Travel Nepa

Yarshagumba
The Himalayan region of Nepal is famous for different types of medicinal plants. Yarshagumba is one of them. Yarshagumba is currently very popular due to its use as aphrodisiac (sex stimulant) and tonic. Hence, its collection and trade is increasing. The word “Yarshagumba” has been more common, especially in different new published from Nepal, for the last three years. However few of us know what Yarshagumba actually is, what uses and other importance it has, and what the legal provision regarding it has been ruled’ even though we touched , seen and /or heard about it. Therefore, it has been tried to deal these aspects of interest.

Morphological and Biological description:
Yarshagumba is scientifically known as “Cordyceps sinensis”. Cordycapas sinensis is a fungus, parasitic on the larva of a moth, Endoclyta excrescens of the order Lepidoptera. The Tibetan calls it “Yertsagumbu” which means “summer grass winter worm”. The name “ Yertsagumbu” not only very accurately describes the appearance of this medical herb but also betrays a level of biological knowledge based on exact obercation. The parasitic mushroom, at the beginning of the monsoon period attacks a caterpillar (Endoclyta excrescens) recently emerged from its cocoon. Whereas one can observe the caterpillar still alive in spring (winter-worm). It is no longer alive in autumn, at this period of picking. The part of the mushroom peeking out above the ground( Ophilglossum) is at that time , in fact hard to distinguish from the grass of alpine pastures surrounding it ( Summer grass) (Phle, 1990).
Yarshagumba spores out during early rainy season with a short life cycle and eventually dies out when the climate becomes less humid. Therefore, even if we keep the fungus protected throughout the season, it will yield nothing.
Ecological distribution:
It is distributed from interior China, Tibet to Nepal in the high mountains of the above sea level 300 to 5000m particularly in Humla-Jumla region and mountains of Dhaulagiri range. However, this highly prized medicinal mushroom can be found in the Lamtang valley in July before the yaks come up to their summer pasture and eat it up. The alpine scrub with open slopes is referred to as the best habitat for the fungus.
The Medicinal Values:
In medical books of China, it has been described that Cordyceps sinensis is effective for hematemesis of the pulmonary tuberculosis, weak conditions in the convalescence, antiussive, anemia, asthenia, impotence, antimicrobe( Sharma and Adhikari,2057). Therefore, it has high medicinal value. The Medicinal property of this fungus is primarily due to the fungus and of a hormone call melatonin. This hormone issecreted by pineal body of the fungus and has the action of adjusting the rhythm (cardiac) of the body. It also contains cordycepin and other polysaccharides. The chemical cordycepin had been found useful in tumor growth inhibition on kidney, bladder and colon as well as inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis in cancer cells.
Tonics made from the fungus, which is traditionally sold in small bundles of fungus-infected caterpillars, reportedly are responsible for record performances by sone Chinese athletes too.
Legal and royalty provision:
Every year 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), representing around 100 species, are harvested from forestland in Middle Hills and High Mountains of Nepal and traded to India (Edward, 1996). The NTFPs traded gall roughly into two groups: high value products from high altitudes and low value products from lower altitudes ( below 2000m). The most important catergory is here regerred to as ‘ medicinal and aromatic plants’ (MAPs) or by Nepali term “ Jaributi”. The government has banned the export of nine NTFPs in their unprocessed from: Cinnamomun glaucescens (sugandhakokila),, Cordyceps sinensis(Yarshagumba), Dactylorhiza hatagirea (panchaunle), Lichen species, Nardostachys grandiflora (jatamansi or bhulte), Rauvolfia serpentine (sarpagandha), silajit ( available tar-like exudates from high altitude tocks). , Taxus baccata (loth salla), and Valeriana jatamansi (sugandhawal). All nine products are belived to be threatened by over exploitation, and they are banned in order to encourage both biodiversity conservation and raw materials processing within Nepal. In addition to the ban on export, the collection of Dactylorhiza hatagiera and Cordyceps sinensis were also prohibited. But, Yarshagumba has been allowd to collect and export since Feb 2001, considering the fact that its protection through out season yields nothing as dealt above in morphological and biological description. The government, first, fixed its royalty as Rs 500 for a single fungus. The royalty was belived to be 10 times more than its real market price. The main cause of the failure in revenue collection from he mushrooms was addressed to the provision of its high royalty.Therefore, the contemporary government revised it to Rs,20,000 per kg ( which equals to about Rs6 for a single unit of mushroom) in Jan 28,2002 ( 2058, Magh 15). Even the revised royalty, based on weight, is the highest of all the NTFPs traded form Nepal to foreign countries. Onwards the date of royalty revision, the high amount of royalty collection from its trade had been expected in the nation.
The direct role of the Department of Forest is in the issuing of licenses to harvest and trade the valuable mushroom and collecting of royalties after harvest like other traded NTFPs. The authorized Forestry Department Officer, usually the DFO, investigates the request and, if approved, collects royalty, and issue a collection permit and release order. In addition, any person desirous of exporting herbs to foreign countries should be recommended by the authorized officer to the custom office concerned to allow export of herbs excluding those prohibited for export to foreign countries by HMG.’ Thus, NTFPs that are both collected and traded from government-managed forest are subject to a royalty payable by the collector. Those collected for subsistence are not taxed. In this regard, therefore, the yarsagumba is taxable if collected from government-managed land and traded out of district of origin.
As per Edward, payment of royalties by harvesters is not enforceable in Nepal. In practice, reposibility for payment is transferred away from the collection sites to wholesale traders in district centers. If a small-scale harvester can avoid both the walk to the DFO or Range office and transaction cost to obtain the permit, he will do so. In case of yarsagumba too, the harvesters may not follow the legal processes.

It has been reported in different news that the most valuable NTFP, yarsagumba is illegally exported to Tibet, i.e. without issuing collection permit and release order. It explicitly means that there is no any royalty collection from the harvest and trade of the fungus. Moreover, it is also heard that the Maoist’s regime has collected a large amount of money from the yarsagumba collectors and traders at the rate of Rs. 50 and Rs. 50000 per head respectively in norther remote parts of Rukum and Jajarkot districts. If the information holds truth, it will surely impact the socio-economic condition of the related people negatively. Consequently, its trade may not raise the livelihood of the people living in the remote mountain region, especially Karnali zone, Bajhang, Rukum, and Jajarkot. And similarly, the nation may not earn thousands of dollors annually, if its illegal collection and export is effectively controlled.