chaga mushroom – King of mushroom

July 21, 2020

Chaga is a medicinal mushroom that can enhance your immunity, contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

This medicinal mushroom has been utilised by the people of Northern Europe, Russia and Asia. In Siberian folklore chaga is known as the “king of the mushrooms” and it is listed in the earliest text on Chinese materia medica, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing.

The main active nutrietns include polysaccharides, SOD, melanin, triterpenes (inotodiol), betulin, betulinic acid and lupeol.

Chaga can grow on maple or ash tree. However soucing chaga that grew on Birch tree is important as chaga draws betulin and other precursors form the birch tree and turns them into inotodiol, trametenolic acid and betulinic acid. Betulinic acid has been shown to possess a wild spectrum of biological activities.

It has been used traditionally to treat diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer, along with heart disease, in these areas of the world.

ENHANCES IMMUNITY

These mushrooms have shown to boost the immunity by increasing the number of immune cells produced by the body. These include interleukin 6 (IL-6) and T lymphocytes.

The chemical consituents, polysaccharides have a lot to do with immnity. They are known to increase the activity of interleukins, interferons, natural killer cells, tumor necrosis factor, macrophages, B and T lymphocytes, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and granulocytes, the infection-fighting cells that develop within the bone marrow.

This can suggest it can act as an immune enhancer during chemotherapy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774877/

Anti-viral effect of chaga has been shown in many studies. Extracts of chaga had an antiviral affect on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26182655/

This study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22462058/ has shown that extract can decrease the infective properties of the hepatitis C virus by 100-fold in just 10 minutes.

POWERFUL ANTI-OXIDANT / ANTI-AGING

Chaga is one of the highest souce superoxide dismutase (SOD), just after cacao. SOD is an important enzyme that performs a vial anti-aging function my neutralising free radicals, preventing the damage to the cells and tissues. It is found naturally in the body but it decreases as we age. Superoxide Dismutase overpowers the damaging reactions of superoxide, and protect the cell from superoxide (the most common free radical in the body) toxicity; it has the fastest turnover number of any known enzyme.

SOD is also used in cosmetics and personal care products as an anti-aging ingredient and antioxidant due to its ability to reduce free radical damage to the skin, therefore preventing wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots, and it also helps with wound healing, softens scar tissue, protects against UV rays, and reduces other signs of aging

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0891584994900809

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583882/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005273602004571?via%3Dihub

Chaga also conatins Melanin, which can enhance the appearance of hair, skin and eyes, and restores a more youthful appearance.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Chaga is anti-inflammatory, relieves pain and purifies the blood and protects the liver. An amazing polypore fungus that supports our overall well being.

The researchers found that the anti-inflammatory effect of the extract in the colon was due to its ability to suppress the expression of chemical mediators of inflammation.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874112004771?via%3Dihub

ANTI-CANCER

Chaga extracts and constituents have demonstrated inhibitory and proapoptotic effects against colon, lung, and liver cancer cells. As well as cervical cancer cells.

As many studies suggest chaga has a selective effect on tumor cells and no effects on health cells.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19367670/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26210065/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29800742/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24815470/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18203281/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814613000526?via%3Dihub

Our Chaga is 10:1 extract from fruiting body and wild harvested. Only large mature pieces of Chaga are taken from the Birch tree.

Chaga has a wonderful earth flavour that goes so well with cacao or coffee with a hint of vanilla.
You can simply add it to your coffee or cacao based drink or make something like this below. ✌️