YARSA GUMBA

Yarsa Gumba

Scientific Name:- Cordycep sinensis

Common Name:- Himalayan Viagra

What it is?

Yarsa gumba is a unique combination of a yellow caterpillar and a mushroom. Yarsa gumba in Tibetan means ‘summer grass, winter insect’. Just prior to the rainy season, spores of cordyceps mushroom lands on these Himalayan caterpillars that live on moist grass and hollow ground. After the fungus buries itself in the caterpillar’s body, it works its way out through the insect’s head. The parasite gets the energy from the caterpillar which eventually dies. As temperature increases and the snow melts -yarsa gumba emerges and is harvested at this time. During monsoon, the yarsa gumba is swept away.

It is between 3,300m - 4,000m in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Tibet

Government of Nepal:- Policy

Nepalese government banned its collection in 1996 and allowed it to be collected after 2001. The reason for the ban was on an adhoc basis and trial and error method – it was proposed that if harvesting were discontinued – population of yarsa gumba could increase. Today, it is recognized that yarsa gumba is to be harvested annually.
As this region is devoid of trees and little vegetation, the local communities thrive through such collection. This year about a thousand people had gathered to collect yarsa gumba and two people have died of bad weather. As the revenue for collection is exorbitantly high with the government charging a royalty of US$ 271.11 per kg. Local collectors avoid paying royalty for their collection however they do pay fraction of their collection and this has promoted illegal trade.

Exported countries

The major countries involved in its import are China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea where it is used extensively for oriental medicine. India is one of the leading importers of yarsa gumba compared to other countries of the world.