Caterpillar Fungus Part And Parcel Of Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine is a careful compilation of the restorative effects of herbs. Attempting to keep the body’s life force flowing freely and unfettered, many conditions are sought to be eliminated by freeing the bodily energies with nutritional intervention, acupuncture, massage, and more localized manipulations of acupressure points, such as is the case with fire cupping. Westerners are eagerly learning more about these practices they often consider somewhat novel, but many who are disenchanted with the harsh chemicals used in commercial medications, or those who refuse to put themselves at risk for side effects that are sometimes worse than the conditions the drugs purport to cure.

Yet at times even the most committed devotee to Chinese medicine finds that taking a particular cure or preventative measure is hard to swallow. Case in point is the caterpillar fungus. Part and parcel of Chinese medicine, it is considered the epitome of the fragile balance that is the Yin and Yang since it embodies the merging of a plant with an animal – eve as the latter is killed in the process. Due to this alleged perfect balance, the fungus is imbued with almost mythical properties, said to cure anything from cancer to asthma, impotence to infertility, and many a condition in between.

There is actually a well documented medicinal value to the caterpillar fungus, although it is not the caterpillar part but the fungus portion which is known to have the healing power. Yet any time that a fungus is employed, great care should be taken to fully understand the extent of the toxicity that is involved. In the case of the caterpillar fungus, the toxicity is usually considered to be not lethal, but contributory to uncomfortable symptoms such as indigestion, bloating, and also constipation.

The genesis of the caterpillar fungus makes for interesting conversation – although perhaps not at the dinner table – as the fungus infects a subterraneous caterpillar which under normal circumstances would lead to a developed moth native to the Qinghai-Tibetan. As the animal feeds underground on the roots of the grasses growing above, a fungus frequently invades the animal. Keeping in mind that the caterpillar lives underground for about five years, the risks of infection are high; once the fungus enters the caterpillar it will gradually grow and finally kill its host.

In a somewhat macabre manifestation of the condition, the fungus will mushroom from the head of the caterpillar, which will make it visible above the ground. Harvesters will then set to work to collect the medicinally useful fungus and its host. Practitioners will carefully grind both caterpillar and fungus into a power and then either capsulate it or use it whole and stuff a duck with it prior to boiling the latter. The soup that results is drunk over a period of eight to ten days.

For reasons unknown, the caterpillar fungus which is part and parcel of Chinese medicine for a host of ailments and problems is sold today under the moniker of Tibetan or Himalayan Viagra. The jury is still out whether Westerners will eagerly flock to the outlets which sell this substance, but many are speculating that even the more health conscious tend to draw the line at fungi and caterpillar mummies.

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