Morels make me sick, why???

[Doug English]

Hi,

        There must be some subscribers to this group who live up north and 
hunt mushrooms this time of year.  Twice this year I've had fresh morels from 
the local woods and both times I became violently ill.  4-6 hours after 
ingestion I started a slight fever and completely purged my digestive system, 
vomiting and diarrhea, and was unable to keep even water down.  Obviously this 
is either an allergic reaction or food poisioning.  I have eaten morels many 
times in the past and never had any problem.  The only difference is in the 
past I had soaked the mushrooms in salt water to kill the little critters and 
get the sand and dirt out.  Is this a crucial step in de-toxifying these 
fungi?  I know of at least one store in Minneapolis that sells fresh morels 
and they don't seem to specify any prep procedures and I have even heard of 
people eating them raw.  What gives? Have I developed some allergy to this 
particular mushroom?   One other thing,  I have actually read on 
one occasion that some people react badly to these mushrooms.  Any ideas out 
there?

Thanks,
 Doug