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KATHMANDU: Three people are missing and 12 others are injured after an avalanche hit northwestern Nepal where the group was picking out.Himalayan Viagraofficials said Monday.
Every year, thousands of villagers in Nepal and Tibet harvest the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis, known locally as yarchagumbathat grows on the caterpillar’s body.
It can fetch huge sums in neighboring China, where it is used in herbal medicine, and is only found at certain altitudes for a few weeks each year.
The group of 15 people were searching for Yarchagumba in the highlands of Mugo district when they were hit by an avalanche on Saturday.
Rescuers were hiking to the remote site after a helicopter was unable to land due to snowy weather, according to a county official. Mohan Bahadur Thapa Agence France-Presse Monday.
Yarchagumba, which means “summer plant, winter bug” in Tibetan, is only found at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11,500 ft) and is formed when a parasitic fungus lodges in a caterpillar, slowly killing it.
No definitive research has been published on the mushroom’s beneficial qualities, but it is believed by Chinese herbalists to enhance sexual performance.
Boiled in water to make tea, or added to soups and stews, it is believed to cure a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
Overharvesting has reduced population numbers by at least 30 percent over 15 years by 2020, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists them as “vulnerable” to extinction in its guide to threatened animal and plant species.
Officials are still searching for two more missing Yarchagumba collectors in western Darchula district, after recovering three bodies from the area hit by an avalanche last week.
Spring is the start of the climbing season in Nepal when nearly a thousand climbers attempt to climb Mount Everest.
Last month, three Nepalese guides died after being swept away by a chunk of falling snow into deep crevasses on the avalanche-prone mountain.
Every year, thousands of villagers in Nepal and Tibet harvest the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis, known locally as yarchagumbathat grows on the caterpillar’s body.
It can fetch huge sums in neighboring China, where it is used in herbal medicine, and is only found at certain altitudes for a few weeks each year.
The group of 15 people were searching for Yarchagumba in the highlands of Mugo district when they were hit by an avalanche on Saturday.
Rescuers were hiking to the remote site after a helicopter was unable to land due to snowy weather, according to a county official. Mohan Bahadur Thapa Agence France-Presse Monday.
Yarchagumba, which means “summer plant, winter bug” in Tibetan, is only found at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11,500 ft) and is formed when a parasitic fungus lodges in a caterpillar, slowly killing it.
No definitive research has been published on the mushroom’s beneficial qualities, but it is believed by Chinese herbalists to enhance sexual performance.
Boiled in water to make tea, or added to soups and stews, it is believed to cure a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
Overharvesting has reduced population numbers by at least 30 percent over 15 years by 2020, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists them as “vulnerable” to extinction in its guide to threatened animal and plant species.
Officials are still searching for two more missing Yarchagumba collectors in western Darchula district, after recovering three bodies from the area hit by an avalanche last week.
Spring is the start of the climbing season in Nepal when nearly a thousand climbers attempt to climb Mount Everest.
Last month, three Nepalese guides died after being swept away by a chunk of falling snow into deep crevasses on the avalanche-prone mountain.
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