Yartsa gunbu: The $72,000 per pound "Himalayan Viagra"

It grows in the clouds, making it extremely difficult to obtain. This explains its high price, though it is harvested not for fun but for its properties, which have been valued in traditional medicine for centuries.

Some food prices can be truly staggering. We're not talking about essential products whose prices increase due to inflation, which may cause concern. We're talking about a true delicacy—mushrooms. The most expensive mushroom in the world costs about $72,000 per pound.

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

The most expensive mushroom in the world is Yartsa Gunbu. This distinctive Tibetan name is just one of many. In the scientific world, this mushroom is known as Chinese cordyceps or Ophiocordyceps sinensis. In Western circles, it has also earned the nickname “Himalayan Viagra” due to its alleged potency-boosting properties.

Yartsa gunbu commands a truly high price. The portal moneyinc.com estimated it at $2,000 per ounce, about $72,000 per kilogram. Cordyceps is not, without reason, called soft gold in China.

The beneficial properties of Yartsa gunbu have been known to the peoples of the Tibetan Plateau for centuries. In traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, it is a valuable ingredient used to treat many ailments. Meanwhile, studies confirm this mushroom is a source of about 30 bioactive substances. Yartsa gunbu is often credited with cognitive support and anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory effects. The latter is thought to result from the polysaccharides in Chinese cordyceps, which cause the multiplication of macrophages. Macrophages are phagocytic cells formed in the bone marrow and play a key role in immune processes.

Chinese cordyceps have antioxidant potential, which can help the body fight harmful free radicals. Hence, the mushroom's growing popularity in the cosmetics industry. Yartsa gunbu is also attributed to improving physical performance and energy levels, enhancing sexual function, and regulating blood sugar levels.

The price of Yartsa gunbu is influenced by its medicinal properties. It grows in hard-to-reach places, specifically in Himalayan regions, at altitudes reaching 16,400 feet above sea level. Multiple attempts to cultivate this mushroom have failed.