Chaga is rich in antioxidants and supports immune function, liver health, brain health, and increases longevity. It is also known for its ability to boost digestion and clear skin. Chaga or Inonotus obliquus, commonly called a mushroom, is actually a highly prized sclerotium or woody cancer that grows in the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere on birch trees. Early medicinal uses seem to have come out of Russia around the 16th century when it was used as a tea to treat stomach ailments*. After 1966, Chaga gained visibility after its healing powers were written about in the book Cancer Ward by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. As Chaga grows primarily on birch trees and a large portion of the sclerotium itself is actually wood fiber and not mycelium, many medicinal compounds from the birch tree such as betulin and betulinic acid are found in the sclerotic. The black outer layer of the cancer contains large amounts of melanin which can be beneficial for our skin. Until recently, Chaga could not be cultivated, but now in Finland, they inoculate birch trees with this fungus. Lab-grown Chaga does not develop into a sclerotium and as it does not grow on birch but on grain, it does not contain the important medicinal compounds that come from the birch tree. Real Mushroom Siberian Chaga Extract is wild-harvested in Russia and tested by third-party labs for the active compounds beta-D-glucans which are the quintessential nutrients for the immune system.
