma cells (HepG2) and human colon cancer cells (Caco-2) (.

References

Duncan, C. J. G., Pugh, N., Pasco, D. S., & Ross, S. A. (2002). Isolation of a galactomannan that enhances macrophage activation from the edible fungus Morchella esculenta. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(20), pp. 5683–5685. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf020267c

Emery, M. R., & Barron, E. S. (2010). Using local ecological knowledge to assess morel decline in the U.S. Mid‐Atlantic region. Economic Botany, 64(3), pp. 205–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-010-9127-y

Li, Y., Yuan, Y., Lei, L., Li, F. H., Zhang, Y. Q., Chen, J. L., … Ming, J.(2017). Carboxymethylation of polysaccharide from Morchella angusticepes Peck enhances its cholesterol‐lowering activity in rats. Carbohydrate Polymers, 172, pp.  85–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.05.033

Litchfteld, J. H., Vely, V. G., & Overbeck, R. C. (1963). Nutrient content of morel mushroom mycelium: Amino acid composition of the protein. Journal of Food Science, 28(6), pp. 741–743.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1963.tb01682.x

Tang, Y., Chen, J., Li, F., Yang, Y., Wu, S., Ming, J. (2019 Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Modified Polysaccharides Originally Isolated from Morchella Angusticepes Peck. J. Food Sci., 84(3)  pp. 448-456 https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14470