Caterpillar fungus or Yartsa gunbu is the result of a p
arasitic relationship between a the fungus Cordyceps and the larva of the ghost moth several (Thitarodes) species living on the Tibetan Plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, West-Sichuan, SW-Gansu & NW Yunnan, all in China, and the Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan). The fungus invades the larva, kills it and grows in spring a fruiting body out of its head. It is known in the West primarily from its use in Traditional Chinese medicine, where it is a prized ingredient, however its roots are in Traditional Tibetan Medicine.
arasitic relationship between a the fungus Cordyceps and the larva of the ghost moth several (Thitarodes) species living on the Tibetan Plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, West-Sichuan, SW-Gansu & NW Yunnan, all in China, and the Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan). The fungus invades the larva, kills it and grows in spring a fruiting body out of its head. It is known in the West primarily from its use in Traditional Chinese medicine, where it is a prized ingredient, however its roots are in Traditional Tibetan Medicine.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 (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.
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 (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 and Uttarakhand Himalayas. 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.
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 and Uttarakhand Himalayas. 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.
Use in Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
The first mentioning of Cordyceps sinensis in traditional Chinese Medicine was in Wang Ang’s 1694 compendium of material medica, Ben Cao Bei Yao. In the 18th Century it was listed in Wu Yiluo's “Ben cao cong xin” - “New compilation of materia medica”.
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 & turtle blood at the recommendation of their coach Ma Junren. Interestingly, the Chinese athletes could repeat their performance only at the Asian Games in Beijing in 1994 and not at other meets in the following years, indicating further that illegal doping might have been involved. Thus, the events that led to the extraordinary records of the Chinese women's team were regarded as a smoke screen by many doping experts[who?]. Ma Junren became infamous for withdrawing several of his star athletes right before the Sydney Games.
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.
Traditional Chinese medicine
The first mentioning of Cordyceps sinensis in traditional Chinese Medicine was in Wang Ang’s 1694 compendium of material medica, Ben Cao Bei Yao. In the 18th Century it was listed in Wu Yiluo's “Ben cao cong xin” - “New compilation of materia medica”.
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 & turtle blood at the recommendation of their coach Ma Junren. Interestingly, the Chinese athletes could repeat their performance only at the Asian Games in Beijing in 1994 and not at other meets in the following years, indicating further that illegal doping might have been involved. Thus, the events that led to the extraordinary records of the Chinese women's team were regarded as a smoke screen by many doping experts[who?]. Ma Junren became infamous for withdrawing several of his star athletes right before the Sydney Games.
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.
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.
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.
Economics and impact
In Tibet, Yartsa Gunbu developed to become the most important source of cash income in rural Tibet contributing 40% of the annual cash income to local households and 8.5% to the GDP in 2004. Prices were increasing continuously, especially since the late 1990s. In 2008, one kg traded for US$3000 (lowest quality) to over US$18,000 (best quality equalling the largest larvae). The annual production on the Tibetan Plateau is estimated at 100-200t. The Himlayan Cordyceps production might not exceed a few tons.
Its value gave it a role in the Nepalese Civil War, as the Nepalese Maoists and gov
ernment 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 2003 the value of a kilogram of caterpillars was estimated at about 30,000 to 60,000 Nepali Rupees in Nepal, and about Rs 1 lakh in India. But in the year of 2007 it was valued at the range of about 7 to 12 lakhs per kg depending upon the size and quality.
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.
Because of its incredible value, inter-village conflicts over access to its grassland habitats has become a headache of the local governing bodies and in several cases people were killed in such cases. However, taken the value and the vast habitat into account deadly incidents are rather the exception.
References
1. Winkler, Daniel (2008) Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Tibet AR. In: Economic Botany 62.3 p.291-305
2. Wu, Yiluo (1757) (in Chinese). “Ben cao cong xin” - “New compilation of materia medica”.
3. Bensky, D; A. Gamble, S. Clavey, E. Stoger, L. Lai Bensky (2006). Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica (3rd ed.). Eastland Press.
4. Liu, Wei-Chung; Wang, Shu-Chi; Tsai, Min-Lung; Chen, Meng-Chi; Wang, Ya-Chen; Hong, Ji-Hong; McBride, William H.; Chiang (2006-12), "Protection against Radiation-Induced Bone Marrow and Intestinal Injuries by Cordyceps sinensis, a Chinese Herbal Medicine", Radiation Research 166 (6): 900–907, doi:10.1667/RR0670.1
5. Winkler, Daniel (2008) Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Tibet AR. In: Economic Botany 62.3 p.291-305
6. Baral N, Heinen JT (2005) The Maoist people's war and conservation in Nepal. Politics and the Life Sciences: 24(1):2–11
7. Sharma, Subrat (2004) Trade of Cordyceps sinensis from high altitudes of the Indian Himalaya: Conservation and biotechnological priorities. Current Science 86(12):1614-1619 PDF
8. ENS 2005. Tibetans, Chinese Battle over Access to Medicinal Fungus. http://www.ens-newswire/. com/ens/jun2005/2005-06-02-01.asp.]
Other sources
1. Winkler, D. 2005. Yartsa Gunbu - Cordyceps sinensis. Economy, Ecology & Ethno-mycology of a Fungus Endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. In: A.BOESI & F. CARDI (eds.). Wildlife and plants in traditional and modern Tibet: Conceptions, Exploitation and Conservation. Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Vol. 33.1:69-85.
2. Saleeby, J. P. "Wonder Herbs: A Guide to Three Adaptogens", Xlibris, 2006 (References Cordyceps and why it was used in AdapTx Labs "CardioFactor" formula)
External links
Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) in Tibet
Nepal's Nature - The Himalayan Viagra
Page at Everything2.com
Image gallery of Cordyceps sinensis
An Electronic Monograph of Cordyceps and Related Fungi
See also
Fungi portal
Cordyceps
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_fungus"
In Tibet, Yartsa Gunbu developed to become the most important source of cash income in rural Tibet contributing 40% of the annual cash income to local households and 8.5% to the GDP in 2004. Prices were increasing continuously, especially since the late 1990s. In 2008, one kg traded for US$3000 (lowest quality) to over US$18,000 (best quality equalling the largest larvae). The annual production on the Tibetan Plateau is estimated at 100-200t. The Himlayan Cordyceps production might not exceed a few tons.
Its value gave it a role in the Nepalese Civil War, as the Nepalese Maoists and gov
ernment 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 2003 the value of a kilogram of caterpillars was estimated at about 30,000 to 60,000 Nepali Rupees in Nepal, and about Rs 1 lakh in India. But in the year of 2007 it was valued at the range of about 7 to 12 lakhs per kg depending upon the size and quality.
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.
Because of its incredible value, inter-village conflicts over access to its grassland habitats has become a headache of the local governing bodies and in several cases people were killed in such cases. However, taken the value and the vast habitat into account deadly incidents are rather the exception.
References
1. Winkler, Daniel (2008) Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Tibet AR. In: Economic Botany 62.3 p.291-305
2. Wu, Yiluo (1757) (in Chinese). “Ben cao cong xin” - “New compilation of materia medica”.
3. Bensky, D; A. Gamble, S. Clavey, E. Stoger, L. Lai Bensky (2006). Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica (3rd ed.). Eastland Press.
4. Liu, Wei-Chung; Wang, Shu-Chi; Tsai, Min-Lung; Chen, Meng-Chi; Wang, Ya-Chen; Hong, Ji-Hong; McBride, William H.; Chiang (2006-12), "Protection against Radiation-Induced Bone Marrow and Intestinal Injuries by Cordyceps sinensis, a Chinese Herbal Medicine", Radiation Research 166 (6): 900–907, doi:10.1667/RR0670.1
5. Winkler, Daniel (2008) Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) and the Fungal Commodification of the Rural Economy in Tibet AR. In: Economic Botany 62.3 p.291-305
6. Baral N, Heinen JT (2005) The Maoist people's war and conservation in Nepal. Politics and the Life Sciences: 24(1):2–11
7. Sharma, Subrat (2004) Trade of Cordyceps sinensis from high altitudes of the Indian Himalaya: Conservation and biotechnological priorities. Current Science 86(12):1614-1619 PDF
8. ENS 2005. Tibetans, Chinese Battle over Access to Medicinal Fungus. http://www.ens-newswire/. com/ens/jun2005/2005-06-02-01.asp.]
Other sources
1. Winkler, D. 2005. Yartsa Gunbu - Cordyceps sinensis. Economy, Ecology & Ethno-mycology of a Fungus Endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. In: A.BOESI & F. CARDI (eds.). Wildlife and plants in traditional and modern Tibet: Conceptions, Exploitation and Conservation. Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Vol. 33.1:69-85.
2. Saleeby, J. P. "Wonder Herbs: A Guide to Three Adaptogens", Xlibris, 2006 (References Cordyceps and why it was used in AdapTx Labs "CardioFactor" formula)
External links
Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) in Tibet
Nepal's Nature - The Himalayan Viagra
Page at Everything2.com
Image gallery of Cordyceps sinensis
An Electronic Monograph of Cordyceps and Related Fungi
See also
Fungi portal
Cordyceps
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_fungus"
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