New Yorkers Pay $800 an Ounce for Libido-Boosting Worms
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It's a stiff price to pay for a fungus-encrusted silkworm.
But New Yorkers are gladly shelling out $800 an ounce for these dried dead bodies — and the sexual prowess they promise.
The vile virility remedy known as "Himalayan Viagra" works a little differently from the blue pill. There's no immediate reaction, but sprinkle them on your corn flakes every morning and users swear it'll make your bedsprings bounce.
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The wonder drug — called "yarsagumba" or "dong chong xia cao" — can also be brewed into an anti-impotence tea.
The insects come from the highlands of Nepal, where they are attacked by a beige fungus, cordyceps sinensis, that kills and entombs them.
"It's like the ultimate invasion of the body snatchers," said Thomas Leung, owner of Kamwo, a Chinese herbal pharmacy in Manhattan.
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Hoping to resurrect their love lives, older men are blowing wads of cash on the creepy caterpillar cocktails.
"It would cost you about $200 per serving," Leung said.
Leung remembers the ingredient selling for a mere $6.50 decades ago, but the price has rocketed to half the price of gold in recent years.
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"It's hard to come by, and the demand for it is very high because of there's a lot of hype," he said.
The sweet-tasting substance is commonly used in formulas to treat chronic asthma and is a centuries-old remedy for lung and kidney health, Leung added.