The Love Bug Yarsagumba

In the market of bug products, there is one that has been causing a lot of impact in the community of men with the erectile dysfunction condition. We are talking about the caterpillar Thitarodes also known in the Himalayan zone by the name of “Yarsagumba”. This specific 'love bug' has a parasite relationship with the fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

This fungus grows in the head of the caterpillar and is considered specially in the western countries as the world's best aphrodisiac. Due to the grand demand of this fungus that only grows on this caterpillar, a lot of people travel to the Himalayan region of Nepal, specifically in the the Nepalese mountains where the search of this love bug has led to a modern day gold rush with more than fifty thousand people making the dangerous trip in search of the mysterious parasite.

This love bug is very rare to find and it is used to make special and very expensive teas and soups, where a soup with three small caterpillars worth a hundred dollars. The hand-collected fungus-caterpillar combination is valued by herbalists and is a status symbol; it is mainly used as an aphrodisiac but also as a treatment for ailments such as fatigue and even cancer, although such use is mainly based on traditional Chinese medicine. Clinical trials have not been able to established yet its efficacy.

The fungus competes with the use of the drug Viagra (at least on the more traditional regions of western countries like China, Taiwan and India) but as it is considerably more expensive than buying Viagra from online pharmacies like 4rx, it is not likely to completely replace the use of the drug.

Hopefully on a near future, research on this specific caterpillar and fungus will prove or deny the efficiency of this treatment, in the meanwhile this little invertebrate is helping the poor community of Nepal, even being considered the gold of Nepal.