Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis—yartsa gunbu in Tibetan—commands astronomical prices as traditional medicine, sometimes exceeding gold per weight. The fungus infects ghost moth caterpillars at high altitude on the Tibetan Plateau, producing a caterpillar-sized fruiting body that Tibetan and Chinese medicine traditions value for various health claims. This ecological specificity—only certain caterpillars at high altitude—combined with uncultivability creates the scarcity driving extreme market value.

The economics of O. sinensis have transformed Tibetan plateau communities. Collection provides significant income for herders; competition for harvest areas creates conflict; overharvesting threatens populations. Climate change compounds the problem: as temperatures rise, suitable habitat shifts to higher elevations with less available area. The fungus's ecological specificity, once a neutral feature of its biology, has become an economic vulnerability as demand exceeds sustainable supply.

O. sinensis cannot be cultivated despite extensive effort. The fungus's lifecycle—infection of specific caterpillars at specific altitudes with specific environmental conditions—proves impossible to replicate artificially. This uncultivability contrasts with C. militaris and drives the market toward cultivated substitutes despite traditional preference for wild-harvested material. The case illustrates how ecological complexity can prevent domestication even when economic incentives are overwhelming.