ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Chaga -A Rediscovered Superfood

Updated on November 10, 2016
Source

Chaga Health Benefit Claims

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the health benefits of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)). In fact, many are calling this rediscovered medicinal mushroom a superfood. Although it has recently gained a lot of attention, it has been used as a folk remedy in Russia and North European countries since the 16th century. There is even documented evidence showing that Chaga was used as early as 4600 years ago is Asian countries such as China.

According to some experts, Chaga has numerous health benefits like boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, protecting against viruses, reducing cardiovascular disease and improving liver health. Chaga has also been claimed to prevent cancer. Even though there have not been sufficient scientific studies on Chaga, many still feel that this medicinal mushroom is a valuable superfood.

Have you ever tried Chaga?

See results

Cancer

A study from the World Journal of Gastroenterology (2008) indicates that Chaga may help combat cancer. The research team studied cells taken from human liver tumors and found that Chaga extract inhibited cancer cell growth. The World Journal of Gastroenterology research suggests that Chaga may be helpful in the treatment of liver cancer. Moreover, their studies indicated that Chaga has numerous biological activities such as anti-bacterial, hepato-protective (prevent damage to the liver) and anti-tumor effects.

Source

Diabetes

According to a study from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2008), Chaga may help treat diabetes.Studies showed that mice given Chaga had lower blood sugar levels and also reduced cholesterol.

On the other hand, some experts advice that diabetics or people with blood sugar problems should consult their healthcare specialist before consuming Chaga.

Source

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

According to a study published in Biofactors (2007) Chaga may help treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The research involved 40 volunteers. Half of the volenteers were healthy and the other half had inflammatory bowel disease. Chaga supplementation resulted in a 54.9% reduction of H_{2}O_{2 } induced DNA damage within the patient group and 34.9% within the control group. The researchers concluded that Chaga extract may be a valuable supplement to inhibit oxidative stress in general. For example: When there is oxidative stress in the body the free radicals and reduced antioxidant levels may cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Another Biofactors publication (2004) researched the Chaga claims of anti-bacterial, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The study concluded that Chaga mushroom treatment affords cellular protection against endogenous DNA damage produced by H2O2. Endogenous is something that grows or originates within a tissue or organism.

Foraging for Chaga Mushroom

A Word of Caution

According to the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Chaga’s effectiveness and safety for disease or cancer prevention has not been determined. The MSKCC states that no clinical trials have been conducted to prove its medicinal validity. Moreover, consumers should be cautious when taking Chaga because it may interact with anticoagulant and anti-diabetic drugs.

In addition, there has been some concern about consuming Chaga along with blood thinning or diabetes medications. Many experts say that there can be adverse side effects when combining the two.

Source

Consuming Chaga for Health

If you are thinking about using Chaga for any chronic conditions or other health concerns, make sure to consult your healthcare provider first. Self-remedies for chronic conditions with Chaga or any other self-treatment may have serious health results.

Always consult a health professional before starting any supplement or diet program including self treatment.

Source

Harvesting Chaga

Chaga mushroom, scientifically known as inonotus obliquus, (a Latin Russian term of 'чага'), is a fungus in the Hymenochaetaceae family. It is a conk normally found on trees that are at least 40 years old. The most common tree that it grows on is the birch tree. However, it sometimes grows on alder, beech and elm trees.

Chaga grows predominantly in the birch forests of Russia, Korea, Eastern and Northern Europe, Northern United States, in the North Carolina Mountains and in Canada.

Generally it takes at least 3 to 5 years before the fungus reaches maturity and can be harvested. Therefore, Chaga can be somewhat expensive. After the first harvest, Chaga grows back. Sad to say, once a tree has the fungus it does not go away and the tree will eventually die. However, in in 3 to 10 years, Chaga can be harvested once again.

The name Chaga (pronounced "tsjaa-ga") comes from the Russian word mushroom (czaga) which is derived from the Komi-Permyak word fungus (indigenous peoples in the Kama River Basin). The sterile conk has an irregular shape that looks like burnt charcoal. The black color is due to the substantial amounts of melanin* (see notation).

The medicinal powder is predominantly found in the outer black bark. Many Chaga harvesters say that the most potent part of the fungus is where the white veins runs through it. On the other hand, the fungus itself is not digestible for humans. Chaga needs to be either extracted with alcohol or hot water to make a tincture or dried and then ground into a powder. Dry Chaga is very light and similar to cork.

* Notation: The production of melanin is called melanogenesis. When referring to the skin, melanogenesis occurs after exposure to UV radiation, thus causing the skin to tan. Melanin is an applicable absorber of light. In fact, the pigment is able to disperse over 99.9% of absorbed UV radiation.

Source

Chaga Nutritional Breakdown

The Chinese call Chaga “King of Plants” while the Japanese call it the “Diamond of the Forest”. In Siberia, this famous mushroom is called a “Gift from God” and the “Mushroom of Immortality”.

Chaga will have different nutritional properties, depending on where it was harvested. For example, apples grown in Washington will have different properties than apples grown in Sweden. Chaga with the highest therapeutic strength is harvested in Siberia and the Changbai mountains in China. Research suggests that this may be due to extreme environmental conditions.

As well, cultivated Chaga is said to have a different composition and therapeutic properties. On the other hand, wild Chaga is believed to have at least 50% more medicinal value.

For consumers, it is important to note that some Chaga producers that sell cultivated Chaga (not wild Chaga) claim their product has the same medicinal properties as the wild harvested fungus.

Chaga is said to have over 215 phyto-nutrients, is high in zinc and rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins A, C and E. According to the article Chaga – The Facts posted on ORIVeDA, raw Chaga is high in carbohydrates, ash, proteins, lipids, ergosterols and other compositions.

Source

Chaga Uses

Traditionally, Chaga is grated into a fine powder and used to brew a beverage similar to tea or coffee. Many feel that Chaga tastes kind of like coffee with a hint of raisin or current.

For medicinal use, the mushroom goes through an extraction process and is created into a tincture or extract. Generally you can find Chaga sold as a tincture with or without alcohol processing. Yet many believe that in order to get the most out of a Chaga tincture, it should be extracted with both alcohol and hot water.Alcohol is used to extract the elements that are not water soluble.

Chaga Recipe

Chaga has a nice earthy flavor and a touch of vanilla sweetness. It goes well with chai spices like cardamom, anise, ginger, clove, cinnamon and fennel. Chaga tea is a soothing warm drink in the winter and a calming drink in the summer.

If you decide to order Chaga and are not sure how to prepare it, here is a fabulous yet simple recipe to try: Chaga Tea Latte | Vegan Superfood

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)