Cordyceps sinensis is mainly distributed in the higher altitudes of the Indian Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest China.
UPDATE – Sun 25 Dec 22 04:45 PM
Source: ANI
Beijing: According to the Indo-Pacific Strategic Communications Center (IPCSC), several of China’s attempted invasions of Indian territory were aimed at harvesting Cordyceps, also known as Cordyceps or Himalayan Gold, an herb that is expensive in China.
Chinese soldiers have been accused of illegally entering Arunachal Pradesh in search of the fungus, which is said to be more expensive than gold in China.
Cordyceps sinensis is mainly distributed in the higher altitudes of the Indian Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in southwest China.
Globally, the Cordyceps market is valued at USD 1,072.5 million by 2022. China is the largest producer and exporter of Cordyceps.
However, according to the IPCSC, “Over the past two years, harvests of Cordyceps sinensis in Qinghai, China’s largest producing region, have declined as the fungus has become scarce. Meanwhile, despite a lack of scientific evidence, over the past decade, as emerging Demand for the precious cordyceps has skyrocketed as China’s middle class seeks it to cure everything from kidney disease to impotence.” High demand and limited resources have led to overharvesting of the fungus, experts say.
“The bureau’s figures show that production in 2018 fell to 41,200 kilograms in 2018 from 43,500 kilograms a year earlier, a drop of 5.2 per cent. This is a fraction of the 150,000 kilograms reported in provincial media in 2010 and 2011, ’ said the IPCSC.
In recent years, the Chinese Cordyceps Company in Qinghai has paid locals millions of yuan to block off entire mountains to harvest the fungus.
Surveys show that the annual output of Cordyceps is declining. According to collectors, this can be attributed to overharvesting.
According to the IPCSC: “Some towns in the Himalayas make a living collecting and selling this fungus. In fact, experts say that up to 80 percent of household income in the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas comes from selling Cordyceps.” Cordyceps mushrooms are known for their Known for its fearsome feeding habits: its spores are known to kill insects by infecting them, and the granulation of the dead insects fully develop the fruiting bodies of the Cordyceps fungus.
Cordycepin, the bioactive molecule found in Cordyceps, has enormous therapeutic potential and may one day turn into an effective new antiviral and anticancer therapy.
The mushroom is rare in the wild, and until now, growing healthy Cordyceps in the lab has been difficult, hampering scientific research.
However, Professor Mi Kyeong Lee at Chungbuk National University and her team, including Dr. Ayman Turk, have discovered a way to grow these elusive fungi in a controlled environment without losing their potency. Their findings are published in Frontiers in Microbiology.
