Yartsa gunbu: The sky‑high prized mushroom with miracle benefits
It grows in the clouds, making it extremely difficult to obtain. This accounts for its price, although it is harvested not for leisure but for its properties, which have been valued in traditional medicine for centuries.
28 August 2024 20:02
Some food prices can be staggering. We're not talking about essential products whose prices are higher due to inflation, which may cause concern. We're talking about a true delicacy—mushrooms. The most expensive mushroom in the world costs about CAD 90,000 per kilogram.
Yartsa gunbu: The most expensive mushroom in the world
If the phrase "the most expensive mushroom in the world" makes you think of truffles, you might be surprised – there are mushrooms that cost nearly ten times more. They are not easy to find because they grow at such high altitudes that trekking to them requires climbing gear and warm clothing.
The most expensive mushroom in the world is yartsa gunbu. This distinctive Tibetan name is just one of many. In the scientific world, this mushroom is known as caterpillar fungus or Ophiocordyceps sinensis.
Yartsa gunbu commands a truly high price. The portal moneyinc.com estimated it at $2,000 (CAD 2,7000) per ounce, which translates to about $72,000 (CAD 90,000) per kilogram. This mushroom is not, without reason, called soft gold in China.
Yartsa gunbu (Cordycepsis sinensis): How does it work on the body?
The beneficial properties of yartsa gunbu have been known to the peoples of the Tibetan Plateau for centuries. In traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, it is a valuable ingredient used to treat many ailments. Meanwhile, studies confirm this mushroom is a source of about 30 bioactive substances. Yartsa gunbu is most often credited with cognitive support, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulatory effects. This is thought to result from the polysaccharides in Chinese cordyceps, which cause the multiplication of macrophages. Macrophages are phagocytic cells formed in the bone marrow and play a key role in immune processes.
Caterpillar fungus has antioxidant potential, which can help the body fight harmful free radicals. Hence, the mushroom's growing popularity in the cosmetics industry. Yartsa gunbu is also attributed to improving physical performance and energy levels and regulating blood sugar levels.
Not only do the medicinal properties influence the price of yartsa gunbu. It grows in hard-to-reach places, specifically in Himalayan regions, at altitudes reaching 5,000 metres above sea level. Multiple attempts to cultivate this mushroom have failed.
