phiocordyceps
sinensis (Yarsagumba ) is a fungus that parasitizes larvae of ghost moths and
produces a fruiting body valued as a herbal remedy. The fungus germinates in
the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then the stalk-like fruiting body
emerges from the corpse. It is known in English colloquially as caterpillar
fungus, or by its more prominent foreign names Yartsa Gunbu.Ophiocordyceps
sinensis is one that has been used for at least 2100 years for its reputed
abilities to cure many diseases related to lungs, kidney and erectile dysfunction.
This fungus is not yet cultivated commercially despite the fact that several
fermentable strains of Ophiocordyceps sinensis have been isolated by Chinese
scientists.Himalayan peaks where they pitch up camps for an extended stay of
almost eitht weeks, braving tghe cold and harsh environment. they spend their
days mostly on all fours crawling tghroth gthe shrub lands, digging with utmost
care then they espy an unusual kind of sushroom called yarsagumba.they brush
gently with a tooth brush and keep it in their pickers basket they come in
their thousands. lured by the high returns promied for finding this unusual
med. a Nepali. Yarsagumba is said to be the most expensive herb in the world
today, a kilo of it fetching more than 10,000 dollars in the international
market. Apparently, pickers at the site get a dollar apiece which eventually
inflates to 30 dollars apiece in the cities. In the old days too, Yarsagumba
couldn’t be said to come cheap. Travellers have noted that in 1890, black,
rotten specimens cost four times their weight in silver. In 1990, Yarsagumba
cost $700/kilo in the Chinese wholesale market.Overharvesting and over
exploitation have led to the classification of O. sinensis as an endangered
species in China. Additional research needs to be carried out in order to
understand its morphology and growth habit for conservation and optimum
utilization.The moths in which O. sinensis grows are ambiguously referred to as
ghost moth which identifies either a single species or the genus Thitarodes,
and the species parasitized by O. sinensis may be one of several Thitarodes
that live on the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas like India, Nepal, Bhutan.
sinensis is known in the West as a medicinal mushroom, and its use has a long
history in Traditional Chinese medicine as well as Traditional Tibetan
medicine.The hand-collected fungus-caterpillar combination is valued by
herbalists and as a status symbol.it is used as an aphrodisiac and
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