yarchagumba

Yarchagumba, Nepal's Natural Viagra
Every May and June, thousands of villagers risk their lives collecting the fungus in the high mounta
Arjun Sharma (arjunji)
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Published 2006-02-23 15:09 (KST)
Yarchagumba, a rare parasitic fungus(*) used for medicine, is still not recognized by the Nepal government as a possible source of revenue. There are no processing factories and industry for Yarchagumba. A huge amount of the drug is trafficked across the border to India and China. The herbal medicine, strongly believed to be a remedy for sexual dysfunction, is the main cause of attraction towards it. The recipes and culinary dishes prepared by mixing Yarchagumba in Japan, Britain and other countries costs hundreds of dollars. So it's a multi-million dollar business.Yarchagumba is found in the high mountainous region of western Nepal. The government lifted a ban on the medicine but imposed a royalty tax rate of $280 per kilogram. The current cost of Yarchagumba is $2,100 per kilogram. It's price has been skyrocketing, as international interest has grown for this mysterious fungus.Every year during May and June, thousands of villagers from remote areas risking their own lives head for the high mountains to collect Yarchagumba. It is estimated that one villager can earn up to Rs. 2,500 or $35 a day, which is beyond the monthly salary of many Nepalese households. Dolpa -- a remote district in western Nepal with steep valleys and a dry climate is one of the foremost areas for collecting Yarchagumba. Almost 50 percent of the annual supply of Yarchagumba comes from Dolpa alone. Here, not only the adults but school kids also take unofficial holidays in search of the gold rush. Yarchagumba grows in the meadows above 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) in the Himalayan region of Nepal. There are various types of famous medicinal plants found in Nepal but the popularity of Yarchagumba is simply overwhelming. For the last couple of years, the trade of Yarchagumba is increasing and it has been regarded as an expensive life-saving tonic. Headache, toothache or any other disease -- Yarchagumba is the remedy. And not only that, it is also believed to be a cure for sexual impotency -- a Himalayan natural viagra. Its Latin name is cordyceps sinesis. Yarchagumba literally means "summer plant and winter insect" in Tibetan. Before the rainy season begins, spores of the cordyceps mushroom settle on the heads of caterpillars' that live underground. The fungus gets so much into the body of the caterpillars' that it grows out through its head and drains all the energy from the insect and ultimately it dies.Eventually, Dolpa's Yarchagumba ends up in places like Japan, where a bowl of soup containing just three caterpillars costs $100. Taxes levied on this multi-million dollar trade should be a boon to the coffers of the Nepalese Government. Unfortunately, the Dolpa region is also a stronghold of Nepal's Maoists who control the harvest and export of Yarchagumba -- using it to fund their rebellion against the central government.