It has been requested to me to do a blog entry about the Chaga mushroom, which, in many’s opinion, is the king of the medicinal mushrooms. While information about this mushroom could fill volumes, I’m going to try to keep it very simple and applicable to people who might read my blog. As always, if you have questions, please ask and I will answer them in a future blog post.
Chaga is not your typical mushroom that grows out of the ground. It’s actually a tree mushroom. They mainly grow on birch trees. There’s a big difference between the mushrooms that you pick from the ground and the ones your pick, or knock off, from a tree. For one, a tree mushroom can be on that tree for 15, 20, even 30 years! Consider all that information the plant has absorbed in that amount of time! The medicinal mushrooms grow on trees and transform all the different tree properties into a concentrated physical form. The healing properties of medicinal mushrooms are amazing!
Probably the biggest quality about Chaga is its cancer fighting ability. It’s the #1 cancer fighting herb currently known. It’s been proven to be effective in fighting tumors, even malignant tumors. It has been proven to be effective against the following cancers specifically: brain, breast, cervical, colon, leukemia, liver, lung, melanomas, ewing’s sarcoma, neuroblastomas, squamous cell cancers of the head and neck, medulloblastoma, ovarian cancers, stomach and uterine cancers. Now, that’s a pretty massive statement. The main cancer fighting component is thought to be the abundance of betulin, which is a naturally occurring triterpene. Do the research yourself. The original research came out of Russia.
Chaga is also a potent anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-mutagenic, anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic and a tremendous immune system booster. It helps decrease allergies. It’s also one of the highest antioxidant sources ever discovered (purportedly second only to raw chocolate). The mushroom is 25% antioxidant, which is rather unheard of. It also provides some powerful detoxification.
Now, you may ask…..what in the world do I do with this Chaga mushroom? Well, for starters, you can simply eat it raw. You can go into the woods, knock down your own Chaga mushroom and eat some, or, let it dry in the sun, or dehydrate it, and then break off a piece, put it in a mortar and pestle and grind it into a powder, add it to hot water and make a tea. You can just put a piece into boiling water to make tea. It tastes really good. It actually has vanillic acid in it, so it tastes like vanilla. There are also loads of products that incorporate Chaga in different forms.
I say, give it a try! What do you have to lose? Seems like you may have everything to gain. Experiment, do your own research, and above all never take anything anyone says at face value. Always research. Use what resonates with you. This is how we find our own truth.
This info mostly comes courtesy of David Wolfe, who is a foremost health educator, amongst other things, as well as a Chaga mushroom hunter and researcher.
Please leave questions and comments!!
Here’s to creating a life of bliss!