KATHMANDU: Three people are missing and 12 others were injured after an avalanche slammed into northwestern Nepal, where the group was gatheringHimalaya Viagra“, Officials said Monday.
Every year, thousands of villagers in Nepal and Tibet harvest the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis, locally known as yarchagumbathat grows on the body of a caterpillar.
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 Mugu district when they were hit by an avalanche on Saturday.
Rescuers were on their way to the remote site after a helicopter was unable to land due to snowy weather, a district official said Mohan Bahadur Thapa told AFP on Monday.
Yarchagumba, which means “summer plant, winter insect” in Tibetan, is only found at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) and forms when the parasitic fungus lodges itself in a caterpillar, the killing slowly.
No definitive research has been published on the beneficial qualities of the mushroom, but Chinese herbalists believe it enhances sexual performance.
Boiled in water to make tea, or added to soups and stews, it is believed to treat a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
Overexploitation has reduced populations by at least 30% over 15 years by 2020, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which listed it as “vulnerable” to extinction in its species directory. endangered animals and plants.
Authorities are still searching for two more missing yarchagumba collectors in the western district of Darchula, after recovering three bodies from the avalanche-hit area last week.
Spring is the start of the climbing season in Nepal, when almost a thousand climbers will attempt to climb Everest.
Last month, three Nepali guides died after a chunk of glacial ice swept them into a deep crevasse on the avalanche-prone mountain.
Every year, thousands of villagers in Nepal and Tibet harvest the parasitic fungus Cordyceps sinensis, locally known as yarchagumbathat grows on the body of a caterpillar.
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 Mugu district when they were hit by an avalanche on Saturday.
Rescuers were on their way to the remote site after a helicopter was unable to land due to snowy weather, a district official said Mohan Bahadur Thapa told AFP on Monday.
Yarchagumba, which means “summer plant, winter insect” in Tibetan, is only found at altitudes above 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) and forms when the parasitic fungus lodges itself in a caterpillar, the killing slowly.
No definitive research has been published on the beneficial qualities of the mushroom, but Chinese herbalists believe it enhances sexual performance.
Boiled in water to make tea, or added to soups and stews, it is believed to treat a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
Overexploitation has reduced populations by at least 30% over 15 years by 2020, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which listed it as “vulnerable” to extinction in its species directory. endangered animals and plants.
Authorities are still searching for two more missing yarchagumba collectors in the western district of Darchula, after recovering three bodies from the avalanche-hit area last week.
Spring is the start of the climbing season in Nepal, when almost a thousand climbers will attempt to climb Everest.
Last month, three Nepali guides died after a chunk of glacial ice swept them into a deep crevasse on the avalanche-prone mountain.
