Yarsagumba Nepal

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), in coordination with various stakeholders, has implemented a quota system for collecting Yarsagumba in order to prevent overharvesting of the herb which is used as an aphrodisiac. Yarsagumba, the world’s most expensive medicinal fungus, is in serious decline in Nepal due to overharvesting. The herb can fetch as much as $100 per gram on the Chinese market, making it more expensive than gold, according to reports. As per the new quota provision, only a limited number of people will be allowed to collect Yarsagumba in specified regions. According to reports, high prices and rising demand have set off a fungus gold rush in poverty-stricken rural communities in Nepal, but the impact on biodiversity and ecosystems has received little attention. “If regulations are not introduced, overharvesting of these plants may destroy their habitats,” said Babulal Tiruwa, chief of ACAP Manang. Prospective herb collectors will need to obtain a spec...

In Nepal, caravans of people can be seen climbing higher up the snow-capped Himalayas, carrying blankets, tents and cooking materials. Schools are closed and entire villages are emptied, aside from the elderly and the sick who cannot handle the harsh, steep and long trek thousands of meters above sea level. When the annual yarsagumba harvesting season hits, all available hands and eyes become engaged in the lucrative hunt. Yarsagumba is a unique caterpillar-fungus fusion that occurs when parasitic mushroom spores (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) infect and mummify a ghost moth larva living in the soil. A spindly fungus later sprouts from the dead caterpillar host’s head. Two to six centimeters long, the fungus shoots above the soil, acting as a tiny, finger-shaped flag for harvesters to find. This peculiar hybrid is the world’s most expensive biological resource. Yarsagumba thrives in the picturesque peaks of the Himalayas, at altitudes of between 3000 and 5000 meters, in Nepal, India and ...

Collectors of the prized Himalayan herb yarsagumba have sold their harvests to traders without setting the price after a three-month-long stalemate. Locals of Bajhang district, for whom gathering herbs is a major source of livelihood, have not received payment from the traders even though a month has passed. The caterpillar-fungus cannot be preserved for long periods, and this made collectors anxious to unload their stocks even without agreeing on a price. The expensive herb is also a target for thieves.  “We collect the fungus in May, and it is difficult to preserve it beyond September,” said Ghuran Bohara, a local of Kanda, Bajhang. “If yarsagumba gets damaged, we get a very low price for it. Therefore, we sold the fungus to traders without fixing the price.”   The high value of the fungus has also made it dangerous to keep in the house. “We can’t store things of such high value for a long time, and we had no option but to trust the traders,” said Bohar...

The Himalayan mountain range that straddles the border between Nepal and Tibet is known as one of the most beautiful and remote places in the world. Every year, thousands of tourists come here to trek on the Annapurna circuit which takes them high into the snowy mountains to climb passes over 5,000m (16404ft). This isolated and barren landscape is home to Buddhist communities who have lived, farmed and traded here for centuries. But in the last few years, this peaceful region has been rocked by jealousy, crime and murder. All this is down to Yarsagumba, the small, fragile, mummified body of the Himalayan bat moth caterpillar that has been invaded by a fungus - and which is famous throughout the Himalayas as a powerful medicine. 'A sin' As the freezing night falls in the Himalayan village of Humde, Sangay Gurung and his wife huddle around their fireside, preparing a supper of rice and vegetables. Sangay tells me he can sell me some Yarsagumba. Image caption Sang...

Ophiocordyceps sinensis  (formerly known as  Cordyceps sinensis ) is an entomopathogenic fungus (a fungus that grows on insects) found in mountainous regions of Nepal and Tibet. It parasitizes larvae of ghost moths and produces a fruiting body which used to be valued as a herbal remedy. However, it usually contains high amount of arsenic and other heavy metals so that it is potentially toxic and its manufacture and sales were strictly regulated by CFDA (China Food and Drug Administration) in 2016. O. sinensis  parasitizes the moths of the genus  Thitarodes  in the ghost moth family, Hepialidae; specifically species from the Tibetan Plateau, and the Himalayas. The fungus germinates in the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then a dark brown stalk-like fruiting body which is a few centimeters long emerges from the corpse and stands upright. It is known in English colloquially as...

Yarsagumba  is a type of caterpillar fungus which is one of the most expensive insect-herbs that is used for medical purpose.  Yarsagumba  is a Tibetan word   which means summer grass – winter worm. It is a rare fungus that parasites on the body of a moth caterpillar that grows only at higher altitudes in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, China and North-East India. It is also known as the Himalayan Viagra or the Himalayan Gold,  Yarchagumba, Yatsa gunbu  and  Yartsa gunba . The caterpillar lives underground and feeds on plant roots and is attacked by the fungus during its larva state. The fungus kills it and a tiny mushroom sprouts from the head of the dead larva. It, however, is found on the surface of the ground during the spring when the snow melts. It is a popular Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) whose demand increased after 1993 when three Chinese female athletes broke world records and their coach mentioned giving them  Yarshagumba  ...

Medical use of Cordyceps - Yarsagumba Cordyceps or yarsagumba is a rare species of plant widely used both in clinical medicine and as a household remedy. Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Yarchagumba is also considered potent at strengthening lung and kidneys, increasing energy and vitality, stopping hemorrhage, decreasing phlegm. Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Yarchagumba has traditionally been used for impotence, backache, to increase sperm production and to increase blood production. Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Yarchagumba is used specifically for excess tiredness, chronic cough and asthma, impotence, debility, anemia, to build the bone marrow. Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Yarchagumba is taken for shortness of breath, asthma, impotency, emission, soreness of loins and knees, dizziness and tinnitus. Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Yarchagumba is also use for strengthen the immune system of tumor patients who have received radiotherapy, Chemotherapy or operation Cordyceps or Yarsagumba or Ya...

Yarsagumba is a unique caterpillar-fungus fusion that occurs when parasitic mushroom spores (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) infect and mummify a ghost moth larva living in the soil. A spindly fungus later sprouts from the dead caterpillar host’s head. Two to six centimeters long, the fungus shoots above the soil, acting as a tiny, finger-shaped flag for harvesters to find. This peculiar hybrid is the world’s most expensive biological resource. Yarsagumba thrives in the picturesque peaks of the Himalayas, at altitudes of between 3000 and 5000 meters, in Nepal, India and Bhutan, and also on the “roof of the world” — the Tibetan Plateau. In Tibet, it’s called “Yartsa gunbu,” which translates to “summer grass winter worm.” Usage: (1)Enhancing the immunity (2)Restraining the tumor  (3)Improving athletic performance by increasing energy (4)Protecting heart from anoxic diseases and arrhythmia (5)Being used to cure the chronic respiratory diseases and relieves asthma ...

Yarsagumba (Cordyceps) is one of the most unique, rare, and treasured plants used in herbal medicine. In its natural form, Cordyceps can be found only at elevations above 3500 meters in isolated areas of northern Dolpa, Nepal. This herb is actually a type of fungus which grows on the backs of caterpillars indigenous to Nepal, China and Tibet. Due to its rarity, Cordyceps harvested in the wild is very expensive. Wild cordyceps from Nepal is supposed to be the best in the world. Scientific research has proven that wild cordyceps is richer in certain components, and also that the proportions of its ingredients are different from the cultivated herb, and this might make some differences in the activity. However, the laboratory versions of Cordyceps has become an alternative for people who cannot afford Natural Cordyceps .