Ophiocordyceps sinensis -- Caterillar fungus - Healthbiztips

Friday, February 15, 2019

Ophiocordyceps sinensis -- Caterillar fungus - Healthbiztips

By: Arlene Gentallan

Have you heart about this "caterpillar fungus" that's making buzz from it's motherland, the Tibetan Plateau, and hitting the global market in such a high price. By, the way, it comes in many names like Ophiocordyceps sinensis, dong chóng xià cao (in Chinese), and yartsa gunbu (in Tibetan) so don't be confused.

Can you believe it, in Beijing China, caterpillar fungus costs more than gold! Well, caterpillar fungus may be something that crawl out of a child's nightmare--it's literally a fungus that grows in a caterpillar's body (specifically, ghost moths) and sprouts a large stalk out of the poor creature's head. So yeah, infected ghost moths die before they have the opportunity to become months. It's terrifying. But, when you consider the prices involved in it's trade, we could just overlook the fact that it's horrendous and see it as a "gold mine".

Caterpillar fungus trade fuels a local economy which ironically is driving it's main fuel--the caterpillar fungus itself, into near extinction. Now, this is a big problem to the local people who strongly depend in harvesting this fungus as their main source of income. Some things just don't come flowing forever.

Besides, you can't just go digging out caterpillar fungus from your backyard, unless your backyard just so happens to be the Himalayan mountainside (the worst place to be a ghost moth). Finding fungal stalk in the plateau is hard work and it's as much as brutal that harvesting the caterpillar fungus should be done with utmost care, because if an uncareful collector accidentally decapitates the fungal stalk from the caterpillar's body then that also cuts it's cost!

How come caterpillar fungus be more precious than gold?

Good question. Is caterpillar fungus so much desirable that it beats gold's worth?

Caterpillar fungus is a traditional Chinese medicine use to treat many diseases like AIDS, cancer, and SARS. If you have any of those disease and you've heard about the rumors, you certain will want to get your hands on these fungal miracle. Just saying.

Caterpillar fungus is also an acclaimed immune system booster, aphrodisiac, performance enhancer, anti-aging miracle, and many other good stuffs.

But, the question is, do these benefits live up to the standard of this fungus' price? Well, that's a topic we can debate about but it seems the dwindling number of caterpillar fungus is bringing it's prices up even further.

You know what people do with expensive things? That's right, they use it as a status symbol! A way to tell everybody that they're supposed to be rich. I know, to someone whose naive, caterpillar fungus may not look like the type of something that can be brag as a status symbol, but believe me when I say that it is a huge status symbol, especially in China. Chinese emperor were served this stuff back in the days when only the elite class can afford it.

We'll, if you're having caterpillar fungus tea, I'll give you the benefit of doubt that you're a rich and respected person. Although, with today's purchasing power, some middle class can now afford this parasite.

The cycle of caterpillar fungus

The fungus specifically infects ghost months when they are still larvae or caterpillars. During this stage, the caterpillar burrows underground, feasting on plant roots. Fungal spores usually infects caterpillars during summer, then by fall and winter, the fungus slowly eats away the caterpillar's internal organs. By spring, the caterpillar crawls near the surface where it dies and the the fungus grows a stalk out of the caterpillar's head to send out it's spores. Imagine that, this stuff we're talking about here is something most people in the world can't afford and much worse, something that can be wiped out if we don't do something about us!