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Fungi distribution worldwide, forms an essential role in nature by decomposing organic matter and are indespensable in nutrient cycle. They have long been used as a source of food and in fermentation of various food products and currently an important source of antibiotics. The Indian fungi account for about 20% of the total species of the world (in the present state). India constitutes about 14,698 species of fungi and the collected information here also includes 0.2% new genera (one each species from Uttarakhand). Fungi having medicinal properties have been used as nutritional supplements for over 2000 years. Industries have strong interest in novel compounds that are extracted from mycelium of fruiting bodies of fungi. In 1994, fungi constituted a US$ 3.6 billion of the total worldwide industries (Chang, 1996). Garhwal Himalayas are the main source of medicinal plants especially the upper region of the Himalayas are the reservoir of the medicinal plants. C. sinenesis is one of the main and highly valuable mushroom of this region. There are more than 310 species of Cordyceps. Out of these, three species have medicinal value and among them, Cordyceps sinensis is one of the highly valuable species of the world (Kobayasi, 1982). It is found mainly in sub-alpine region from 3200 to 4000m above the sea level in grassy lands of Himalayas. About 1500 years ago in the Tibetan mountain pasture land, herdsman observed while grazing their cattles, a natural miracle plant which resulted in increased energy after consuming it (Zhu et.al., 1998). This miracle plant is known as Yarsa gumba or the caterpillar mushrooms in local Tibetan language and is a famous Chinese-Tibetan medicine.

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.

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