Posted on 07/04/2021 9:57:27 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Humans have used chaga for thousands of years. But its popularity is shining new light on forest medicinals.
Black Gold. The Diamond of the Forest. The Mushroom of Immortality. Hearing the chaga fungus referred to by its many nicknames, it's easy to imagine sparkling gemstones and tendrils of precious metals hanging from trees. Instead, chaga protrudes parasitically on the trunk of the boreal birch; bulbous, black and more reminiscent of bark than fungi.
But a fungus it is. And a powerful – or at the very least, powerfully popular – one at that. While people in Russia and parts of Asia have been utilising it for thousands of years as a remedy for scores of ailments, chaga has only recently started growing in popularity in more western cultures. Perhaps nowhere more prominently than in Alaska, where the culture of foraging for food and medicine alike is strong. If the hype is to be believed, chaga, especially Alaskan chaga, may be the most potent medicine the forest has to offer.
I didn't yet know any of this as I let Callen Troy Christensen, CEO of Fairbanks' Chaga Co-operative, pour me a small cup of chaga tea the colour of weak coffee at a farmers market in Fairbanks, Alaska. I approached the table, intrigued by its wooden bowls piled high with grey and brown, delicate and dense, rippled and smooth mushrooms and fungi. At the far end I spotted an unfamiliar mound of lumpy and irregular black and orange nuggets labelled "Chaga". I asked about them, and as I sipped the earthy-sweet, almost coffee-like substance he had carefully prepared just for curious passersby like me, Christensen told me the story of Alaskan chaga.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Croutons…..
Some of em overcooked…..
I only read this because I thought it said, “the mushroom of IMMORTALITY”.
There’s a YouTuber by the name of ‘The Outsider’ who lives in the northern part of Ontario, Canada. He had part of one of his videos that highlighted chaga harvesting up where he lives. I’d never heard of it before about a week ago when I saw the video.
He also touted the health benefits of chaga, mentioning its coffee-like look and flavor.
It does.
“He also touted the health benefits of chaga”
Although studies are still in the early stages, there is evidence that one of its chief constituents, betulinic acid, and some of its phytosterols can directly eliminate cancer cells; the specific cause of this action is yet unknown. Furthermore, chaga is known to help stimulate immune function, promoting a stronger defense against cancer and helping the body to fight back.
Chaga tea can also benefit cancer patients in another way by helping to limit the uncomfortable side effects of many common cancer treatments. Its immune-building effects are critical for those undergoing cancer treatment that weakens the immune system, thus reducing the likelihood of an infection developing. Chaga mushroom tea can also help to promote healthy digestion, and may ease some of the nausea and lack of appetite resulting from these medications. Most importantly, chaga tea may even help to prevent the cancer cells from metastasizing, traveling through the bloodstream to start a tumor in another area of the body. Although there is still much research to be done into the full benefits of chaga tea, the potential that has been shown in studies today makes this tea a worthwhile investment for those suffering from cancer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtRW2k_Xa7k
Above is Les Stroud’s “Wild Harvest”. Combines his knowledge of wild plants with some top chef that cooks them up. In the above episode they include Chaga in the menu.
Dang it! I meant to type “immorality”.
They do write nice general interest articles, but not once is the name of the fungus given, Inonotus obliquus.
The fruiting body is not really a "mushroom," but a sclerotium of a basidiomycete. One Russian thinks it could be used against Covid:
https://www.rt.com/russia/506455-mushroom-anti-covid19-properties/
This is the ol’ Bait and Switch unless my eyes are going.
Interesting. I’m from Alaska and I’ve never heard of the stuff.
“Although studies are still in the early stages, there is evidence that one of its chief constituents, betulinic acid, and some of its phytosterols can directly eliminate cancer cells;”
The FDA is going to ban it immediately. As soon as the lobbyists checks clear.
The stuff is available on Amazon/
Happy Independence Day!
The Wild Harvest show was fun to watch!!
Thanks for posting
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