Chaga (aka Shaman Tea)

Chaga mushrooms have been used for centuries in Siberia and other parts of Asia as a medicine to boost immunity and improve overall health.  It resembles burnt charcoal when on the tree and is gaining popularity in the Western world for its potential health benefits when used to make Chaga Tea.

The Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a type of fungus that grows mainly on the bark of birch trees in cold climates, such as Northern Europe, Siberia, Russia, Korea, Canada, northern US and Alaska.  For centuries, chaga has been used as a traditional medicine in Russia and other Northern European countries, mainly to boost immunity and overall health.

NOTE: Recently there has been intense interest in Chaga’s anti-carcinogenic* properties by the major pharmaceutical companies.

The Top Benefits Of Drinking Chaga Tea:

• Supports your immune system
• Chaga helps regulate bad cholesterol levels
• Its powerful antioxidant compounds help neutralize the damage done by free radicals
• Chaga helps in slowing down the aging process
• Natural Chaga chunks assist in improving intestinal health and boosting digestion
• A cup of Chaga-infused tea can help you relax, unwind and relieve all the stress of long day
• Chaga is rich in Vitamins B, D and essential minerals such as Zinc, Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Manganese
• To maintain a healthy immune system drink one 8oz, cup per day.  Do not exceed 3 cups per day until you determine how your body reacts to this medicinal mushroom.

Details and History
Long utilized by native populations for its various healthful properties, Inonotus obliquus, or chaga, is a mass of mycelium or sclerotium resembling burnt charcoal. The sterile conk grows primarily on birch trees and other hardwoods in forests throughout the northern hemisphere. Our organic chaga mushrooms can be decocted into chaga tea and incorporated into broths and soups.

The antioxidant activity of polysaccharides (beta-glucans) contained in chaga help maintain cell integrity and fight free radicals. Chaga is used in traditional Russian Folk Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine to support gastrointestinal health, and as a tonic to support overall health.*

Chaga is a fungus, a parasitic carpophore that looks like the charred remains of burned wood on the side of a birch tree (sometimes growing on Elm and Alder, but Birch is its favorite). It is not the fruiting body of the fungus, but a sclerotia or mass of mycelium. The parasite enters the tree through a ‘wound’ in the bark of a mature tree. It then grows under the bark until it erupts in a deeply cracked, black charcoal like extension. It usually takes another 5-7 years for it to fully mature, at which point it falls to the forest floor, most times killing the host tree in the process. Chaga has been a part of folk medicine in Russia, Poland, China and numerous Baltic countries for many centuries. It was documented by Chinese herbalist Shen Nong in his herbal texts as early as the first century B.C.E.

Chaga supports immune health to help you stay feeling your best and supports the body’s immune defenses to stay feeling healthy.*

Chaga is typically and historically ingested as a tea, but it also has been made into a tincture, and less commonly into powder that is then used as a tea; Encapsulation seems to be rare. There have been reports of it being the base for liqueurs and as a substitute for hops in beer. In Russia, it can be found as a syrup, a tablet, an aerosol, and even as a suppository. If you are using the cut chaga for the purpose of making a tea, you can re-brew your material a second time without loss to flavor or potency. Our chaga includes the entire sclerotia.

Precautions
No known precautions. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.

Price:
$13.95 for 3.52 oz (100 grams)
$$24.95 for 7 oz. (200 grams)
$48.00 for 14 oz (400 grams)

How To Make Chaga Tea

Brewing chaga tea at home couldn’t be easier. Regardless of which method you choose to follow, the key is low and slow. Especially if you are looking to extract as much of the medicinal properties as possible, it’s important not to boil the tea, and instead simmer it (80C or 176F) for a minimum of 15 minutes.

The nutrients inside of chaga are protected by an extremely durable material called chitin. Because of this chaga tea needs to be brewed for extended periods of time, much longer then regular teas to unlock all it’s health benefits. The larger the chunks of chaga used the longer the tea needs to be brewed.

Stove Top Tea

If brewing chaga tea on the stove top using a pot, it’s best to use larger chunked chaga and not a fine grind, as you can more easily remove the solid pieces prior to drinking the tea. The upside to using larger chunks is that you can re-use the chaga until the tea no longer becomes a dark brown color. Simply pop used chunks of chaga into a small baggy, and pop them in the freezer. until you need them again for your ned pot of tea.

Place chaga chunks into pot

1. Select 4 to 5 individual chaga chunks to add to a pot filled with 4 cups (1 litre) of water, 4 to 5 chunks of chaga should be enough for making chaga tea
   

   Chaga simmering

2. Slowly bring the pot to a simmer, and simmer the tea for a minimum of 15 minutes.
   If brewing large batches of tea, simmer the pot for 2 to 3 hours.Ray’s Alternate Method – A friend of mine in Maine just keeps a kettle on the wood stove all winter long and simply adds water to the kettle when it gets low and changes out the chaga chunks about every 2 weeks.  Whenever he wants a cup he just pours it from the kettle!
   

   Ready to drink!

3. When the tea turns the water a dark yellow color it is done and ready to drink. Strain the chaga chunks from the tea, and serve the tea hot immediately. It may be sweetened with honey, maple syrup (remember processed white sugar is not the best thing health-wise). Even milk can be added to the chaga tea to substitute your morning coffee. or any other sweetener you prefer.  Any that is left over can be refrigerated, drank cold or reheated but should be consumed within 7 days.

Note:  The chaga chunks can be reused many, many times until the color of the tea you are making fades to a very light yellow color

Individual Cup

You can alternatively brew single cups or small pots of chaga tea by using a finer ‘grind’ of chaga.

1. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of ground chaga powder per 1 cup (8oz) of water to a tea bag/ball.
2. Boil the water, and pour directly over the ground chaga, and into the cup or pot.
3. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the tea bag/ball, or steeper, and serve the tea hot.
4. The tea may be sweetened with honey, maple syrup,. Even milk can be added to the chaga tea to substitute your morning coffee.

Note:  The chaga in you tea bag or tea ball can be reused many, many times until the color of the tea you are making fades to a very light yellow color

*Chaga Mushroom contains large amounts of betulinic acid (now being studied for use as a chemotherapy agent) in a form that can be ingested orally, as well as the full spectrum of immune-stimulating phytochemicals found in other medicinal mushrooms such as maitake mushroom and shiitake mushroom. Raw Chaga Mushroom is a wonderful source of Melanin supporting youthful looks and vibrant skin. The Chaga Mushroom is known for its wonderful antioxidant properties and supporting a healthy inflammation response.