Hunt for cordyceps in the Tibetan plateau

On the peaks of the Tibetan plateau, nomadic people crawled in the middle of the grass to search for Cordyceps, a rare oriental medicine made from parasitic fungi.

According to the International Business Times, the fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis sprouted on live caterpillar larvae, then killed and turned them into mummies, eventually growing a long stem from the head of the corpse.

Cordyceps is a precious medicine in Chinese medicine.This fungus can be used to treat a variety of diseases, including asthma, cancer and impotence.Many people think that cordyceps has a balance of yin and yang because it is both an animal and a plant.

Canadian photojournalist Kevin Frayer spends his time traveling to the Tibetan plateau to capture images of nomadic people searching for Cordyceps.

"Although I often travel to the Tibetan plateau, this is the first time I can observe the winter-spring harvest. This harvest is very short but plays an important role for the local economy of This is not a traditional way of earning their living and has only recently emerged due to skyrocketing demand in China, although the price of Cordyceps is decreasing slightly, local residents still earn enough. enter for the whole year, " Frayer said.

According to Freyer, harvesting activities mainly take place at altitudes above 4.500m.The most valuable Cordyceps roots are located in the most craggy places and are not easily found.Operators for environmental warnings warn that excessive extraction of cordyceps can lead to grassland erosion in the mountainside, affecting livestock production.

High quality Cordyceps rootstocks can be sold for about 10 USD / original, or USD 112,000 / kg.Tibetan people rely heavily on farming and animal husbandry, which is shifting to harvest cordyceps for weeks to earn a living for the whole year.Revenues from cordyceps accounted for about 40% of the local economy.

"The most worrisome thing is that many Tibetan nomads choose this activity as a livelihood instead of raising animals according to long-term lifestyles. In many ways, this is a big gamble and I think in the long run, Self-sufficient traditions and ways of life will disappear, ' Freyer said.