Benefits of Chaga - 10 Chaga Mushroom Benefits for Health

If you are looking for an effective way to help improve your health, look no further than a daily cup of Chaga Mushroom tea

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What is Chaga?

Medicinal mushroom inonotus obliquus is a dark, woody fungus that looks like burnt charcoal. It has a long history of medicinal use, especially in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

It tends to grow on Birch trees in cold climates throughout the north America including:

  • Russia
  • Alaska
  • Northern Europe
  • Northern Canada
  • Certain areas of the northern United States

Trees in cold climates help the mushroom to produce extremely high levels of phytonutrients. This is one of the key ways how the mushroom can offer such a variety of potential health benefits.

Historical use suggests that mushrooms have been used to help prevent and treat a variety of health conditions. Helping to reduce chronic inflammation, boost the immune system, help us to detox and so much more.

Chaga supplements have a wide variety of potential health benefits that help support and improve general health and well-being. Because of this, many consider it one of the most effective natural ways for maintaining good health.

Chaga is Not a Mushroom

Polypore fungi like Inonotus Obliquus are unlike fleshy mushrooms and can be found all year long.

Polypore fungi can be easily distinguished from the other fungi by their hard exterior and "non-mushroom" shape. They typically grow on wood acting as forest decomposers. Helping to recycle nutrients and minerals from dead or dying trees. A process that can often take several hundred years from a single downed tree. 

Wood decaying fungal polypores use two different methods to rot or breakdown their host.  

 white and brown rot fungi

Wood is composed mostly of cellulose (white) and lignin (brown). Cellulose makes up the primary wall of all plant cells. Many plants have a secondary wall of lignin inside the primary one, especially in wood.

Brown rot fungi degrade the white cellulose leaving the brown lignin behind. White rot fungi degrade the lignin and leave the white cellulose behind. Brown rot fungi degrade the primary walls and leaving the secondary lignin behind. Thus brown rotted wood crumbles to dust since there is no primary wall structure left behind. 

The Power of Tree Rot Fungi

White rot fungi leave the cellulose of the primary walls behind. 

It's ability to degrade wood and lignin makes the nutritional value of the host digestible to insects, animals and even humans.

The enzymes of white rot fungi can also degrade toxic waste. Including toxins with the same chemical configuration, such as PCB's and PCP's. Birch fungus It is generally known as non-toxic fungi because of this fact. 

How Chaga Grows

 what is chaga, chaga fungus as it grows inside tree, birch fungus

Birch fungus Inonotus Obliquus penetrates the heart of the host tree to access nutrients.

Once it penetrates the heartwood of the host tree it begins breaking down the tree's naturally occurring cellulose to feed. The digestive process expels massive amounts of nutritional compounds. Which then slowly accumulate and bulge into the tumor like growth known as Chaga.

The outer fungal cell walls are protected by structural polymers known as 'chitin'. In order to access the nutritional compounds within, the harvested fungus first needs to be prepared for extraction.

Chaga Mushroom Tea benefits

The key to healing with mushrooms is proper extraction. Following the correct mushroom dosage and daily long term use; It's quality not quantity that makes medicinal mushrooms effective.  

  • Chaga tea benefits have been known to improve the immune response, lower blood sugar levels and combat abnormal cell growth. 
  • The mushroom is a natural anti inflammatory, relieves pain and purifies the blood and the liver. It has also been used to prevent cancer. 
  • Chaga mushroom inonotus obliquus is a powerful adaptogen for the body helping to aid the immune system's ability to heal.

Here's a helpful guide to the Top 10 chaga mushroom benefits and how it can help optimize your long term health.

Chaga Health Benefits #1 - Helps to Reduce Inflammation 

The mushroom is known to help reduce harmful cytokines which can cause inflammation and lead to disease.

Chaga extract and tea has natural anti inflammatory properties that can help manage arthritic symptoms, help with pain relief and help prevent flare-ups.

It can help slow damage to skin and hair caused by pollution and exposure to the sun. It may help slow physical signs of aging, including wrinkles, gray hair, and sagging skin.

Chaga Mushroom Benefit #2 - Good for Heart Health

It can expand blood vessels and lower a person's blood pressure. This helps to improve circulation, stabilize high blood pressure, prevent blood clotting and heart disease.

This unique mushroom helps to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and increase "good" HDL cholesterol. By managing cholesterol levels, it can benefit heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease.

The mushroom also contains saponins, which may help lower cholesterol and help decrease the risk of cancer.

Chaga Health Benefit #3 - Helps to Regulate Blood Sugar

Studies with diabetic mice suggest that it can help lower high blood sugar and reduce symptoms associated with high blood sugar levels. It has the ability to:

  • Support insulin production in the pancreas
  • Improve cell responsiveness to insulin

The mushroom helps those with type 2 diabetes. It provides them with a better ability to manage their blood sugar levels. 

Chaga Tea Benefit #4 - Helps to Reduce Stress

It also helps the body reduce oxidative stress which is highly beneficial to the immune system. Especially during cold and flu season helping to reduce infections from minor colds.

It is known to boost cell-to-cell communication which optimizes the immune and endocrine systems.

This supports the treatment of autoimmune diseases and protect cells from free radicals.

Chaga Tea Benefit #5 - Helps to Boost Your Immune System

Beta Glucans in the mushroom helps immune system by stimulating white blood cells.

beta glucan

White blood cells help in fighting harmful bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.

Beta glucans can help prevent bad viruses from entering health cells. This shows that chaga mushroom tea can help reduce the symptoms of many diseases such as:

  • Hepatitis C
  • Chronic bronchitis
  • Coughing
  • Asthma
  • Autoimmune Conditions
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Inflammatory digestive disorder

Benefit #6 - Helps to Fight Cancer

The mushroom is rich in Betulinic Acid which is known for its anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties. Helping to slow or prevent tumor growth and may be able to reduce tumor size. 

Betulinic Acid has little to no side effects or toxicity. It helps to induce a process called apoptosis which causes cancer cells to kill themselves

The mushroom supports our ability to help combat free radicals. This may also prevent the onset of cancer, slow cancer cells growth, and slow tumor growth.

The mushroom cannot replace traditional cancer treatments. But rather, it has risen in popularity as a complementary cancer treatment and to help prevent certain cancers like colon cancer.

Chaga Tea Benefit #7 - Good For Your Gut

Drinking chaga tea can help boost intestinal health in a variety of ways. The mushroom is believed to improve intestinal health, fight bacteria and viruses and support the digestive organs. 

The mushroom helps to protect the liver and kidney from damage and disease caused by a buildup of toxins. It can also help remove certain types of parasites from the body. 

Benefit #8 - Nature's Vitamin Supplement

Overall mushrooms are good for you because they are a source of vitamin and minerals that are beneficial to general health. 

  • Copper
  • Selenium
  • Zinc
  • Manganese
  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
  • Calcium
  • Chloride
  • Sodium
  • Phosphorus
  • Amino acids
  • B-complex vitamins, including Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin
  • Vitamin D2

Studies showed that the compounds found in the mushroom can provide a natural boost of energy that lasts throughout the day.

Mushrooms Are Rich In Vitamin D

Simply eating mushrooms, including the grocery store variety like white button mushrooms, portobello mushroom, or shiitake mushrooms have health benefits.

It also contains plant-based steroids which help manage allergies, herpes, lupus, and psoriasis symptoms.

Benefit #9 - Helps to Detox and Protect Cells

They have the highest known source of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). An enzyme that supports general health and encourages a long, vigorous life by maintaining the integrity of cellular DNA.

benefits of chaga anti-inflammatory

SOD can also slow the decay of healthy cells.

SOD helps prevent conditions such as:

  • Lou Gehrig's Disease
  • Alzheimer's
  • Arthritis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

It also helps to benefit SOD levels which can help prevent such afflictions from flaring and possibly reverse them.

To help maintain good health, we should try to consume chaga mushroom and other foods that are rich in SOD. A few natural sources of SOD are green peas, cabbage, dark leafy greens, nutritional yeast, wheat grass, and wheat germ.

SOD in Mushrooms per gram

  • Inonotus obliquus 35,000 units/g
  • Lingzhi / Reishi 1,400 units/g
  • Truffles 860 units/g
  • Agaricus 1,500 units/g
  • Phellinus Linteus 1,400 units/g
  • Grifola Frondosa 1,400 units/g

Medicinal mushrooms like Maitake and Reishi are also high in SOD with 4200 enzyme units per 3g serving.

It has 24x more SOD levels with 105,000 units, by far the highest levels of SOD yet discovered. 

Mushroom Skin Care 

The multitude of Chaga mushroom benefits has made it popular for improving overall health and treating illnesses. With so many benefits, it's not surprising that this amazing mushroom can improve skin health as well.

Here is a complete guide about mushroom skin benefits.

chaga skin care, chaga skin benefits

Chaga Mushrooms Benefit #10 - Helps to Improve Mood and Sleep

It helps to boost your mood in a variety of ways:

  • Helps you to cope with stress
  • Helps with Adrenal burnout
  • Helps with Depression.

The mushroom can reduce levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Studies show that it can also boost the levels of estrogen based  serotonin receptors found in the brain which can improve one's mood.

The mushrooms ability to stimulate the endocrine system boosts melatonin levels, a hormone known to improve a person's ability to sleep.  

Chaga Tea Benefits List 

  • High source of SOD
  • 215 + phyto nutrients
  • Contains B and D vitamins
  • Anti inflammatory
  • Anti Aging
  • Helps keep the body alkaline 
  • Rich source of minerals 
  • Aids adrenal glands
  • Aids the digestive organs
  • Supports cognitive function and memory 
  • Helps lower bad cholesterol
  • Helps to stabilize blood pressure
  • Helps to boost energy
  • Boosts estrogen levels
  • Helps the endocrine system
  • Known to shrink tumors 

Chaga Mushroom Research |  Chaga Studies 

Dr. Otto Warburg discovered the Cause of Cancer back in 1931. Discover the truth about the cause and cure of cancer.

New Cancer Fungotherapy - Supporting Cancer Treatment with inonotus obliquus polysaccharide 

Chaga Mushroom treatment of Skin Cancer (Actinic Keratosis) - Annanda Organics case study

Wild Chaga Mushroom A Medical Marvel - Nature's natural antioxidant, anti diabetic, anti inflammatory and anti-cancer wonder of the 21st Century.

The Inside Scoop on Chaga Mushrooms - Why these medicinal mushrooms are a must

Tips on How To Make to Chaga Tea 

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Improve Your Health With Chaga Tea 

Chaga supplements are a safe, convenient, and effective way to boost your overall health with no side effects.

It can help manage and help prevent a wide variety of conditions. Plus, it is highly nutritional, high in antioxidants, improves sleep quality and can help to improve your mood.  Chaga tea benefits can also been amplified when combined with other herbal tea.

How much chaga tea per day?

Limit your consumption of chaga tea to 2 cups per day.

Chaga mushroom powder taken directly as food is recommended at 3.6g per day. See our complete chaga dosage guide for more information and see medical advice prior to using mushrooms special health conditions.

Two dropper pulls of Annanda chaga mushroom extract can be taken daily.

chaga dosage, chaga warnings

*Statements made have not been rated by the food and drug administration and are not intended to diagnose treat cure or prevent any disease.  

Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, treating any serious disease or illness or taking blood thinning medications.