Chaga Facts

Scientific Name:

• Inonotus obliquus
• Polyporaceae

Common Name:

• Birch Mushroom
• King of Herbs
• Food of the Gods

Classification:

• Chaga is a fungus-type parasitic mushroom that grows and lives off the nutrients of birch trees.

Appearance:

• The shape is irregular, somewhat grotesque and the color is almost black. It has a rough texture which is also crusty, dry and porous. The separations of the fruit body are deeply cut and crooked having the appearance of charred wood on the outside. The color of the inner layer is brown.

Where Found:

• The native habitat of Chaga is in the birch forests of the Siberian Mountain regions. It is mostly found in Russia but they can also be found in Northern and Eastern Europe, Korea, Canada and North Carolina in the United States.

Culture and Harvest:

• Chaga enters the bark of birch trees through the wounds. It blisters and grows by eating the nutrients of the tree through its trunk and bark. The fruit body fully matures and is ready to be harvested in about 20 years. After harvesting, the host tree dies off, depleted of its nutrients. The next generation of Chaga, due to the pollination of its seeds begins their own 20-year life cycle.

Primary Substances and Properties:

• Polysaccharides/beta glucans – these are mushroom carbohydrates which are effective in boosting brain, liver and digestive functions. It can also increase energy.
• Betulin/betulinic acid – this substance is found only in Chaga mushrooms. It has been found to kill cancer cells without harming normal cells. Research studies have also found that it can also inhibit the enzyme that regulates the under winding and over winding of DNA strands.
• Phytosterols ( inotodiol and lanosterol) – substances that can kill harmful pathogens.
• Melanin – responsible for the black color of Chaga and its highest anti-oxidant levels among all medicinal mushrooms.
• Tripertenes – can lower cholesterols, treat asthma, cough, chronic bronchitis and hepatitis.
• Germanium – will prevent tumors, normalize blood pressure and cleanse the blood.
• Other phytonutrients, nucleosides, aminon acids and minerals for boosting the immune system.

Medicinal Uses:

• Chaga can be used for the following ailments: stomach ulcers, gastritis, digestive disorders, cancer, TB of the bones. It can also be used to stop tumor growth and reduce pain.

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