cordyceps fungus hunters on the tibetan plateau,china

1Cordyceps Fungus Hunters On the Tibetan Plateau All Photos by Kevin Frayer

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The Tibetan Plateau is home to the cordyceps fungus, also known as caterpillar fungus that thrives in high altitude, low

temperature conditions on the Tibetan plateau. Cordyceps are a prized ingredient of traditional Asian medicinal

treatments that purportedly heal ailments ranging from asthma to impotence to cancer.

Demand in China alone has created a booming economy for what Tibetans call yartsa gunbu, or summer grass, winter

worm, which sells for up to $50,000 US per pound. As the state-supported cordyceps industry has developed, Tibetans

who rely primarily on farming and herding have turned to the weeks-long harvest as a means of earning income to last

through the year.

The annual gold rush has transformed parts of rural Tibetan areas, generating about 40% of the local economy. However,

environmentalists increasingly warn that over-harvesting of cordyceps carries the cost of degradation to mountain

grasslands that are essential for yak and cattle grazing. Due to below average rainfall the 2016 harvest is expected to be

the lowest on record with many harvesters reporting yields way lower then expectations.

-- The Denver Post

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Tibetan nomads crawl on their knees on a hillside at high altitude as they search for cordycep fungus

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A Tibetan nomad crawls while harvesting cordycep fungus near Sershul on the Tibetan Plateau

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Tibetan nomad s crawl while harvesting cordyceps fungus on May 20, 2016 near Sershul .

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A Tibetan nomad swings a pick as he searches for cordycep fungus at high altitude on the Tibetan Plateau

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Tibetan nomad women clean cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu on the Tibetan Plateau

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Tibetan nomads examine cordyceps fungus for sale at a market

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Tibetans inspect high quality cordyceps fungus on May 18, 2016 at a market in Yushu.

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A Tibetan nomad lays out his cleaned cordyceps fungus for sale at a market in Yushu town.

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Tibetan nomads and traders examine cordycep fungus for sale at a market in Yushu

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A Tibetan woman displays high quality cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan displays high quality cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan nomad lays out his cleaned cordycep fungus for sale at a market in Sershu

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A Tibetan inspects high quality cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu

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Tibetan nomads wait to buy cordyceps fungus at a market on May 22, 2016 on the Tibetan Plateau near Sershul.

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A Tibetan nomad laughs as vendors buy and sell cordycep fungus at a market in Sershul

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A Tibetan nomad counts money after selling his cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu

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Chinese vendors and Tibetan nomads buy and sell cordycep fungus at a market in Sershu

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A Tibetan nomad boy watches as vendors buy and sell cordycep fungus at a market in Sershul.

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Traders and Tibetan nomads crowd around as they bid on cordycep fungus for sale at a market in Yushu

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Tibetan nomads buy and sell cordycep fungus at a market in Sershul

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Chinese traders examine and sort cordycep fungus at a market

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Tibetan nomads and traders examine cordycep fungus at a market in Yushu

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Tibetan nomads check cordycep fungus as another tries to sell his horse in Sershul

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Under a picture of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Chinese buyers examine cordyceps fungus at a market on May 24,2016

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Tents used by Tibetan nomads picking cordycep fungus are seen on the night of the full moon near Yushu on the Tibetan Plateau

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A young Tibetan nomad girl holds her sister at a temporary camp for cordycep fungus pickers near Sershul

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A Tibetan woman holds a baby as she stands outside a tent at a temporary camp for cordycep pickers near Zadoi in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

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A young Tibetan nomad girl rests on a motorcycle at a temporary camp for cordycep fungus pickers near Sershul

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Tibetan nomads play after a day of working at a temporary camp for picking cordycep fungus

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Five members of a Tibetan nomad family crowd on to a motorcycle at a camp for cordycep pickers near Sershul

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Tibetan children sit on a mattress in a tent at a temporary camp for cordycep pickers near Zadoi on the Tibetan Plateau

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A young Tibetan child from a poor family sits in a tent at a temporary camp for cordycep pickers near Zadoi

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A Tibetan nomad checks a fake gold cap that he had put on a tooth by a street dentist during a break from harvesting cordycep fungus at the Sershul Monastery on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan baby lies in a tent at a temporary camp for cordycep pickers near Zadoi on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan man throws prayers in the air at a high altitude pass on the Tibetan Plateau near Yushu

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Tibetan nomads stand amongst prayer flags placed at their camp for picking cordycep fungus

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A Tibetan nomad child walks at a temporary camp for cordycep harvesters near Sershul after a fresh snowfall

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Tibetan monks walk with their horses walk in fresh snow near Sershul on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan man walks with his sons at high altitude after picking cordycep fungus near Zadoi

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Tibetan Buddhist monks debate outside the Sershul Monastery on the Tibetan Plateau

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A Tibetan monk walks with a friend during a break from harvesting cordycep fungus at the Sershul Monastery on the Tibetan Plateau

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A young Tibetan monk walks on a road near Sershul, an area well known for cordycep harvesting

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Tibetan nomads walk at the Sershul Monastery on the 15th day of Saka Dawa, the holiest day of the Buddhist calendar, when harvesting is prohibited 佛曆神聖日 : 佐賀大窪節，禁止採收

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A Tibetan nomad woman prays on the 15th day of Saka Dawa.

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An elderly Tibetan nomad woman swings a prayer wheel as she stands at a temporary camp for picking cordyceps fungus on May 22, 2016.

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A Tibetan nomad couple laugh together while harvesting cordycep fungus near Sershul on the Tibetan Plateau

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Tibetan nomads walk on a hillside at high altitude as they harvest cordyceps fungus on May 19, 2016 near Yushu.

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An aerial photo of the mountains and grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau

June 3, 2016 王文堯 Kaohsiung Taiwan R.O.C All photos were taken from The Denver Post,Internet…ect . Music : Yuki Koshimoto - Spacedrum THE END