Who would have thought you can make tea/coffee out of a mushroom? We’ll be looking at 5 benefits of Chaga mushrooms.
What is a Chaga Mushroom?
Medical news today describes a Chaga mushroom as the following
” The Chaga mushroom grows on birch trees throughout the northern hemisphere. It resembles a dark clump of dirt more than a mushroom, but is distinguished from other growths by its orange tissue.”
The Chaga Mushroom was used as far back as World War 2 as a coffee substitute. The Chaga mushroom feeds of a trees nutrition decaying the tree for many years.
What does a Chaga mushroom look like?
A Chaga mushroom has a charcoal exterior and a golden brown interior a bit like the inside of a cork. The Chaga mushroom can grow on other trees not only the Birchtree.
The appearance of Chaga can differ depending on the tree it grows on.
5 Benefits of Chaga Mushrooms
1.Has been found to prevent herpes
An article from 2014 written by the academy of science in Ukraine stats that a number of mushroom species can act as a drug, as they host a number of antiviral properties that act against viruses.
There are also many studies that prove aqueous extract from the Chaga mushroom can prevent the entry of HSV-1.
2. Can prevent liver damage
A 2017 study states that Vitamin D enriched mushrooms if consumed orally for 25 weeks can have benefits on your immune system and liver functions. It has also historically been proven to be insulin resistant.
They’ve found that Vitamin D enriched extracts can significantly reduce the rate of body fat accumulation and decrease the amount of hepatic fat into the body.
3. Potent immunomodulator
Chemotherapy and radiography can cause conditions such as anaemia, thrombocytopenia and lymphocytopenia.
This results in the damage of bone marrow through the chemicals induced into them causing infections.
This has resulted in a number of deaths over the years. The great benefit of Chaga mushroom is the fact it acts as an immunomodulator.
According to the 2012 article. Changa mushrooms immune-modulating properties and antioxidants can prevent cell damage. The adaptogens slowly support the body’s system over time and may take as long as 2 months to heal.
4. Anti-cancer properties
There have been a number of studies about the anti-cancer properties of Chaga mushrooms. All the studies I’ve come across promote Chaga mushrooms as having anti-cancer properties.
Over time many medics have travelled to Siberia to conduct research.
The Medics had noticed that no cancer patient within the country was admitted to the hospital.
They realised that by drinking Chaga tea regularly they managed to cure themselves of cancer.
This was first noticed when they found out that Russian peasants were using Chaga mushrooms to brew coffee in order to save money.
5. Prevention of oxidative DNA damage
Chaga mushrooms are known for their antioxidant properties.
A 2004 study shows that the effect of aqueous Chaga mushroom extracts can protect against the damage of DNA lymphocytes. In the study, cells were heated at a number of temperatures.
The most effective was for 1hr at 37 degrees C.
This showed a 40% reduction in the DNA fragmentation compared with positive control.
This concluded that Chaga mushrooms protect against H202 which is the main cause of DNA damage.