A generation ago, erectile dysfunction (ED) was talked about in hushed tones if it was talked about at all.
But the blockbuster popularity of modern ED medications like Viagra clearly showed that ED was common, that it wasn’t “all in the mind,” and that it could often be treated successfully and safely with a simple pill.
Despite the widespread availability of drugs like Viagra, dropping prices in some markets due to emerging generic competition, and the positive reviews of these drugs by doctors and patients alike, many men remain intrigued about the possibility of a “natural” version of Viagra in the form of herbs or other natural products.
For the most part, such products don’t deliver the results men want. For one thing, there is little to no standardization of natural products claiming to treat ED, and for another, ED treatment is enormously tempting to scam artists who prey on fears and on desire to treat ED. One product that has received attention in recent years is Yarsagumba, also known as “Himalayan Viagra.”
What Is Yarsagumba?
Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) only grows in the high altitude meadows of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, at altitudes of 3,000 to 5,000 meters (roughly 9,800 to 16,400 feet above sea level). It has traditionally been used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine for a huge range of conditions.
Yarsagumba has a very unusual life cycle. Sometimes called “caterpillar fungus,” it starts its life cycle in late summer, when fungus spores infect a certain species of moth larvae living in the soil. Once it infects a larva, the fungus grows inside the larval caterpillar, ultimately mummifying it and repositioning it below the surface so that the head of the larva points upward.
Shortly before the soil freezes in wintertime, a tiny bud forms, pushing up out of the mummified caterpillar’s head. The next year, from approximately April through June, a brown fruiting body, similar to a mushroom, emerges from the soil. It looks like an unremarkable, short twig, yet Yarsagumba has become astonishingly profitable, partly because of its traditional use for treatment of ED. Some men turn to Yarsagumba as an alternative to Viagra.
What Are Yarsagumba’s Chemical Properties?
Long ago, local herders in the Himalayans around where Yarsagumba grows noticed that their yaks, goats, and sheep who consumed the fungus became strong and stout. The product was initially used in herd animals to increase milk production, but eventually people started consuming it themselves, touting its enhancement of general vitality.
An extensive list of bioactive ingredients from various parts of Yarsagumba includes:
- Extracellular and intracellular polysaccharides
- Cordycepin
- Adenosine
- Guanosine
- Cordymin
- Lovastatin
- GABA
- Sitosterol
- Ergosterol
and many others. Bioactivities for the product range widely, and include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-arteriosclerosis activity, vasorelaxation, steroidogenesis, testosterone production, anti-diabetic properties, and cholesterol lowering properties.
However, according to NYU Langone Medical Center, most of the research that has been done on Yarsagumba has not been up to modern scientific standards. Though there have been double-blind studies on Yarsagumba, they have all fallen short of the rigor necessary for scientific validity. Any studies that have hinted at effectiveness against ED are “somewhat dubious,” according to researchers at NYU.
The Skyrocketing Popularity of Yarsagumba After 2001
Until 2001, the 1993 Forestry Act of Nepal banned collection, use, and sale of Yarsagumba, and it made no contribution to the economy of Nepal. However, once the ban on collection, use, and sale of Yarsagumba was lifted in 2001 (just three years after the introduction of Viagra), trade of Yarsagumba, often under the name “Himalayan Viagra” increased exponentially, bringing plenty of money into economies of areas surrounding where Yarsagumba grows.
In recent years, regulations were introduced to prevent over-harvesting, and to protect the economies of villages and hamlets located near harvest areas from outsiders coming in and harvesting the product, but these regulations have had little effect other than to drive up the cost of the fungus to around $140 per gram.
Social Unrest Due to Harvesting of Yarsagumba
Conflicts between local villagers and outsiders harvesting Yargasumba have led to social unrest, and even deaths due to territorial disputes and disputes over who has the right to harvest Yargasumba. Today, during harvest season, schools across the Himalayas in Nepal shut down, and villages empty out as people rush to the higher altitudes in search of the fungus. The situation is similar to a gold rush, with prices increasing dramatically and tensions escalating over who has the right to harvest the fungus.
This year in June, two local people were killed and many more people were injured in a clash in Dolpa, a district in Nepal that borders with Tibet. The subject of disagreement was the harvesting fees charged by a local community managing the national park where Yarsagumba is found. In 2009, seven harvesters were beaten to death by local villagers in the nearby Manang district. Government officials admit that permission fees based on where harvesters arrive from have done little to control the number of people trying to make money from harvesting Yarsagumba.
Ecological Effects of Widespread Harvesting of Yarsagumba
The ecological effects of widespread harvesting are already being felt, with the fungus becoming increasingly difficult to find. Should the fungus be over-harvested too long or wiped out completely, no one knows how a resulting explosion in the number of caterpillars and moths might affect the fragile mountain ecosystem.
Though people have tried growing Yarsagumba in controlled conditions, they haven’t succeeded, because the conditions under which the fungus thrives are very specific. That means that now and in the near future, the only place to get Yarsagumba is in the limited Himalayan region where it grows naturally – a region that has been producing diminishing harvests as Yarsagumba’s popularity remains high.
Effective Treatments Are Readily Available for Erectile Dysfunction
Fortunately, men don’t have to turn to rare fungi harvested from ecologically vulnerable regions to treat ED. Viagra and other drugs in the PDE-5 inhibitor class have successfully treated ED in millions of men around the world. For over 15 years, eDrugstore.com has dispensed Viagra and other prescription ED medications in coordination with US-licensed pharmacists, for the utmost in ordering convenience and speed of delivery. eDrugstore.com is HIPAA-compliant, and is dedicated to providing an outstanding customer experience for every order.
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