The ‘Miracle’ Mushroom
Extremely rare and distributed along the alpine region of the Himalayas at an altitude of more than 4000m, Yarsagumba (Cordyceps or Ophiocordyceps Sinensis) is one of the most immensely potential medicinal mushrooms in the world. ‘Yarsagumba science name is Ophiocordyceps Sinensis. In Chinese, it is also known as called Dong Cong Xia Cao, 冬虫夏草. However, its origins are Tibetan: Yart Swa Gun Bu, which means ‘herb in the summer and insect in the winter’.
Yarsagumba is a Yellow caterpillar (Lepidoptera)-fungus combination. Before the rain, the fungus infects caterpillar larvae in grassy soil. When it attacks the head, the larvae die. The trunk of the fungus then propagates in the head, growing 2-3 inches long and becoming brown in color.
Yarsagumba can be eaten plain or powdered, mixed with milk or water. Its taste is of mushroom, flavorsome, sweet, and neutral in nature
When the snow melts in the Himalayas, villagers from the far west of Nepal go to the Himalayas, where they stay for two months, battling the cold environment just for this mushroom. This mushroom (Yarsagumba) has a lot of health benefits. In the past time, it is said to have been taken as a potent tonic by kings and noblemen. It is also said that Chinese traditional medicine, has a cure for all types of illness.
Yarsagumba is also believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac, which is beneficial for weak libidos, giving it the name “The Himalayan Viagra”. Back in the time, when yaks and goats were taken to scratch in the huge grasslands, the animals consumed Yarsagumba and became fresh, pursuing the opposite sex with a revived potency. This struck the people’s minds, and later they tasted it as a result they experience more energy, less fatigue, and a boosted libido.
Yarsagumba in hand
When it is identified as a cure for infertility, Yarsagumba’s price in the market is really high. In the International market, Yarsagumba’s price is worth more than gold. Yarsagumba wasn’t sold for low-cost back in the old days too. Travelers acclaimed that, in 1890, rotten specimens cost four times their weight in silver. In 1990, it cost $700/kilo in the Chinese wholesale market.
With the market's growth in demand, many people have made it an opportunity for their income. A family can earn as much as Rs 6,00,000 during the collecting season.
The Use of Yarsagumba in the West is not age-old but more recent. It came to fame when the legendary Chinese coach Ma Junren stated that this specific herb was the secret behind the spectacular world records that his runners had made in the 1900s.
