MAR 13, 2012 Kathmandu – Once again government of Nepal requested to public and collectors to submit their proposals to collect and sell Yarsagumba (The Himalayan Viagra) in various districts of Nepal. Many villagers from Gorkha, Manang, Salyan, Dolpa, Rukum, Mustang, Rolpa, and other Mountain districts are now pounding to collect these mysterious herbs and pocket a huge amount of money until next picking season.

What is Yarshagumba, Cordyceps Sinesis (the Himalayan Viagra)?

Yarsagumba is a rare and unique herb. It is a plant in the summer and insects in the winter. That is why it is called ‘summer grass – winter worm’. Yarshagumba (The Himalayan Viagra) is an exceptional combination of a yellow caterpillar and a mushroom (fungus). Just earlier to the rainy season, spores of cordyceps fungus infect these Himalayan caterpillars that live on moist grass and hollow soil after the fungus buries itself in the caterpillar’s body.

It works its way out through the insect’s head that lives underground. The parasite gets the energy from the caterpillar. The fungus parasite gets so far into the body of the caterpillar that all the energy from the insect is drained out and ultimately it dies. As temperature increases and the snow melts Yarshagumba emerges and is collected at this time. During the rainy season, Yarshagumba (The Himalayan Viagra) is swept away.

It is a parasitic, annul non-chlorophyllous fungus. The gritting structure of the species comes from the anterior head of the larva of the caterpillar. Yarshagumba has two components. The lower part is the dead caterpillar and the upper part is a fungus. The fungus has a small spike with dark, brown fructification and yellowish-white stalk. The size of the fungus is about 4 – 12 cm in length and 0,14 – 0,4 cm in width.

Different names are valid.

The Nepalese name is Yarshagumba. Nowadays it is well known in the name of Himalayan Viagra too. The English and Latin name is Cordyceps Sinesis, it is called in China Dong Chong Xia Cau, Yartsa-Gunbu in Tibbet and Kira-jhar in India. The trade of Yarsha Gumba is increasing and it has been regarded as an expensive life-saving tonic and it is famous to be a cure for sexual impotence. That’s why it’s also called Himalayan Viagra.

Where it grows.

Yarshagumba grows in the pastures above 4.000 meters up to 5.000 meters in the Himalayan region of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. Especially it is found in the subalpine region of the Himalayan snowline in Dolpa, Jumla, Humla, Khalikot, Bajhang, Mustang, Manang and Rasuwa area of western and central Nepal.

Medical uses of Cordyceps sinesis, Yarsagumba.

Cordyceps is a powerful tonic and can help to restore the normal functioning of the body, stimulate an immune response, increase energy, vitality, and longevity. Recent research has shown that cordyceps can improve sports performance and muscle-building capability. In TCM, Cordyceps has been used to help regulate blood pressure, strengthen the cardiovascular system, and improving sexual energy and desire. Clinical tests performed at Hunan Medical University have shown that cordyceps are effective in relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the penis, increasing blood flow, resulting in harder erections.

A few animal studies have shown cordyceps feeding to increase the ratio of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the liver by 45-55% – an effect that may be viewed as beneficial in terms of energy state and potential for performance enhancement. Furthermore, mice fed cordyceps and subjected to an extremely low oxygen environment, were able to utilize oxygen more efficiently (30-50% increase), better tolerate acidosis and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and live 2-3 times longer than a control group. A number of Chinese clinical studies, primarily in elderly patients with fatigue, cordyceps-treated patients reported significant improvements in their level of fatigue, ability to tolerate cold temperatures, memory, and cognitive capacity and sex drive.
Yarsha Gumba is a rare species of plant widely used in clinical use and as a household remedy. It is a good and natural medicine for sexual intercourse, who are unable to have sex. For the following points, it is used.

1. Yarshagumba is considered to be potent at strengthening lung and kidneys, increasing energy and vitality, stopping hemorrhage decreasing phlegm.
2.  It has traditionally been used for impotence, backache to increase sperm production and to increase blood. It is used specifically for the excess of tiredness, impotence, debility, anemia, to build the bone marrow.
3.  It is taken for shortness of breath, emission soreness of loins and knees, dizziness, and tinnitus.
4. It is used especially for excess tiredness, chronic cough, and asthma, debility, liver, and anemia
5. It is used for strengthening the immune system.

Cordyceps may help improve libido and quality of life in men & women experiencing sexual frustration. In a double-blind and placebo-controlled study involving 200 men with reduced libido and other sexual problems, Cordyceps significantly enhance their sexual function. 64% of the Cordyceps-users reported significant improvement in sexual function compared with 24% of the placebo group.

According to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 21 elderly women experiencing sexual frustration were given Cordyceps supplementation. 90% reported improvements in libido and sexual health following the use of Cordyceps, compared with none in the control group. In another human clinical study involving 189 men and women with decreased libido and desire, 66% showed improvement of symptoms and desire after Cordyceps supplementation.
It is also used for a sexual purpose as natural Viagra. So it’s of great importance for men and women, children, adults any age of groups. After using Yarshagumba it gradually empowers internal energy inside our body in a natural way, as well as that it acts as a powerful aphrodisiac.

Using method.

It is very easy to use, just put it in boiling water or it can be boiled with water, then sipping the liquid like tea, coffee milk, or honey. It can be bitten and swallowed simply in the way of tasting like licorice. Nowadays many companies and pharmacies using as powder and making capsules, tablets, and mixing in our hygienic food, but we like to use it in a natural way which can be very useful for our health. It is still a popular aphrodisiac for men.

Success Stories.

The popularity of this Yarsagumba (Himalayan Viagra) recently grew because of 2 Chinese female athletes, Wang Junxia and Qu Yunxia, who beat the world records for 100, 3.000 and 10.000 meters running in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany. They were reported to have used cordyceps (yarsagumba) at the recommendation of their coach.
According to the Bensky (2006), laboratory-grown cordyceps Sinensis mycelium has similar clinical efficiency and less associated toxicity. He notes a toxicity case of constipation, abdominal distention and decreased peristalsis, two cases of irregular menstruation and one case report of amenorrhea following ingestion of tablets or capsules containing in Chinese medicine, it is considered sweet and warm, it enters the lung and kidney channels. The typical dosage is 3-9 grams. There are many stories of success after the regular use of yarsagumba.

Price :

Now how much does this beneficial and hardly available fungus costs you? An estimated of about $15, 000 Per Kg is real pricing in the international market for this herb but those who collect yarsagumba from the mountains makes hardly 2-5 US dollar per piece or less. There are always different stories about the pricing but Government of Nepal charge about .50cents as royalty to collect yarsagumba from various region of the country in the summer every year. A Kilo of yarsagumba is about 3500 to 5500 pieces in a dry format which needs a huge effort to collect in the harsh mountains.