Citation

Krakauer J, Long Y, Kolbert A, Thanedar S, Southard J. Wilderness Environ. Med. 2015; 26(1): 36-42.

Affiliation

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA (Dr Southard).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.wem.2014.08.014

PMID

25712296

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: For the past 2 decades there has been vigorous disagreement over the purported toxicity of Hedysarum alpinum seeds, and whether the consumption of such seeds was a factor in the 1992 death of Chris McCandless, the subject of the book Into the Wild. Our objective was to confirm or disprove the presence of L-canavanine (a nonprotein amino acid known to induce systemic lupuslike symptoms in humans) in H alpinum seeds.

METHODS: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of H alpinum seeds was performed.

RESULTS: Our analysis confirmed the presence of L-canavanine in H alpinum seeds and demonstrated that it is a significant component of the seeds, with a concentration of 1.2% (weight/weight), roughly half of that found in Canavalia ensiformis.

CONCLUSIONS: The data led us to conclude it is highly likely that the consumption of H alpinum seeds contributed to the death of Chris McCandless.

Language: en