Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Gangtok, July 10:  Four persons have been arrested in Sikkim in connection with the smuggling of Yarsagumba, a high-altitude fungus also called “Himalayan Viagra” because it is used as an aphrodisiac and has immense medicinal value. Officials of the Sikkim forest and environment department, who made the arrests yesterday, refused to disclose details, saying the “case was still under investigation”. Three of those held are known only by their first names — Narayan, Arjun and Deepak. The fourth has been identified as Darsang Bhutia. All are Sikkim residents, police said. The bust is part of a wider crackdown on the smuggling of rare medicinal plants from the state over the past year. According to the principal chief conservator of forests, S.T. Lachungpa, the assistance of various agencies and individuals had been taken to tackle the smuggling. The four were picked up yesterday after a raid here last week that led to the arrest of Dharkey Gurung alias Rapgay, a Nepali citizen, and Ur...

by Santosh Kumar Agarwal for Alarm Bells Four residents of Sikkim, an Indian Province on the Himalayan Mountain, have been arrested for smuggling a hill fungus, known as ‘Yarsagumba’ in local terminology, which is known to have immense medicinal value particularly in respect of treatment of impotence in men. The arrested persons are, Narayan, Deepak, Arjun and Darsang Bhutia, all being residents of Sikkim. The arrests are part of wider crackdown on the smuggling chain for medicinal plants in the hills, which also resulted in the 'controversial' arrests of Czechs entomologist and his aide Emil Kusera on 22 nd June’08. As per S.T.Lachunga, Chief Conservator of Forests, the arrested persons named one Ganesh Thapa, on interrogations, as to be the king-pin of the chain. Thapa was picked up from Singtam on 3 rd July’08 and about 15kg of Yarsagumba was recovered from him hidden inside several pillows in his room. The price of dried Yarsagumba is...