For verification of this paper, please visit on http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/researchtimes.php#8

The review gives a brief summary on the history and medicinal value of the Cordyceps species focusing on Cordyceps sinensis, a medicinal species with a long history of use has only been found growing from the head of one type of subterranean caterpillar, at high altitudes in the Himalayan plateau. Due to environmental factors, the annual harvest has steadily declined while at the same time an increase in demand due to its medicinal properties. The current situation has driven the price of this species into an ever-increasing spiral over the last few years driving researches to determine ways of cultivation to make it more affordable foor commercial trade. Part of the goal of this research has been focused in understanding the complex biological niche of the organism. A mushroom that is only found in cohabitation with the larvae of an insect making it challenging to produce Cordyceps sp. In arrtificial conditions. Further complicating this situation is the rare atmosphere, mineral-rich soil and low tem7perature in which Cordyceps naturally grows resulting in a unique profile of secondary metabolites possessing interesting biological potential for medical exploitation which are not readily reproduced in normal laboratory conditions.

The main objective of this study was to obtain detailed morphological account and socioeconomic significance and regeneration of Cordyceps sinensis.

Cordyceps sinensis ( Berk.) Sacc. belonging to the family Clavicipitaceae, is a mummfied insect  found as a result of fungal infection on Lepidopteran larvae and commonly known as Cordyceps, plantworm or caterpillar fungus, highly valuable in Tibetan and Chinese medicine and also known as Yar-rsta-dgun-bu (Tibetan), Dong Chong Xia Cao (Chinese) (Garbyal et.al., 2004).  Caterpillar fungus occurs in alpine ecosystems in the surroundings of Himalayas. In the Himalayas, it is collected in Nepal, Bhutan and India(especially Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Chamoli and Himachal Pradesh). In general, caterpillar fungus is a spring fungus whose fruiting season starts as early in mid April on the eastern slopes of the Himalayan Plateau but in most of the other locations in May lasts locally for about six weeks.

Traditional agriculture and animal rearing are centres in rural livelihood of Himalayan inhabitants. Economically these activities are inadequate for better livelihoods of the people, therefore, rral people depend upon diverse short seasonal activities like collection of medicinal plants, timber trading and animal poaching, etc. to obtain economic benefits. In the past few years, collection of Cordyceps sinensis in the Himalayan Mountains has been emerged as the main short easonal activity. This practice is more profitable as compared to the cultivation of key cash crops and some other activities. Nearly 52.08% to 97.98% households of this region are involved in the short seasonal collection of C. sinensis. Cordycepin, a potent bioactive metabolite of Cordyceps has the nutraceutical and therapeutic potential (Gitishree et.al. 2009). Cordyceps also has the immune stimulatory potential. C. sinensis exhibits antibacterial function, reduced asthma, lowered blood pressure and strengthened heartbeat (Zhou et.al. 2021).

Study Sites The study site lies between 3200-4000m asl, 29°21´- 30°48´ N and 79°48´- 81°5´ E in the Northern half of the district of Pithoragarh(Uttarakhand) in the Western Himalaya, India. Data collection and Analysis A random household sampling was carried out for the records of information about Yarsa gumba in the interior village of Chamoli district followed by the preparation of a questionnaire about the different parameters of Keera jhari. Morphology Kobayashi (1941) listed 137 species in the genus Cordyceps, out of which, 125 were parasites on insects while Dube (1983) identified 200 species. Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes about 400 identified species. All the species of Cordyceps species are endoparasites, mainly on insects and other arthropods, a few are parasitic on other fungi. Until recently, the best species of the genus was Cordyceps sinensis, first recorded as yartsa gunbu in Tibet in the 15th century. Several species of Cordyceps are considered as medicinal mushrooms in the classical Asian pharmacology. When the said fungus attacks a host, the mycelium invades and eventually replaces the host tissue while the elongated fruiting body (ascocarp) may be cylindrical, branched or of complex shape. The ascocarp bears many small, flask-shaped perithecia containing asci that, in turn, contain thread-like ascospores, which usually break into fragments and are presumably infective. Harvesting During fieldwork in the collection of Cordyceps starts at the beginning of April and ends in June, although normally the harvesting season starts from the beginning of May until the middle of June. After this period, according to a modern text of Tibetan Materia medica, “the body of the worm which is within the ground, gets rotten until its interior becomes hollow”.Cordyceps is extracted from the soil with a hoe or a small knofe while keping in mind to not damage the larvae as it would lose its value. We noticed many gatherers carried thin sticks of wood (like toothpicks) to repair the cut or broken larvae or to increase the weight of the product. Nawan Tashi, an independent doctor who often spends days in the gathering season collecting these Cordyceps said that the average amount collected in that area does not usually exceed 20 specimens a day, the maximum specimen number that he found in a day was 27. After the cultivation of Cordyceps the first step which is taken by every cultivator is to clean it followed by the evaporation of the moisture and seal in the polybags. Overharvesting is the main issue in the present time because of its increased in demand leading to its over exploitation by the local community which has put it in the endangered species. Regeneration Natural regeneration takes place from the spores of the fungus. At the beginning of the monsoon period, the spores attack the caterpillar just after its emergence from the cocoon. If the fungus is collected in early monsoon then the caterpillar could be seen alive. The fungal part of this species can be seen growing out of the ground after the snow melts, the caterpillar part remains buried under the soil. This species is not cultivated in Nepal, although, Yartshagumba is being cultivated in America by growing the strain on soyabeans for medicinal uses.

Keera ghaas or Cordyceps sinensis is unique and holds a great value for its medicinal properties. There is a wide price range in forest department and outside funding agaencies leading to its illegal supply. Villagers are not aware about its conservation. Awareness and scientific knowledge is very necessary for the future prospect regarding to the conservation of Keera ghaas.

1. Aryal, A., Dutta, I.C., Dhungel S.K. Parasitic fungi on Moth’s larvae: Yarsagumba (Cordyceps sinesnis), ecology and local economic contribution in Nepal. 2003. The Biodiversity Research and Training Forum (BRTF) Nepal. 2. Chang ST Mushroom research and Development-equality a mutual benefit. 1996. InRoyse DJ (ed.), mushroom biology and mushroom production USA. Penn. State University; HO. 3. Sharma, S. Trade of Cordyceps sinensis from high altitudes of the Indian Himalaya: Conservation and and Biotechnological priorities. 2004. Current Science, Vol.86. 4. Yun, Y.H., Han, S.H., Lee, S.J. Ko, S.K., Lee, C.K., Ha, N.J., Kim, K.J. Anti-diabetic mice. 2003. Nat Prod Sci 9, pp 291-298. 5. Y. Yang et.al. 1989. Zool Res 10, 227-231. 6. Zhou, X., Meyer, C.U., Schmidtke, P., Zepp, F. Effect of cordycepin on interleukin-10 production of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell. 2002. Eur J Pharmacol 453, pp 309-317. 7. Zhu, J. Halpern, G., Jones, K. Scientific rediscovery of an ancient Chinese herbal medicine: Cordyceps sinensis Part 1. 1998. J Altern Complim Med 4, pp 289-303. 8. Winkler D. (2008). "The mushrooming fungi market in Tibet exemplified by Cordyceps sinensis and Tricholoma matsutake". Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies. In: In the Shadow of the Leaping Dragon: Demography, Development, and the Environment in Tibetan Areas. 9. nepjol.info, Devkota(2006). 10. Syed Amir Ashraf, Abd Elmoneim O. Elkhalifa, Arif Jamal Siddiqui, Mitesh Patel, Amir Mahgoub Awadelkareem, Mejdi Snoussi, Mohammad Saquib Ashraf, Mohd Adnan, Sibte Hadi. Cordycepin for health and wellbeing: a potent bioactive metabolite of an entomopathogenic medicinal fungus Cordyceps with its nutraceutical and therapeutic potential. 2020. Molecules. 25(12): 2735. 11. Gitishree Das, Han Seung Shin, Gerardo Leyva Gomez, Maria L. Del Prado-Audelo, Hernan Cortes, Yengkhom Disco Singh, Manasa Kumar Panda, Abhay Prakash Mishra, Manisha Nigam, Sarla Saklani, Praveen Kumar Chaturi, Miquel Martorell, Natalia Cruz Martins, Vineet Sharma, Neha Garg, Rohit Sharma, Jayanta Kumar Patra. Cordyceps spp: a review on its immune-stimulatory and other biological potentials. 2021. Front. Pharmacol. 11:602364. 12. X. Zhou, Z. Gong, Y. Su, J. Lin, K. Tang. Cordyceps fungi: natural products, pharmacological functions and developmental products. 2009. J. Pharm. Pharmacol, 61, pp.279-291.