Things To Know About Chaga And Chaga Mushroom

You will be pleasantly surprised to know that some of the deadly diseases of the past and the present are phenomenally deficient of some important nutrients. For instance, scurvy that once was rampant among the fishermen and took their lives was actually caused by the deficiency of the ascorbic acid. Similarly, it is being said that cancer isn’t a disease; but rather an acute deficiency of vitamin B17 (also known as amygdalin or laetrile) and, therefore, it is curable naturally without going through the costly and hazardous doses of chemo.

In short, natural remedies to human diseases lie within the ambit of human reach and only knowledge can help a person better. Chaga and Chaga mushroom too come with some unique food values that can effectively help you stay fit and fine over the years.

What is Chaga?       

Chaga is a mushroom with a difference from white mushrooms that are mainly produced in Asian countries. Chaga or Chaga mushroom, as it is popularly called, in essence, is a dense black mass of mycelia that grows on birch trees and roughly attains a size of 10 – 15 inches. Chaga and Chaga mushroom, as you love to call it, is found on birch trees aged 40 years and above. Chaga mushroom is black and hard with cracks from the outside, but brown and soft inside.

However, Chaga mushroom is a fungal infection on the birch trees though it can be harvested as well till a tree dies. The average growth period of Chaga mushroom is between 3 – 10 years and owes its origin to the colder climates of the Northern Hemisphere. One can thus find Chaga mushrooms in countries like Russia, Canada, Finland, Northern Europe, and China.   

Benefits of Chaga mushroom:

• • Improved immune system: Chaga mushrooms are rich in antioxidants such as beta-D-glucans, polysaccharides, sterols, and polyphenols. These mushrooms have Beta-D-Glucans in abundance that balance the human immune system by activating or lowering (in case it is overactive) the immune system according to the need of the human body.      

• • Anticancer properties: Chaga is also known to activate immune cells fighting cancer though further research is going on its scalability to contain and cure the disease. The betulinic acid found in Chaga mushrooms causes tumours to shrink. Chaga mushrooms, therefore, support the chemotherapy.   

• • Soothing agent: On consumption of Chaga mushrooms, you can get relief from a couple of annoying and painful diseases. For instance, it helps to integrate blood vessels and soothes you at the time of irritation. In fact, patients suffering from pains, diabetics, and nerve-related issues get relieved after regular consumption of Chaga mushrooms.  

• BP and cholesterol control: Among many other benefits, studies have shown that the presence of betulinic acid in Chaga mushrooms breaks LDL cholesterol and thus, it helps to control BP.

Chaga mushrooms have a lot of medicinal value that can help people cure many diseases. Hence, they deserve to be considered as one of the superfoods of the human race.