喜馬拉雅偉哥背後的故事大綱

China's appetite for an obscure fungus found on caterpillars and foraged in remote regions of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan has pushed prices to levels usually reserved for precious metals. But the competition for retrieving them can sometimes prove fatal.

中國對一種不常見的真菌的興趣已經把它的價格推升到了以前只有貴金屬才能達到的高位。不過，爲了收集這種真菌而進行的競爭有時候卻是致命的。這種真菌寄生在死去的毛毛蟲體內，一般要在西藏、尼泊爾和不丹等偏遠地區才能找到。

Traditional herbalists believe the yarchagumba fungus boosts sexual performance and can cure other ailments as well. It is typically boiled in water to make a tea, ground into a powder and then sprinkled on food, or added whole to soups or stews.

傳統中醫認爲冬蟲夏草有壯陽治病的療效。可以煮茶服用或研磨成粉加少量到食物中，或整隻煮湯食用。

Some Chinese like to incorporate it into their Chinese New Year's feasts as well. Earlier this week, Australian customs authorities intercepted a bounty of food as Chinese tourists on charter flights to the country tried to bring more than 60 pounds of fresh fruit, pig's trotters, chicken feet and yarchagumba.

一些中國人還喜歡在農曆新年的時候喝蟲草湯。本週較早時候，澳大利亞海關人員在搭乘航班入境該國的中國旅客身上截獲了大量食物。這些旅客曾試圖把超過60磅重的新鮮水果、豬蹄、雞爪和蟲草帶入澳大利亞。

The fungus is among several unusual commodities and collectibles whose prices are climbing as Chinese investors speculate in nontraditional markets.

蟲草也是幾種少見的投資品和收藏品之一。受中國投資者在非傳統市場上從事的投機活動的推動，蟲草的價格正在上升。

Does ingesting caterpillar fungus really provide the boost that so many seek? There hasn't been any definitive research conducted by Western scientists. But because its value is already somewhere between silver and gold, it is likely to inspire more spats in the future.

食用寄生在毛毛蟲身上的真菌真的能像許多人希望的那樣起到進補的作用嗎？迄今爲止沒有任何西方科學家對此進行過權威的研究。不過，由於價格已經介於白銀和黃金之間，蟲草未來很可能會引發更多的關注。