Yartsa gunbu: The elusive and extraordinary €65,000 per pound mushroom

It grows in the clouds, making it incredibly difficult to obtain. This is also reflected in its price. It is sought not for pleasure but for its properties, which have been valued in traditional medicine for centuries.

Some food prices can knock you down. We are not talking about essential products, whose higher prices due to inflation may cause concern. We mean a real delicacy – mushrooms. The most expensive mushroom in the world reaches a price of around €65,000 per pound.

If the phrase "the most expensive mushroom in the world" made you think of truffles, I must disappoint you – there are mushrooms that cost almost ten times more. They are not easy to find because they grow at such high altitudes that trekking to them requires climbing equipment and warm clothing.

The most expensive mushroom in the world is the yartsa gunbu. This distinctive Tibetan name is just one of many. In the scientific community, this mushroom is known as the Chinese cordyceps or caterpillar fungus. In Western circles, it has also earned the nickname Himalayan Viagra due to its alleged potency-enhancing properties.

Yartsa gunbu commands a truly high price. The portal moneyinc.com estimated it at $2,000 per ounce, translating to around €65,000 per pound. It's no wonder that in China, cordyceps is called soft gold.

The beneficial properties of the yartsa gunbu have been known to the people inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau for centuries. In traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, it is a valuable ingredient used to treat many ailments. Meanwhile, research confirms that this mushroom is a source of about 30 bioactive substances. The most commonly cited properties of the yartsa gunbu include supporting cognitive functions, anti-inflammatory effects, and immunostimulation. The latter is said to be due to the polysaccharides present in the Chinese caterpillar fungus, which cause the proliferation of macrophages. Macrophages are phagocytic cells originating in the bone marrow and playing a key role in immune processes.

Chinese cordyceps have antioxidant potential, which means they can help the body combat harmful free radicals. Hence, the mushroom's growing popularity in the cosmetics industry. The yartsa gunbu is also credited with improving physical performance and energy levels, enhancing sexual functions, and regulating blood sugar levels.

The price of yartsa gunbu is not only affected by its medicinal properties. It grows in hard-to-reach places, specifically in the Himalayan regions, at altitudes reaching 16,404 feet above sea level. Multiple attempts to cultivate this mushroom have failed.