William Rafti Institute/Wikimedia
Yartsa gunbu, the caterpillar fungus
There is a fungus in the Himalayas that is more valuable than gold – and, if not cared for properly, it could become even rarer, or even disappear.
O gold price reached, this Tuesday, a new maximum ever.
According to data from Bloomberg, when it was 10:30 am in Lisbon, gold hit $2,266.85 per ounce (0.02835 kilograms), 1.3% more than at the end of the previous session.
The golden metal has registered successive highs in recent weeks, and is experiencing highest appreciation in the last 56 years.
Even so, there is a fungus worth much more.
O yartsa gunbu is a special fungus that only grows in highlands Himalayasin India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
As a report by New Scientist, published this Tuesday, states, the yartsa gunbualso known as caterpillar fungus“worth more than its weight in gold” and can be the medicine gold.
O yarsta only grows in high areas of the Himalayasin India, Nepal, Bhutan and China, and, according to the magazine, the global market for this fungus is worth – in estimation – around 10 billion euros.
“Belief is the key”
Several researchers have reported potential therapeutic benefitsat the yartsa: for example, for people on dialysis; for cardiovascular diseases; liver, kidneys. Furthermore, they theorize that this fungus has possible antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects.
The unusual origins of yartsa help reinforce this belief.
This fungus “springs” when butterfly larvae are infected by the parasitic fungus. Cordycepswhat surrounds the caterpillars with its mycelium similar to roots – hence the name caterpillar fungus.
When the caterpillar emerges to die, the fungus blooms with a needle-like stalk.
Nicolas Merky/Wikimedia
Yartsa gunbu, the caterpillar fungus
For now, there is still no science to prove that this fungus is the gold of medicine, but Tashi Dorjian expert on Himalayan economies at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, says “there is enough truth to make people believe,” adding that “belief is the key”.
“Fungus of (and for) the caterpillar”
Several scientists have hailed the “caterpillar fungus” as an aphrodisiac and there are even those who call it the “Viagra from the Himalayas”.
According to New Scientist, there is already evidence between increased physical resistance and infusions of this product.
Tashi Tsering – a producer of this “medicine” – explains to the magazine the benefits of this tea, which is a mixture of the fungus with 16 rare herbs and medicinal plants: “You can drink it, it will affect your body (…) Longer sex. More energy“.
There are environmental concerns
A excessive harvest of yartsa It has, however, a very negative ecological impact, in a region that is already warming at twice the global average rate. Furthermore, harvests of this fungus have led to the river pollution and deforestation.
And the negative cycle is uncontrollable: The more the region warms, the less yartsa will grow, since this is a fungus that lacks moisture from rain and snow.
A 2018 study, published in PNAS, suggests that the caterpillar fungus is already migrating to higher altitudes to avoid heat.
In the last 15 years, the yartsa gunbu decreased by around 30%
High demand, habitat deterioration and climate change contributed to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifying, in 2020, the yartsa gunbu as a vulnerable species.
