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.
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.
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.
"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.
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