Preserving Tibet’s Culture and History: Interview With National Geographic’s Michael Yamashita
The yatsa gonbu, a cordyceps fungus that kills and mummifies its caterpillar host, only extends about an inch out of the ground — nearly impossible for the naked human eye to see. Many Tibetans spend the summer months on elbows and knees, crawling through the grass in search of the elusive sprout. Known in English as Ophiocordyceps sinensis, and in Chinese literally “winter worm, summer grass,” the harvested yatsa gonbus are bought and sold by Chinese traders as “nature’s Viagra.”