Yarsagumba or Yarchagumbu is an exceptional and incredible herb that grows in the pastures above 3,300 meters upto 4000 meters in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India and Tibet.
Yarsagumba is also known as the “Himalayan Viagra” or “Himalayan Gold” for its high medicinal and commercial value. It is mainly used as a treatment for impotency in many countries. Numerous scientific studies and research reveals that it has properties of antibiotic in it. Cordycep sinensis is used for lung and respiratory infection, pain, sciatica and backache. It also provides vitality and increases physical stamina of the body. Yarsa gumba is used by the Chinese to cure chronic hepatitis B and immune function such as dysfunctioning of liver.
Filed under: Amazing Facts, Miscellaneous | Tagged: alternate medicine, chinese herb, cordiceps, herb, himalayan, impotency, viagra, yarsagumba
Does yarsa gumba helps to regain nerve weakness caused by stroke ? As I heard from others it helps to cure paralyzed limbs is it true? Please infom me in detail.
Paul
Giza says : I absolutely agree with this !
i have done firsty Ph.D on yartsa gumba plztell me about the product sell strategy.
hi we are company based in nepal . we are treading in yarsha gumba if yu r intrested in yarsha gumba business we can help you .
contact us
putha himal herbal enterprises pvt. ltd.
kathmandu
nepal.
ph no.00877-9841269320
Dear Dr Shahid,
Thanks for your interest. Our website does not sale Yarsa Gumba. Some Nepalese companies have started to sell Yarsa in the form of tea bag. I searched for their Website but was unable to find it.
Thank You.
Samardeep
Dr Shahid,
I am originally from Nepal and glad to hear that you did Phd in Yartsa Gumba. I am more then happy to assist you to import Yarsha Gumba if you would like. I have some parties who export Yartsha Gumba. Please phone me on 07881441275
01252513077
looking forward to hearing from you
Mandhoj Ghale
Dr. Sahid
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May i need assistant from the nepal and china for more work on Yartsa gumba i have lots of the product for formulation and i need PDF enrollment or company processor on this topic.my contact no is 91-9412988266
I need to do PDF on cordyceps any university which help me regarding PDF position
we want to buy yarsagumba (caterpillar )pl. contact. us as soon as possible.
thanks
94610 30817 sohan singh
9828064439 mandeep
we want to buy yarsagumba (caterpillar )pl. contact. us as soon as possible.
thanks
94610 30817 sohan singh
9828064439 mandeep
email:- spiderindia.tent@gmail.com
Caterpillar fungus, Vegetable Caterpillar or Yarsagumba is a Chinese medicine product that is a result of a parasitic relationship between a Cordyceps fungus and a caterpillar, (usually Thitarodes) in Tibet, southwestern mountains of China, and neighbouring areas. As the fungi invades, it grows off larvae and the end result is desiccated caterpillar shell, with a fungal fruiting body attached. It is known in the West primarily from its use in Traditional Chinese medicine, where it is a prized ingredient.
[edit] Names
In Tibetan it is known as Yartsa Gunbu [Wylie: dbyar rtswa dgun 'bu], source of Nepali:यार्सागुम्बा, Yarshagumba, Yarchagumba. It is also known as keera jhar or keeda ghas in India. Its name in Chinese “dong chong xia cao” (冬虫夏草) means “winter worm, summer grass” (meaning “worm in the winter, (turns to) plant in the summer”). The Chinese name is a literal translation of the original Tibetan name, which was first recorded in the 15th Century by the Tibetan doctor Zurkhar Namnyi Dorje (Wylie: Zur mkhar mnyam nyid rdo rje’s [1439-1475]) in his text: Man ngag bye ba ring bsrel (Oral Instructions on a Myriad of Medicines).
The name ‘vegetable caterpillar’ is a clear misnomer. Caterpillar fungus is a preferable term.
In traditional Chinese medicine, its name is often abbreviated as “chong cao”, a name that also applies to other Cordyceps species, such as C. militaris.
Strangely, sometimes in Chinese English language text Cordyceps sinensis is referred to as ‘Aweto’, which is the Maori name for a different Cordyceps species from New Zealand. In Japanese it is known as tochukaso/tohchukaso.
Natural history
The caterpillar prone to infection by the fungus lives underground in alpine grass and shrublands on the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas at an altitude between 3000m and 5000m. Spending up to five years underground before pupating, the caterpillar is attacked while feeding on roots. The fungus invades the body of the Thitarodes caterpillars, filling its entire body cavity with mycelium and eventually killing and mummifying it. The caterpillars die near the tops of their burrows. The dark brown to black fruiting body (or mushroom) emerges from the ground in spring or early summer, always growing out of the forehead of the caterpillar. The long, usually columnar fruiting body reaches 5-15 cm above the surface and releases spores.
In Nepal caterpillar fungus is found on the subalpine pastures in Dolpo in Karnali Zone and Darchula in mahakali zone. It is also common in Bhutan and India’s Himachal Pradesh. Reports from distribution outside of High Asia are probably erroneous and relate to other species of Cordyceps, e.g. Cordyceps militaris.
It is not certain how the fungus infects the caterpillar; possibly by ingesting a fungal spore or by the fungus mycelium invading the insect through one of its breathing pores.
It is also found in Nandadevi centuary in Uttarakhand Himalayas of India. In the onset of Summer grasslands of Delisera, Dharansi, Malari are populated by the local people, who can be seen crouching on the ground and looking for the “Kira Jari” or the caterpillar root. The locals clean this fungus, dry it and sell it at 100 – 150 rupees (Indian currency) each.[citation needed]
Because of its rarity and value, inter-village conflicts over the grasslands has become a headache of the local governing bodies.[citation needed]
[edit] Use in Medicine
[edit] Traditional Chinese medicine
The first mention of Cordyceps sinensis in traditional Chinese Medicine was in the 18th Century.[1]
The entire fungus-caterpillar combination is hand-collected for medicinal use.
The fungus is highly prized by practitioners of Tibetan medicine, Chinese medicine and traditional herbal Folk medicines, in which it is used as an aphrodisiac and as a treatment for a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer. It is regarded as having an excellent balance of yin and yang as it is apparently both animal and vegetable (though it is in actuality not vegetable, but fungal). Assays have found that Cordyceps species produce many pharmacologically active substances. They are now cultivated on an industrial scale for their medicinal value.
The popularity of this fungus recently grew because two female Chinese athletes, Wang Junxia and Qu Yunxia, who beat the world records for 1500, 3000 and 10,000 meters in 1993 in Stuttgart, were reported to have used Cordyceps at the recommendation of their coach. However, this version of the events that lead to the extraordinary records of the Chinese women’s team was regarded as a smoke screen by many doping experts[who?]. Interestingly, the Chinese athletes could not repeat their performance in the following years, indicating further that illegal doping might have been involved.
According to Bensky (2006), laboratory-grown C. sinensis mycelium has similar clinical efficacy and less associated toxicity. He notes a toxicity case of constipation, abdominal distension, and decreased peristalsis, two cases of irregular menstruation, and one case report of amenorrhea following ingestion of tablets or capsules containing C. sinensis. In Chinese medicine C. sinensis is considered sweet and warm, it enters the Lung and Kidney channels; the typical dosage is 3-9 grams.[2]
[edit] Treatment of radiation poisoning
Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the bone marrow and digestive systems of mice from whole body irradiation.[3]
[edit] Economics and impact
Its value gave it a role in the Nepalese Civil War, as the Nepalese Maoists and government forces fought for control of the lucrative export trade during the June – July harvest season. Collecting yarchagumba in Nepal had only been legalised in 2001, and now demand is highest in countries such as China, Thailand, Korea and Japan. By 2002, the herb was valued at R 105,000 ($1,435) per kilogram, allowing the government to charge a royalty of R 20,000 ($280) per kilogram.
In Tibet, Yartsa Gunbu developed to become the most important source of cash income in rural Tibet. Prices are increasing continuously, especially since the late 1990s. In 2007, one kg traded for US$3000 (lowest quality) to over US$15,000 (best quality equalling the largest larvae).
The search for Cordyceps sinensis is often perceived to pose a threat for the environment of the Tibetan Plateau where it grows. While it has been collected for centuries and is still common in such collection areas, current collection rates are much higher than in historical times.
Cordyceps producers like to perpetuate the story that unscrupulous harvesters insert twigs into the stromata of wild C. sinensis to increase the weight and therefore the price paid. Tiny twigs are only used when the stromata is broken from the caterpillar, and has nothing to do with weight increases. Supposedly at some point in the past, someone has inserted lead wires with which to increase weight, however, each year hundreds of millions of specimens are harvested and this appears to have been a one time occurrence.[citation needed]
Cultivated C. sinensis mycelium is an alternative to wild-harvested C. sinensis, and producers claim it may offer improved consistency. Artificial culture of C. sinensis is typically by growth of the pure mycelium in liquid culture (in China) or on grains (in the West). Stromata are not produced apart from the insect host.
Chinese Cordyceps fungus (Cordyceps sinensis) – Yarchagumba Herb
The Cordyceps is a rare species of plant widely used both in clinical medicine and as a household remedy. It is also considered potent at strengthening lung and kidneys, increasing energy and vitality, stopping hemorrhage, decreasing phlegm, and as an overall tonic. The Cordyceps sinensis, a combination of insect and plant remains inactive in winter and comes out in summer. Of the two types, the black one is more expensive than the white. Yarchagumba is a parasitic species that grows in a species of moth. Where the Yarsagumba grows, the moth larvae does not decompose as the Yarchagumba protects it from bacteria. In Nepal, Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis) locally called as “Yarchagumba” (Yarshagumba) which is an insect parasite fungus having high commercial demand as tonic/aphrodisiac. Yarchagumba, also known as caterpillar-fungus is a rare species of parasitic fungus found in the highlands of Nepal. Cordyceps is found in subalpine pasture lands of Nepal including Jumla and Dolpa area belonging to Karnali zone. Yarchagumba, which means (herb of life), is actually a lichen which grows on the body of a larva, is found on the high hills of Dolpo and this is collected during the spring and early summer when the snow melt and lichens sprout out on the hills. Yarchagumba is found at 14,000 feet (about 4,300m) and above. Wild Cordyceps sinensis is also found in Tibetan Highlands of China, in India and in Bhutan. In Nepal, no significant research has been been conducted on Yarchagumba. China is conducting researches on Yarchagumba. China has monopolised the knowledge and market.
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Medicine uses
Cordecypes sinensis is good for reinforcing the lung and kidneys, arresting bleeding and dispelling phlegm. It is taken for shortness of breath, asthma, impotency, emission, soreness of loins and knees, dizziness and tinnitus.
Actions: Adaptogen, tonic, immune stimulant, restorative.
Cordyceps sinensis Common Use: Caterpillar fungus or Winter Worm – Summer Grass, those are the common names used for the highly prized Chinese tonic herb Cordyceps, which gained national publicity in mainstream publications a few years back because of its use by Chinese women athletes engaged in breaking world running records. In ancient China this fungus was used exclusively in the Emperor’s Palace because of its scarcity. Approximately 5 grams were stuffed into the stomach of a duck and roasted until well cooked, then the Cordyceps was removed and the duck was slowly eaten, twice daily over a period of 8-10 days, this was thought to be as potent as 50 grams of Panax Ginseng.
The New York Journal of Medicine reported that Cordyceps has properties similar to Ginseng, being used to strengthen the body after exhaustion or long term illness. It has traditionally been used for impotence, backache, to increase sperm production and to increase blood production. In China, Cordyceps is used medically to regulate and support the gonads and as a lung and kidney tonic. It is used specifically for excess tiredness, chronic cough and asthma, impotence, debility, anemia, to build the bone marrow and reduce excess phlegm
Pl contact
Mandeep / sohan singh
9828064439 / 94610 30817
email:- spiderindia.tent@gmail.com
Dear Sohan Singh,
you forgot to mention that this long entry is the copy of the Cordyceps sinensis entry at Wikipedia.
best regards, Daniel
Mr. Mandeep you really have good information about Yarchagumba .I am amazed to know its benifits on human body .Can you please let me know ,is there any indian medicine company developed or cell yarchagumba products .So that i can purchased this medicine and use it .
This is quite a hot info. I think I’ll share it on Twitter.