- Vegetable caterpillar
Taxobox
name = "Caterpillar fungus"
image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Cordyceps sinensis"
regnum = Fungi
phylum =Ascomycota
classis =Sordariomycetes
ordo =Hypocreales
familia =Clavicipitaceae
genus = "Cordyceps "
species = "C. sinensis"
binomial = "Cordyceps sinensis"
binomial_authority =Caterpillar fungus, Vegetable Caterpillar or Yarsagumba is a
Chinese medicine product that is a result of a parasitic relationship between a Cordycepsfungus and a caterpillar, (usuallyThitarodes ) found in southwestern mountains ofChina . As the fungi invades, it grows off larvae and the end result is desiccated caterpillar shell, with a fungalfruiting body attached. It is known in the West primarily from its use inTraditional Chinese medicine , where it is a prized ingredient.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 (Oral 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 theHimalayas 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 withmycelium 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 inDolpo inKarnali Zone andDarchula inmahakali zone . It is also common inBhutan and India'sHimachal Pradesh . 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.It is also found in Nandadevi centuary in
Uttarakhand Himalayas ofIndia . In the onset of Summer grasslands ofDelisera ,Dharansi ,Malari are populated by the local people, who can be seen crouching on the ground and looking for the "Kira Jari " or the caterpillar root. The locals clean this fungus, dry it and sell it at 100 - 150 rupees (Indian currency) each.Fact|date=July 2008Because of its rarity and value, inter-village conflicts over the grasslands has become a headache of the local governing bodies.Fact|date=July 2008
Use in Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
The first mention of "Cordyceps sinensis" in traditional Chinese Medicine was in the 18th Century. [cite book|last=Wu|first=Yiluo|title=“Ben cao cong xin” - “New compilation of materia medica”|date=1757|language=Chinese]
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 anaphrodisiac and as a treatment for a variety of ailments from fatigue tocancer . It is regarded as having an excellent balance ofyin and yang as it is apparently both animal and vegetable (though it is in actuality not vegetable, but fungal). Assays have found thatCordyceps species produce manypharmacologically 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 andQu Yunxia , who beat the world records for 1500, 3000 and 10,000 meters in 1993 in Stuttgart, were reported to have used Cordyceps at the recommendation of their coach. However, this version of the events that lead to the extraordinary records of the Chinese women's team was regarded as a smoke screen by many doping expertswho. Interestingly, the Chinese athletes could not repeat their performance in the following years, indicating further that illegal doping might have been involved.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. [cite book|last=Bensky|first=D|coauthors=A. Gamble, S. Clavey, E. Stoger, L. Lai Bensky|title=Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica (3rd ed.)|publisher=Eastland Press|date=2006]Treatment of radiation poisoning
Some work has been published in which Cordyceps sinensis has been used to protect the
bone marrow and digestive systems ofmice from whole body irradiation. [Citation | last = Liu | first = Wei-Chung | last2 = Wang | first2 = Shu-Chi | last3 = Tsai | first3 = Min-Lung | last4 = Chen | first4 = Meng-Chi | last5 = Wang | first5 = Ya-Chen | last6 = Hong | first6 = Ji-Hong | last7 = McBride | first7 = William H. | last8 = Chiang | title = Protection against Radiation-Induced Bone Marrow and Intestinal Injuries by "Cordyceps sinensis", a Chinese Herbal Medicine | journal = Radiation Research | volume = 166 | issue = 6 | pages = 900–907 | date = 2006-12 | doi = 10.1667/RR0670.1 | unused_data = |first8 Chi-Shiun]Economics and impact
Its value gave it a role in the
Nepalese Civil War , as the Nepalese Maoists and government 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
Tibet , Yartsa Gunbu developed to become the most important source of cash income in rural Tibet. Prices are increasing continuously, especially since the late 1990s. In 2007, one kg traded for US$3000 (lowest quality) to over US$15,000 (best quality equalling the largest larvae).The search for "Cordyceps sinensis" is often perceived to pose a threat for the environment of the
Tibetan Plateau where it grows. However, it has been collected for centuries and is still common in such collection areas. However, 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.fact|date=September 2008
Cultivated "C. sinensis" mycelium is a sustainable 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.
References
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.
External links
* [http://www.danielwinkler.com/caterpillar_fungus_in_tibet.htm Yartsa Gunbu (Cordyceps sinensis) in Tibet]
* [http://www.raonline.ch/pages/np/nat/np_yarcha01.html Nepal's Nature - The Himalayan Viagra]
* [http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1747757 Page at Everything2.com]
* [http://fruit.naro.affrc.go.jp/kajunoheya/epfdb/Ascomy/Cordyc/pqrst/C_sinen.htm Image gallery of "Cordyceps sinensis"]ee also
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Cordyceps
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