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Title Tibetan Eldorado / Director: Filippis, Jeanne Mascolo de
Published Australia : ABC, 2010
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Description 1 online resource (streaming video file) (50 min.) ; 303625903 bytes
Summary The strange half-vegetable, half-animal cordyceps sinensis has made Tibet the new El Dorado as pharmaceutical companies in Hong Kong and drug purveyors from Southeast Asia rush for its amazing properties.The unique combination of wild mushroom and caterpillar grows at 4000m on the high plateaux of Tibet and sells for about 25,000 Euros a kilogram (Aust $35,000). It has been taken by the Chinese and Tibetans for years for its supreme healing qualities and stimulating effect on the immune system. Pandering to the Asian fantasies about aphrodisiacs, it has also become known as the 'Viagra' of the Himalayas.It is transforming Tibet's economy and its harvesting culture, as nomads and families rush to the high slopes each Spring to trawl for the valuable creature.But while medical experts are still uncertain what is in the amazing little fungal creature that gives it its anti-tumour, anti-viral properties, Western laboratory technology may be able to reproduce millions of doses of the medicines extracted from cultivated cordyceps. It is a serious potential threat to the boosted Tibetan economy benefiting from this new industry.PRODUCTION DETAILS:Directed by Jeanne Mascolo de Filippis for Strawberry Films
Notes Closed captioning in English
Event Broadcast 2010-10-28 at 20:30:00
Notes Classification: G
Subject Cordyceps -- Therapeutic use.
Herbs -- Harvesting.
Medicine, Chinese.
Selling -- Herbs.
China -- Hong Kong.
Form Streaming video
Author Benhadj, Isabelle, cast
Mascolo de Filippis, Jeanne, director