Chaga fungus is already extremely celebrated in wellness and health band for , well , just about everything . Among the claim made for Kichaga ’s usefulness are its high concentration of antioxidant , as well as its anti - inflammatory properties . I will try the benefits of chaga subsequently in this post , but first have ’s lecture about scrounge Kichaga , how to harvest Kichaga sustainably , and how to use this awe-inspiring fungus !
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Foraging Chaga in Winter
It ’s beginning to search a caboodle like moth-eaten weather season !
As this year ’s wintertime chill creeps in and you consider the broad inventory of medicinal vegetation to help further your resistant organisation and plow the aches and pain in the ass of frosty times ahead , do n’t forget fungus kingdom !
In picky , there is one unassuming medicinal wonder dwelling in the colder forests of the northerly cerebral hemisphere that you wo n’t want to overlook .
The chaga fungus , a purported superfood and therapeutic for numerous ill , is well worth a brisk hike through the woods with your gathering bag and tomahawk .
If you find the mighty conk , your work will be reinforce with a cup of rich , gross Kichaga afternoon tea that is n’t too tough to brew !
Related : What to Forage in Winter : 30 + Edible and Medicinal Plants and Fungi
What is Chaga Fungus?
Chaga ( Inonotus obliquus ) is a sterile conk fungus that grows primarily onbirch trees .
It is also consult to as the King of Medicinal Mushrooms ( though it is a mycelium hoi polloi andnot technically a mushroom-shaped cloud ) , clinker brick fungus , and tinder conk ( for its high inflammability and foresightful , slow smolder ) .
The fungus forms a parasitic relationship with the birch tree that can last decades , wherein the Chagga grows slowly , surviving off the tree ’s nutrients .
You may also hear the birch - chaga relationship mention to as symbiotic or mutualistic , because some claim the fungus really aids the tree diagram by enhancing its immune system of rules and cure it from external damage .
Still , the fungus will finally kill the birch tree , though they can live together for many years .
This disagreement about the Kichaga - birch kinship is only one exercise of the unevenness in classic information presently useable about chaga , at least to a general consultation .
Though it has been featured in Eastern medicine for centuries and has been study for the last 50 class or more in realm such as China , Siberia , and Northern Europe , enquiry execute with actual human subjects is scarce .
The depository financial institution of cognition may continue to grow , however , as Chagga gains widespread tending for its healing potential .
Chaga Benefits
If you read up on Kichaga , you will discover a variety of claims about its health benefits . Some have been test in clinical studies ( though often not on humans ) , while others have not .
Many that are quiz have unspecific limitations in the field of study ’s scope . Therefore we ca n’t take out firm conclusions about how chaga might treat or heal sure health problems .
This does n’t mean you should n’t attempt chaga and learn how it works for you , but utilize unwashed sense and avoid seeing chaga as a “ cure - all ” for anything that pain you .
Related:6 Medicinal Mushrooms for Your Health
These are some of the lure welfare people associate with Chagga :
Foraging & Identifying Chaga
Look for this tall fungus inlate falland allthroughout the winter , until bound ’s lovingness causes the birch sap to flow .
Though chaga is present year - orotund , some mass importune that the colder months are the dear clock time to forage Kichaga because the birch is dormant and there is more energy store in the chaga .
When the sap begins to hang , the Kichaga may retain more weewee , reducing the alimentary concentration .
Another good grounds to harvest chaga in the winter is the lack of foliage in deciduous forest , making it easier to distinguish Kichaga up in a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Since the chaga fungus grows principally onbirch Tree , focalise your aid on finding fledged birches , which will belike grow in well - drained stain near water , with access to sunlight .
Be sure to only take Chagga from live birch Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , because the fungus dies when the tree diagram go bad . You definitely do n’t want to eat beat or rot Kichaga . Yuck !
Because of its blackened exterior , it is easy to slip a lump of chaga for a burn up or rot piece of the tree diagram .
People also mistake burls for good deal of chaga , because they both protrude substantially from the tree ’s bark , and some burls can have a dark exterior like chaga .
Once you make love what to look for , however , you should n’t have much troubleidentifying chagaandtelling it apart from the look - alikes .
The bottom - bloodline in foraging chaga is to be inform bydoing your researchbefore you lead out in search of the fungus .
This will abridge your likeliness of accidentally harvest something that is n’t Kichaga , or harvesting the chaga inappropriately .
Harvesting Chaga Sustainably
speak of inappropriate removal , chaga isparticularly vulnerable to overharvesting . Because it rise slowly and has health benefit , chaga is a prime prospect for becoming quickly exhaust .
If you exist in an area with memory access to Kichaga , practiceethical foraging principlesby taking only what you require and leaving enough Chagga behind so that it can regrow and continue thriving .
The slowly - growing chaga takes year to reach maturity and develop spore for replica . To give Kichaga enough meter to reproduce before you disturb it , only glean from fungous spate that are larger than a grapefruit .
notion disagree on how much of the fungus to take at one time . A good regulation of quarter round is to leave at least ⅓-½ of the chaga entire and connected to the tree .
In increase , only take that much if you have substantial plans for properly put in and/or promptly using all of the chaga . Never take the entire chaga multitude , and fend off cutting into the tree .
The chaga will be quite hard , and you will need a sharp , uncompromising creature to break into the fungus . Some people use a hatchet , while others use a small-scale saw , hammer and chisel , or even a very strong knife .
Regardless , be quick to sweat a morsel !
Once you penetrate the dark outside , the Kichaga ’s interior should be a low-cal brown - Orange River color .
Kichaga can rot and cast easily , so when you get rest home be certain to dry out it out by leaving it on a baking sheet near a woodstove or other heat source . Do n’t bake it in the oven .
Where to Buy Chaga
So , what if chaga does n’t grow near you ?
The most sustainable decision would merely be to go without . As someone who lives in a position that is too warm for chaga , I can realise the desire to try on its earthy good .
If you choose to corrupt chaga online or in a store , be very critical . As with other environmentally disputatious products , marketers will make claims about their chaga thatsoundgreen but do n’t tell the whole narrative .
to boot , it is not well-defined that chaga grown unnaturally ( i.e. not from a living birch tree out in the woods ) contains the same benefit as uncivilized Chagga .
I did a bit of research and found two chaga source that appear to be reputable : Sayan Siberian ChagaandAlaska Chaga .
you could also purchase prepared chaga supplements from Host Defense ( one of my favored brands of medicative mushroom products):Chaga CapsulesorLiquid Extract .
Four Sigmatic also propose a tasty mushroomcoffee blending with lion ’s mane and Kichaga .
Chaga Tea Recipes
The most common way to consume chaga is in a Camellia sinensis .
Of naturally , the “ in effect ” way to make Chagga tea is a hotly argue issue among Chagga partizan .
While some importune that boiling is the best method to pull out chaga ’s good components , others are adamantine that boiling actually destroys them .
Some recommend using larger chunks of chaga when establish tea leaf , while others recommend craunch it into a okay pulverisation to increase surface region and enhance the Kichaga ’s potentiality .
Keep these differences in brain as you explore the chaga recipes below . Experiment to find your own favored method for preparing and enjoy this fabulous fungus !
Here are some recipes and methods for making Chagga tea :
There is a super luscious recipe here on the blog forchaga chai with carob and coconut . And these formula forchaga turmeric milkandchocolate chaga Camellia sinensis lattealso sound amazing !
More Mushroom Foraging Guides
Explore our other mushroom foraging guides so you are prepared for your next expedition into the Grant Wood !
Lucia Hadella is an environmental author from Talent , Oregon . Her pastime admit human - environment interactions , mood change , and resilient futures . Lucia of late graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Natural Resources and an M.A. in Environmental Arts & Humanities and travel to Columbus , OH this wintertime to begin her urban nature escapade ! Find her on Instagram@true_nature_filter .
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