Traditionally, cordyceps have been used in Asia for strenuous, high altitude activities and as an immune tonic (Fungi Perfecti, 2018).  Today in Asian traditional medicine, cordyceps are used to enhance sexual potency and desire, as a remedy for diabetes and other dietary diseases, cancer, bronchitis, TB, jaundice, among others. (Panda and Swain, 2011). Today, Western medicine has discovered that cordyceps may have the effect of increased oxygen uptake, supporting higher endurance levels, and that cordyceps can support overall healthful functioning of the body (Fungi Perfecti, 2018). Currently, in the United States cordyceps are being grown in jars for medicinal purposes.

Cordyceps provide Bhutan with a significant agricultural item to export. In recent years, cordyceps have increased in value and have provided the Bhutanese who collect them with a very comfortable income. Cordyceps are found in the highest altitudes and are normally considered organic, wild harvest.

Traditional yak herders are the Bhutanese that typically collect cordyceps; they are the highlanders, the individuals living at those high altitudes herding their yaks.

Cordyceps are a very unique agricultural product. They are created by a parasitic fungus which attacks insects, most commonly found in caterpillars (Thapa 2017). Surjaman Thapa explains, “The fungus germinates in the living larva, kills and mummifies it, and then a dark-brown, stalk-like fruiting body – just a few centimeters long – emerges from the corpse.” (2017). Thapa also states that the cordyceps are only found between 4,000 and 5,000 meters, around 13,100 and 16,400 feet, in the Himalayan regions of Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal (2017).

Another interesting fact about cordyceps is that they are expensive, due to these unique features of habitat and growing conditions. In 2017, one of the highest prices paid for a kilo of cordyceps was $42,000 dollars (Thapa 2017). This appear to be a significant increase to the income, although it is important to remember that there are many middlemen involved in these market trades and, thus, transactions of these cordyceps products keep the original harvester from reaping the full financial benefit. That said, data do show that the annual income of many highlanders has risen somewhat from the usual 155 USD equivalent from their original markets selling yak cheese, milk, and butter.

According to the Bhutan Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, the prices of cordyceps has steadily increased since 2014 (Ministry of Agriculture and Forests 2014, p. 2).

Traveling in Bhutan, we have seen cordyceps in shops and people’s homes. The most easily obtained is normally in the form of tea, but they also exist in powder, tincture and capsule form. They are a highly regarded traditional medicine, and have been researched to further understand their role in stabilizing the immune system, combating cancer cells, and assisting with a whole host of other ailments of the body.

In the United States, cordyceps is growing in popularity as a dietary supplement. There are several companies in the U.S. that supply this natural Himalayan medicine.

By: Matthew VanEyll and Paul Agneburg

References

Thapa, Surjaman. “Bhutan’s cordyceps collectors eye return to yak herding.” The Third Pole. September 21, 2017. Accessed November 14, 2018 from https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/2017/09/21/bhutans-cordyceps-collectors-eye-return-to-yak-herding/

Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. “Cordyceps Marketing Report – 2017.” Department of Agricultural Marketing & Co-Operatives. Thimphu (August 2017):1-3.

Panda, Ashok Kumar, and Kailash Chandra Swain. “Traditional Uses and Medicinal Potential of Cordyceps Sinensis of Sikkim.” J Ayurveda Integr Med., Mar. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3121254/.

“Cordyceps Capsules .” Fungi Perfecti, Host Defense, fungi.com/products/cordyceps-capsules.

In an effort to savor the conversations we had while traveling on wheels, I had decided to record a conversation about our shared experience thus far. This particular conversation began comparing the archery competition we had just watched to competitive disc golf. The previous day, we were captivated by a discussion lead by Dr. Tashi Zangmo of her journey to founding the Bhutan Nuns Foundation. Most of us had studied Social Entrepreneurs in an class called ” Social Entrepreneurship” taught by Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid at Colorado Mountain College. Listening to a social entrepreneur speak was clearly engaging, but it had us questioning how she handles the challenge of balancing life with the commitments required by social entrepreneurship. The dialogue below was among 5 students: Keith Labbe, Sunny Frost, Bailee McDaniel, Madeline Dougherty (Maddie), and Ansley Burnett.

11/04/2018

Keith: What stuck out about today to you, Sunny?

Sunny: I liked the Archery a lot! I wish that we were beside the target instead of by the archer..

Keith: I was thinking the same thing.

Sunny: I was talking to Drea about Disc Golf. If someone is a new spectator and does not have an understanding of proper form, then it is more exciting to be by the baskets.

Keith: Right.

Sunny: But I was into it.

Keith: Your boyfriend does like sets up disc golf tournaments?

Sunny: Yes.

Keith: Did Smiling Moose give them agift certificate once? Maybe for the Flying Eagle Open, or something?

Sunny: Most likely, yes. I also liked the talk by Dr. Zangmo a lot!

Keith: Right.

Bailee:  Who was your favorite speaker so far?

Keith: The Nunneries!

Sunny: The Nunneries talk was very cool.

Maddie: I think this one.

Sunny: It was very interesting and I liked how there were so many questions.

Sunny: It was a little bit hard for me to take in for we read about life changing entrepreneurs for class and then here is one right in front of us. I was kind of star struck.

Ansley: I was too. I did not know what to say to her when we went up for the picture. No words were coming out!

Sunny: I should have asked her how she maintains her mental health while doing so much?

Maddie: Yeah.

Keith: It’s probably by doing so much that she actually maintains her mental health.

Sunny: I don’t know.

Maddie: I don’t know if that is a means to maintaining your mental health.

Sunny: I don’t think so either.

Ansley: I bet it helps! The fact that she is constantly doing for others and her country is what makes it different. She isn’t just keeping busy, she is doing a service.

 Bailee: I’m sure the fact that she has her family to support her helps a lot.

Maddie: Maybe spending time with the nuns is an opportunity to be reflective.

Ansley: Yeah.

Sunny: Well, what we have learned in social entrepreneurship is that a lot of these social entrepreneurs inadvertently disregard their families’ needs for the time to devote to the project. They do not have time to dedicate to their family. So that’s a difficult question to answer just by listening to her speak. Maybe the work is so good, so fulfilling that it balances her out? At the same time, social entrepreneurs continue to do more and more for their cause. As they get further into the issue they are trying to address, the more road blocks present themselves. Confronting the road blocks are what cause mental distress. I should have asked her.

I was pondering back in the wonderful hospitality we received in the high mountain (9500!!) during our home stay. We quickly developed such a sense of intimacy with our hosting family. It was such good feeling  sitting in a circle on the floor around the wood burning stove, sharing food, laughs and many “Karinchela’s” (Thank you’s in Dzongkha).

It is amazing how the smiles and that one simple word, karinchela, expresses such deep gratitude and closeness; the gazing into each others’ eyes, filled the void of verbal conversation. The warmth and honesty of the interactions made me realize how “Karinchela” is an expression of a sense of sincere appreciation; the importance of recognizing that deep emotion of being truly thankful.

Our hosts’ grandparents (also our RTC guide Bhuwan’s spiritual grandparents) opened their simple home to all of us. We piled up on the kitchen floor, filling every corner, sharing some tea or ara, many laughs, some singing, and some dancing.

Laughter filled every corner of everyone’s heart. Again, many Karinchelas at the end of our visit, too. It is possibly the most important word in every language. it expresses thanksgiving, contentedness and ease. That, in and of itself, summarizes the Metta (loving-kindness-meditation) wishing happiness and safety from suffering and the Buddhist principle of acknowledging the gift of the present moment.

In conclusion, our host family showed me that all of this is the essence of this amazing country of Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness guides the choices of governance for its people and landscapes.

When the author’s Bangkok guide casually suggested a Tuk Tuk, the author was puzzled. The name was catchy, but was he being offered a local drink, a regional delicacy, or a ceremonial bath?

Sheepishly he replied… “what is a Tuk Tuk? It turns out the answer is in plain sight on any Bangkok street. Smiling, the guide raised her hand, and instantly a colorful contraption part motorcycle, part cart, part pickup-bed, separated from the swarm of similar machines congesting the road, casually stopped in front of the small group. Ahhhh… the author thought to himself, this is a Tuk Tuk!

 

Examining the interior, the author was puzzled once more. The adorable contraption had three seats. One in front for the driver, and two smaller ones in the back. Great he thought, this thing has two tiny seats and our group is comprised of wife, guide and myself: three!

Sensing the author’s bewilderment the guide smiled again and pointed towards a minute space behind the seats, and an equally meager platform in front of the two seats. “Plenty of room” she said. “I go here”, she gestured pointing at the hard aluminum plate.

The author also smiled and said, “no madam you and my wife sit, and I will experience the thrill of sliding on the rail-free fore-seat plate”. Author and guide playfully haggled for a moment, and an arrangement was found. One the author’s strict European upbringing allowed….

“Practically Thailand’s national emblem, the humble tuk tuk is at the heart of the Bangkok experience for most first-time visitors. Tuk tuks are the successor to the earlier human-powered rickshaw(…), it’s a borderline-pretentious falsehood to claim that locals simply don’t ride tuk tuks – because they do” (Expique).

Though the author had never seen a Tuk Tuk, and greatly enjoyed the ride, a bit of research revealed that although the prevalent Bangkok machine is powered by a manual transmission, 500 to 650cc, water-cooled four-stroke engine, Thailand has many varieties of the endearing machine, including a newly developed solar-powered model, quickly adopted by a South African resort.

 

(Stock photo)

It turns out that Thailand is not the only country that regularly utilizes Tuk Tuks. Cambodia and Sri Lanka do so as well under the same name, while India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, use similar three-wheeled vehicles with names including “San Lun” (China), “Bajaj” (Indonesia), and “Quingqui” (Pakistan).

The bottom line is that the little vehicles are endearing, agile, easy to park in limited spaces, cheap to operate/repair, and an absolute taboo for zones such as the European Union or the US where stringent laws regarding bumpers, lights, seatbelts, roll-bars and other safety measures, would make the slow-speed, practical urban vehicles, almost impossible to place on the streets in any legal way.

In short, if after reading this piece you have developed a desire to experience a Tuk Tuk, Asia will be the place to go. Bonne voyage!

 

***

 

Sources consulted:

 

• The Story of Thailand’s Tuk Tuks – Expique
• Tuk-Tuk: Introduction to Auto Rickshaws – Trip Savvy
• New day dawns for sun-powered tuk-tuks – The Nation
• Where to buy a Tuk Tuk in Bangkok – Bangkok.com Magazine
• Your Favorite Tuk Tuks Around the World – TripZilla