India's Contraband Wildlife
Cordyceps
This "natural viagra" is gaining popularity worldwide as an aphrodisiac, and is making its way in larger quantities from the Himalayan regions of India and neighboring countries through Nepal to Hong Kong and mainland China, where is sells for $1,500 to 3,000 per kilogram. Also known as yartsa gombu in Nepalese, this parasitic fungus develops on the head of a moth larva, hepialus virescens. The larva hibernates during the winter, when it gets infested by the fungus. As the winter snow begins to melt, smugglers set up tents at altitudes between 6,000 and 10,000 feet to catch the emerging larva and extract the cordyceps. In addition to possessing aphrodisiac properties, the fungus is said to cure heart ailments, asthma and other diseases. Experts and conservationists are warning that both the moth and the fungus species may soon be exploited to extinction.