Capitalfm – AFP, May 14, 2013
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| This aphrodisiac has been dubbed “Himalayan Viagra”/AFP |
Parents,
students and even teachers have left home in pursuit of “yarchagumba”, a
high-altitude caterpillar fungus which is eagerly sought for its reputed sexual
enhancement.
“In this
district alone, about 8,000 students have left school for the expedition,”
Prakash Subedi, an official at Jajarkot district education office, told AFP.
“Without
the students, there’s no point running the school so we close them. Even the
teachers go to collect it,” Subedi said. Some schools might hold extra classes
in the autumn so children’s education does not suffer, he added.
Yarchagumba,
which in Tibetan means “summer grass, winter worm,” is produced when Cordyceps
fungus spores attack a caterpillar larva underground, kill it and cause a
mushroom to sprout out of its head.
Nepalese
villagers flock to high meadows each spring in search of the specimens.
China and
other Asian markets have huge appetites for the obscure fungus, pushing prices
above $11,500 per pound (450 grams) and putting its value somewhere between
silver and gold.
“We urge
the parents not to take their children along with them,” Subedi said, adding
that parents typically ignore the plea because children can earn up to 100,000
rupees ($1,140) during the harvest.
No
definitive research has been published on the qualities of “Himalayan Viagra”.
But Chinese herbalists believe the fungus — an excellent balance of yin and
yang, as it is both animal and vegetable — boosts sexual performance.
Boiled in
water to make tea, or added to soups and stews, it is claimed to cure a variety
of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
In recent
years researchers have claimed that despite regulatory measures such as a tax
imposed on harvesters to control the fungus population, supplies are declining,
perhaps due to over-harvesting.
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