Collecting This Rare Fungus Increases Your Risk Of Getting Struck By Lightning

Stunning lightning strike over a mountain range at sunset with vibrant colors in the sky.
Wirestock - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

In the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a rare fungus grows inside dead caterpillars. This parasitic fungus is celebrated for its supposed medicinal properties and is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. It is known as Ophiocordyceps sinensis, caterpillar fungus, or Himalayan gold.

It can fetch up to $63,000 per pound on the herbal medicine market. The fungus is a parasite that attacks the caterpillar that is the larva of the ghost moth.

Fungal spores infect the caterpillars in late summer to early fall. Over time, the fungus spreads and eats the caterpillars from the inside out.

By winter, the caterpillars will have turned into hardened, mummified shells. When spring arrives, the fungus sprouts as a grasslike body from the caterpillar’s head, ready to be harvested.

People gather this fungus during late spring and summer, which is exactly when lightning strikes occur the most in these mountains. For weeks, villagers will search for the fungus, sometimes at 16,400 feet above sea level.

The weather can shift with little warning this high up. There is also no shelter from storms. So, that makes lightning strikes a serious danger during these months of harvest.

In the past decade, caterpillar fungus hunting has led to at least 31 lightning-related deaths and 58 lightning-related injuries.

In May 2022, seven villagers from China, including a young child, were struck by lightning and killed while harvesting the fungus.

A year later, three people from Nepal were hurt by lightning when collecting the fungus. They spent days stranded in the mountains and had to be rescued by helicopter.

Stunning lightning strike over a mountain range at sunset with vibrant colors in the sky.
Wirestock – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

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In a new study, researchers found that lightning fatality rates in Yushu and Garze counties, located in the Sichuan province of China, are 10 to 20 times higher than in the rest of China. These counties are fungus-gathering hotspots.

But in the mountains, lightning is not the only threat that villagers face. They could encounter powerful winds, heavy rain, hail, and other severe weather.

Cell phone signals and other methods of communication are limited or nonexistent, so villagers are unable to receive weather alerts.

Wild animals and slippery mountain slopes are also threats. In one case, an individual was struck by lightning and fell down the steep mountain to his death. Most of the time, medical care is unavailable, and it can take days for help to arrive.

For the local villagers, the potential rewards that come with harvesting caterpillar fungus are worth the high risk. In the remote region, there are few ways to earn an income.

As a result, many people see the fungus trade as the best option for their survival. They can either put their lives at risk or plunge into poverty.

The local government organizes some lightning safety education, but these mountain communities are isolated, and the information is typically outdated. There’s also no way to install proper lightning protection in such rugged terrain.

In addition, the environment is suffering from overharvesting and human activity. When people are hunting for the fungus, they tramp roughly through the delicate soil, cut down trees for firewood, and leave trash behind. The fungus could disappear within the next few decades if the aggressive harvesting continues.

The economic and educational disparities in this remote area must be addressed in order to preserve the caterpillar fungus and help these people make a safer living.

You can see the study here.

Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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