Numerous scientific studies and research reveals that it has properties of an antibiotic. Cordyceps Sinensis is used for lung and respiratory infection, pain, sciatica and backache. It also provides vitality and increases physical stamina of the body. Yarsagumba is used by the Chinese to cure chronic hepatitis B and rectifies immune malfunctions such as that of the liver. According to Hawaiian health experts, cordyceptin is found effective against tuberculosis as well as in the treatment of leprosy. Another major use of this is in the treatment of leukemia. It is useful for children, adults, the aged and the sick people. It energises the lungs, kidneys and the liver; improves memory and purifies blood besides keeping a person physically and mentally sound. It is of great importance for men and women of any age group, athletes, people working in physically stressful jobs. It gradually empowers the internal energy of our body in a natural way as well as acts as a powerful aphrodisiac. Unlike Viagra, it does not cause any mental problem or any other type of physical damage or malfunction.
Due to its high commercial value, the incidents of smuggling of the medicine are also rising in Sikkim. On 24th July, five persons were arrested for trying to sell around 2 kgs of the medicine. The decoy used by Gangtok police had struck a deal of Rs 2.7 lakh per kg with the smugglers. When the deal was through, a police team led by inspector Tshering Sherpa struck, rounding up the gang at 12.30pm near the circuit house of Gangtok. “The total weight of the medicinal herbs was 2.10 kgs,” said Sherpa. “The police had been tipped off about the peddlers.” The consignment had been brought from regions of high altitudes of about 8,000ft and above such as Lachung in North Sikkim.
A taxi used by the group to ferry the consignment has also been seized. “We will hand over the consignment and the arrested persons to the wildlife authorities, who will take up the case,” Sherpa said. The Chief Wildlife Warden of the state, N.T Bhutia, said that the department would register cases against Bhim Bahadur Rai, 20, Pawan Pradhan, 34, Bikash Gurung, 27, Suk  Bahadur Subba, 26, and Nar Bahadur Gurung, 47, under the Wildlife Protection and Forest Conservation Acts. Under the Acts, collection of forest produce from reserve forests, sanctuaries and national parks without prior permission is illegal and attracts penalties of fines and imprisonment depending on the degree of the crime.
Till a couple of years ago, a kg of caterpillar fungus used to fetch as much as $2,000 but its price has come down to $1,500 in recent times, a forest officer said.
Regulated collection and trading of Yarsagumba is allowed in Nepal and Bhutan. But in Sikkim this is banned. However, realising that its bio-revenue source has been lying untapped; the Sikkim government had in July framed rules for sustainable collection and trading of the herb. Only registered Joint Forest Management Committees and Eco Development Committees are allowed to collect the medicinal herbs after permission is obtained from the Range Officer. The permission is given after field verification and approval by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. Finally, the collection is monitored by a Forester not below the rank of Block Officer. However, no collection is permitted in the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. This May, the herb growing areas were supposed to be surveyed, but the study could not be carried out because of opposition from villagers. After collection, the herb was to be auctioned by a committee set up by the State Government. Of the proceeds, 75 per cent would have remained with the Forest Management Committees who collected the herb. The rest would have been deposited with the Government. A Forester said that the villagers’ objection stemmed from the fact that the rate offered by the Government was low. “If they sold it outside, they will profit more,” said the Forester.
Regarding the history of Yarsagumba, Dr. Ashok K. Panda, a Senior Research Officer (Ayurveda), Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Gangtok said, “This Himalayan aphrodisiac was discovered about 1500 years ago in Tibet and the surrounding parts of Sikkim and Nepal by the yak herders who observed that their Yaks became energetic after eating this fungus. About 1000 years later, the Qing Dynasty Emperor’s physicians learned and used this knowledge with their own wisdom to develop powerful aphrodisiac. The first reference to Cordyceps as a medicinal fungus occurred around 200 A.D. in a book titled, ‘The Classic Herbal of the Divine Plowman’. The other written record of the Cordyceps fungus comes from China in the year AD 620, at the time of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD), bringing substance to the once intangible allegorical narrative, which spoke a magical creature, whose annual existence alluded to a miraculous transformation from animal to plant in summer, and then again from plant to animal in winter.
Dr. Panda further says that the traditional healers of Sikkim have been using this fungus for eighteen diseases, the maximum use in the form of self medication and folk healers’ recommendation is as an aphrodisiac. A study was conducted by Regional Ayurveda Research Institute in between June 2008 to September 2009 to find the medical uses of this fungus by the local people and folk healers. “The strengths of the claims are evaluated by the number of uses for an illness. It was found that this fungus is tradionally used for male and female sexual dysfunction, to restore the general health and appetite and to promote longevity in Lachung & Lachen areas of North Sikkim. People of both sexes use one piece of Cordyceps Sinensis with one cup of milk for enhancing their sexual potency and desire. The Bhutia communities put one piece of Cordyceps Sinensis in one cup of locally made alcohol and leave this for one hour and then drink it in the morning and evening as an aphrodisiac. Some use hot water instead of alcohol,” Dr. Panda says.
He also said that the tiny Himalayan state has great wealth by way of medical plants and traditional knowledge. More than 50% of the ethno - medically important species are from the Himalayan region. Nearly, 1,748 species of medical plants are found in the Himalayan region. Most of the rare and indigenous Himalayan medicinal plants are used in Ayurveda as Rasayana (rejuvenation drug). The Sikkim Himalayan area is a well known treasure trove and biological hotspot. The people of North Sikkim mostly rely on traditional knowledge of the bio- resources for their survival in the harsh high altitudes. Yarchagumba is a highly valued traditional medicine used in China, Nepal, Bhutan and India. Internationally it is regarded as Himalayan Viagra or Himalayan aphrodisiac. This Himalayan aphrodisiac is widely available in alpine zones of Sikkim Himalayas, Uttranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Western Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

D.B. Rai