The Unique myths about caterpillar is gold in Tibet

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According to Foster Stockwell, he stated that "Western concepts of Tibet embrace more myth than reality. The idea that Tibet is an oppressed nation composed of peaceful Buddhists who never did anyone any harm distorts history. In fact the belief that the Dalai Lama is the leader of world Buddhism rather than being just the leader of one sect among more than 1,700 "Living Buddhas" of this unique Tibetan form of the faith displays a parochial view of world religions". Means that Tibetan are people who are really care about their religion. They take The Dalai Lama as their leader to lead them.

Blue caterpillar fungus made by Tibetan
Source by google images

According to the Barbara Demick (2008), she has find out that hat Tibetans call the worm is actually not a worm but a fungus. Tibetans assumed the caterpillar as Corduroys sines. Means the caterpillar not only an small animal but they need to be precise more. For example, "feeds on caterpillar larvae. Or, to give the fungus its more poetic name, "winter worm, summer grass," because its appearance changes from one to the other with the seasons", said Barbara Demick. This is because the caterpillar bring luck to the Tibetans. The caterpillar give source of income to the Tibetans because most of Tibetans do not know how to read and write. They only know the number. 

The process to make caterpillar fungus 
source from google images

Other than that, the used of the caterpillar is the most treasured ingredient in traditional medicines in Tibet. The prices in the previous few years rise steeply to the point where prime samples are worth their weight in gold. Almost $900 an grain. According to Thomas Yeung (2011), "Tibet’s “herbal Viagra”is formed when a beige fungus, cordyceps sinensis, attacks the body of a moth larva that lives in the soil of Tibetan highlands, eventually killing and mummifying it". The sprouts that grow from it are collected on the Tibetan plateau each spring. Their name, Yarsagumba, roughly translates as “winter worm, summer plant”.Barbara Demick stated that, "Even the most ordinary pickings command prices matching that of French truffles, another famous fungus". She said that the caterpillar also can compete with another famous fungus. Other than that, Nicholas Mott said that, "Sounds like something out of science fiction, right? But for ailing Chinese consumers and nomadic Tibetan harvesters, the parasite called cordyceps means hope—and big money. Chinese markets sell the "golden worm," or "Tibetan mushroom"—thought to cure everything from cancer to asthma to erectile dysfunction—for up to $50,000 per pound. Patients, following traditional medicinal practices, brew the fungal-infected caterpillar in tea or chew it raw". 

                                       Video about the caterpillar is a gold but its also risk 

  Source from youtube