Chaga - Inonotus Obliquus

Contents: 50 grams

Description: Inonotus obliquus, commonly known as chaga mushroom, is a fungus in Hymenochaetaceae family. It is parasitic on birch and other trees. The sterile conk is irregularly formed and has the appearance of burnt charcoal. It is not the fruiting body of the fungus, but a mass of mycelium, mostly black due to the presence of massive amounts of melanin.

The Chaga mushroom is considered a medicinal mushroom in Russian and Eastern European folk medicine and research on its medicinal potential is ongoing.

Chaga has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine and has great popularity in Russia and throughout eastern Europe.

It’s health benefits have undergone research by western medicine, with astonishing results. Here are some of the benefits:
-anti-inflammatory
-antioxidant
-immune booster
-balances blood sugar
-high amounts of melanin
-rich in betulic acid

Usage: Chaga can be used in several ways. It’s beneficial compounds need to be extracted in order to be digested. A heat extraction is the most common way of extracting the beneficial compounds. To do this, add 5 – 7 grams of chopped pieces of Chaga to a liter of hot water and cook it for 30 – 40 minutes. Sift it and the Chaga tea will be ready for consumption.
A small piece (3 – 5 grams) can also be used in consecutive extractions, which is more suitable for daily consumption. To do so, pour hot water over a tea egg filled with Chaga. Let the tea egg sit for 10 minutes and take it out. Let the Chaga dry in a bowl, to make use of it another day.

An ethanol extraction is another method, which will extract a lot of the rest compounds that have been left after the heat (water) extractions.