Caterpillar Fungus Store, Central Lhasa

Description:

The Caterpillar Fungus, found in Tibet, has transformed economic life for many Tibetans as the Chinese mainland's demand seem endless.Wikipedia says:There are over 680 documented species of the sac fungus genus Cordyceps, and one of the best known of these is Cordyceps sinensis, colloquially known as caterpillar fungus. The fungus is known in Tibetan as yartsa gunbu or yatsa gunbu.The fungus germinates in living organisms (in some cases the larvae), kills and mummifies the insect, and then the cordyceps grows from the body of the insect. It is known in the West as a medicinal mushroom and its use has a long history in Traditional Chinese medicine as well as Traditional Tibetan medicine.In rural Tibet, yartsa gunbu has developed to become the most important source of cash income. The fungi contributed 40% of the annual cash income to local households and 8.5% to the GDP in 2004. Prices have increased continuously, especially since the late 1990s. In 2008, one kilogram traded for US$3,000 (lowest quality) to over US$18,000 (best quality equalling the largest larvae). The annual production on the Tibetan Plateau is estimated at 100200 tons[vague].[3] The Himlayan Cordyceps production might not exceed a few tons.More on en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_fungus