Chaga in Modern Times
Cheryl Millett
What is Chaga?
a) Is it a Peruvian dance that is now popular in Brazilian clubs?
b) Is it a comfortable skirt worn in Africa made of natural strong plant fibers, very soft durable cotton like material?
c) Is it a Australian character in a computer game bringing attention to the importance of fitness to school children?
d) Is it the sticky stuff that make stickers stick on fruits and vegetables?
e) None of the above.
Can you tell I played the game Balderdash? The answer is none of the above.
According to many, most North Americans have not heard of Chaga.
Diving more into the world of nutrition and what our wonderful world naturally creates for us, this article captures Chaga in modern times.
Chaga’s Reputation
Siberians, Japanese, and Chinese are familiar with the Chaga mushroom under the following names:
‘Diamond of the Forest’
‘King of Herbs’
‘King of Plants’
‘Gift of God’
‘Mushroom of Immortality’
Healing Potentials
With names like these, let us learn more about this rare fungus only found on birch trees – hard as wood, gold on the inside, black as night on the outside, unique mushroom that seems to have a great strength in order to survive the harsh cold climates. My initial research shows it has the potential to help with the effects of stress and disease.
According to many articles and videos, it is all of the following and more:
- anti-cancer and anti-tumoral (the black outside part of the chaga mushroom)
- number one antioxidant in the mushroom kingdom or in the world
- an immune tonic
- anti-inflammatory and healing
- cleansing/detoxifying
Antioxidants has a big market share in the health and wellness industry – fruit and vegetable juices, blueberries, vitamin A C and E supplements, spices and more, and now Chaga tea.
Many people from Siberia, Russia, China, Korea, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere have been consuming Chaga tea as a daily beverage for its longevity nutritional properties. Russia saw the benefits and gave it to their elite or Olympic athletes for strength and recovery. This makes the Chaga mushroom good for anti-aging and disease prevention.
Some will call it a power source and adaptogenic. Adaptogenic is helping the body to manage stress which comes from areas such as injury to traumas with everything in between. I will add that our mind has much to do with our stress levels. While people learn about the mind, the state of mind, and the egoic mind, chaga tea assists our body with stress and more. Let us remember that toxins are a stress on our body.
To explain the benefits of Chaga, it is possibly that it holds in its cellular matrix these powerful and most essential substances:
- B vitamins
- minerals (copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iron)
- enzymes (superoxide dismutase or SOD)
- phenols (chromogenic complex)
- flavonoids
- pantothenic acid
- melanin
- beta-D-glucans, a type of polysaccharide
Surprised Immediate Results
I noticed a positive difference the very first time I drank a cup of my home brewed Chaga tea. Similar to the raw seal oil, I felt more alert within minutes (sublingual absorption). Both wild ancient healing foods that people knew about for hundreds of years. Be aware of cultivated Chaga which is not the real deal.
Taste It, You May Like It
With a palm size piece of a Chaga mushroom from Northern Ontario broken into chunks, the same pieces are used to brew a few pots. Chaga tea has a pleasant and enjoyable earthy taste. The Russian children experienced it brewed longer so a stronger condensed flavour. One could add ice for hot days.
Stress with a Big “S”
When scientists share with us that they believe 80% of all diseases are mainly due to stress, what are your tools for managing your stress? I would suggest that your stresses are unique to you and more than one tool would be the way to go. Perhaps a cup of Chaga tea regularly? Perhaps some Y-Dan exercises, an Iridology course to learn if you have stress rings, or relaxation practices?
Whatever your tools are, there is more about Chaga than meets the eye when it comes to appreciating its place in the mushroom kingdom. Harvesting and brewing are two required steps to bring it to cup.
Will you join me for a cup?
Cheryl Millett
Holistic Nutritionist | Y-Dan Instructor
Iridologist | Awakening Book Club
Research:
Immunomodulatory Activity of the Water Extract from Medicinal Mushroom
Antioxidant Small Phenolic Ingredients in Inonotus obliquus (person) Pilat (Chaga)
Cover image source:
http://www.healthandlovepage.com/chaga-the-mushroom-of-immortality
1 thought on “Chaga in Modern Times”
Love my “adirondack” chaga, I brew it with Earl Grey most often