Yarsagumba: Found in Himalaya region of Nepal known variously as yarsagumba, yarchagumba, yartsa gunba, yatsa gunbu and, more colloquially, "Himalayan Viagra," the parasitic caterpillar fungus Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) grows on and kills Tibetan ghost moths during their larval phase underground. A tiny mushroom sprouts from the head of the dead larva, poking a few millimeters out of the ground. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) claims the fungus—which is boiled and added to tea or soup—can act as an aphrodisiac, cure cancer and fight fatigue. These medical claims have not been borne out scientifically. Although the fungus has been used in TCM for centuries, demand took off after 1993 when three female Chinese runners broke world records and their coach told the media he had fed the athletes yarsagumba in a soup of turtle blood. #yarsagumba #yarsha https://www.instagram.com/p/B3zT6-Sg3Fc/?igshid=1bi1oehjbj270