The Magic Caterpillar

What we Americans have come to call Caterpillar Fungus, is known by the Nepalese as Yarcha Gumba aka the Himalayan Viagra. The scientific name for this special organism is Ophiocordyceps sinensis and it is actually a parasitic fungus that infects the larvae of ghost moths. With a gestation period of just around 6 months, the fungus grows inside of the live caterpillar until it kills and mummifies the body to provide a stable foundation for what it will soon become. The fungus grows a stalk-like head from the body of the caterpillar so that it can continue its life cycle.

These fungi are only found in remote Himalayan regions of very high altitudes. Throughout our travels in the Mustang region, we first located this amazing fungus in the village of Chungar, but it is also found throughout rural Tibet. Due to the area in which it is found, those who are employed to find this fungus are risking their lives daily as altitude sickness is a very life-threatening problem.

Those who choose to take this huge risk receive a huge return. For the rural Tibetan regions that harvest the caterpillar fungus, 40% of the annual cash income comes from this fungus. In 2005, 8.5% of the GDP was produced through this fungus alone. 1 kilogram of Yarcha Gumba sells for anywhere between 3,000 and 18,000 USD depending on the size and quality of the product.

The reason that this medicinal herb is so expensive is related to the danger involved in its harvest, the six-month drying process, as well as the range of issues that can be treated by Yarcha Gumba. These conditions include hypo/hyperglycemia, arrhythmia, heart and liver disease, fatigue, cancer, as well as kidney and lung problems. As you probably have wondered Yarcha is also known as an aphrodisiac, hence the title, the Himalayan Viagra.