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Yarchagumba (Cordyceps sinesis) is a rare species of parasitic lichen that grows on the bodies of insect larvae. Before the rainy season begins, spores of the cordyceps mushroom settle on the heads of caterpillars that lives underground. The fungus gradually permeates the body of the caterpillars, until the insect dies and the fungus transforms its body. This fungus is found on the subalpine pastures of Nepal, (Such as Dolpa in Karnali zone) as well as the Tibetan highlands of China and in Bhutan, at altitudes of 3000-4000 metres. The word means summer plant and winter insect in Tibetan.
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The herb is highly prized by practitioners of 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.
This value gives it a role in the continuing Nepal Civil War, as the Nepalese Maoists and government forces fight 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.
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