The Financial Times carries a piece this month on a caterpillar that turns into a fungus which can fetch prices of up to GBP 19,000 a kilo.
The remarkable fungus is called cordyceps sinensis, referred to as bu in the southern Qinghai region near the Tibetan plateau. It has been mentioned before in the pages of The Mushroom People as part of the booming global market for Chinese medicine.
Cordyceps is incorporated in the much publicised mega mushroom skin creams, and in Steven Seagal (he of Under Siege fame) Lightning Bolt energy drink. It can be rolled into cigarettes or used as an elaborate dish at special caterpillar fungus restaurants ( you won't find any hereabouts). Prices are skyrocketing -reaching *RMB 300,000 per kilo , which converts to the sterling amount of GBP 19k.
The downside to the fungus rush that is happening on the back of such potential profits is lethal - in July a clash over fungus picking rights in Sichaun Tibet left six people dead and 100 people wounded. One old Buddhist saying in the region states: "picking one bu is like killing 18 men". In Nepal, 16 people died whilst out picking during a blizzard.
Cordyceps releases millions of spores through its "tail" beginning in May. The spores fly off in search of caterpillars, which they attack and consume throughout the year. Premature and heavy collection seems to reduce the chances of regeneration.
Also unlike other medicinal mushrooms, Cordyceps survival depends on a supply of caterpillar. Some researchers speculate that degradation of the grassland may be reducing insect populations.
"We're killing the chicken to get its eggs," says one Chinese ecologist. Tibetans find fewer fungi now because the umber of pickers has increased.
Sustainability is a big issue. Scientists agree that better oversight of the harvest and the establishment of Cordyceps reserves could boost its chances of survival. Tibetan pickers are meanwhile caught in a vicious cycle: as prices increase, collection becomes all the more irresistible.
*(RMB = renminbi, the official currency in the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC), whose principal unit is the yuan.)
