Yarsagumba ( Ophiocordyceps Sinesis)

Yarsagumba

A villager with hand full of Yarsagumba

Yarsagumba is the most valuable herb of the Himalayas. It grows only at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) in the Himalayan region of Nepal. It is actually a combination of a caterpillar and a rare fungus. Yarsagumba, commonly known as "summer plant, winter insect" has two phases during its life cycle. During winter, it is simply a caterpillar of a moth that lives underground but before the rainy season begins, the larvae gets infected by the spores of Cordyceps (fungus) which eventually gets into the body of the caterpillar that grows out through its head and drains all the energy from the caterpillar ultimately mummifying it. In springtime, after the snow melts, mushrooms emerge from the ground, always growing out of forehead of the caterpillar and which are collected by the nearby villagers risking their lives.

Viagra made from Yarsagumba

Yarsagumba is a powerful medicine. It is believed to cure sexual impotency- Himalayan Viagra. It is mainly used in medicinal tonics as a source of energy. Many people cook Yarsagumba with chicken soup or consume it as powder with water, milk or tea for benefits like: increasing stamina, strengthen kidneys (yang tonic) and lungs (yin tonic), strong afrodisiac, increasing libido of both men and women, against excessive tiredness and fatigue, strengthening of health and prevention of maladies, rejuvenating effects, for increasing energy levels, endurance, size of muscles and strength of the body, removes prana diseases, does not raise the phlegm, increases semen, decreases stress and evokes feelings of calmness and sense of balance, and many more. The medicinal benefits of this magnificent herb are unlimited.

Every year during May and June, thousands of villagers from remote areas risking their own lives head for high mountains to collect Yarsagumba. It is estimated that one villager can earn up to Rs. 2,500 i.e, around $35 a day by collecting Yarsagumba which is beyond the monthly salary of many Nepalese households. Dolpa – a remote district in western Nepal with high steep valleys and dry climate is one of the foremost areas for collecting Yarsagumba. Almost 50% of the annual supply of Yarsagumba comes from Dolpa alone. Here, not only the adults but school goers also take unofficial holidays in search of the gold rush. Collection of Yarsagumba was illegal until 2001 but following its popularity and the lobbying from various organizations, the Government lifted the ban but imposed a royalty rate of Rs. 20,000 (US$ 280) per kilogram (2.2lbs). One kilo of Yarsagumba that costs about Rs. 315 (US$ 5/6) in 1992 increased to Rs. 105,000 (US$ 1,435) by the year 2002 and the price has been shooting up so as the international interest on the mysterious half-caterpillar-half-mushroom known as Yarsagumba.

Villagers collecting Yarsagumba in Dolpa

Because of its high value, inter-village conflicts over access to its grassland habitats has become a headache for the local governing bodies and in several cases people were killed. In November 2011, a court in Nepal convicted 19 villagers over the murder of a group of farmers during a fight over the prized aphrodisiac fungus. Seven farmers were killed in the remote northern district of Manang in June 2009 after going to forage for Yarsagumba. Its value gave it a role in the Nepalese Civil War, as the Nepalese Maoists and government forces fought for control of the lucrative export trade during the June–July harvest season. Collecting Yarsagumba in Nepal had only been legalized in 2001, and now demand is highest in countries such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. The search for Ophiocordyceps sinensis is often perceived to pose a threat to the environment of the Tibetan Plateau where it grows. While it has been collected for centuries and is still common in such areas, current collection rates are much higher than in historical times. It is literally " The Himalayan Gold ".

Quest for Yarsagumba in Manang