Traditional Knowledge of Gucchi, Morchella esculenta (Ascomycetes), in Doda District, Jammu and Kashmir, India

The gucchi mushroom, Morchella esculenta, commonly known as the morel, is called thunthoo in the Bhaderwahi dialect spoken in District Doda of Jammu and Kashmir, India, and is an expensive food item that grows wild and is collected manually. Its nutritive and medicinal values are acknowledged. The farming community in the district traditionally collects the mushroom from forested areas through a well-managed community approach. Elders of families and communities have taught farmers how to identify the mushroom, recognize distribution patterns, and collect it. The knowledge and ability to differentiate M. esculenta from other poisonous wild mushrooms has also been inherited from the elders and community members. Women and children collect it from the outskirts of the forested areas and villages; men penetrate deeper into the dense forests in groups. It is either sold fresh to local shopkeepers or dried at home; the majority of gucchi collectors do the latter. Traditionally, the mushrooms are most commonly dried in the sun or the kitchen. The mushroom fetches a remunerative price and supplements the household incomes of the rural folk who collect it. Marketing gucchi has not been reported as a constraint. It has traditionally been used to overcome gastric problems and indigestion, as a tonic, to help heal wounds, and to reduce joint pain. Its medicinal uses are, however, restricted to only the hills and far-flung areas.