The Popularity Of Chaga Mushroom

There have been a lot of news lately about the irregularly shaped mushroom that goes by the name of Chaga. These cannot be simply compared to other fungi of its kind, due to the fact that Chaga mushrooms are in a totally different league. Although there are some that are often used as ingredients when it comes to cooking, these are widely utilized as alternative medicine. However, these cannot be simply found anywhere because these can be seen growing in the coldest regions of the earth. These are often found growing on birch trees found in Russia and the rest of Northern Europe.

Way before it made its presence known in the west, this fungus was widely utilized in Russia, Siberia, and the rest of Northern Europe as an all-natural health elixir. It is often ingested in its tea form in order to boost the immune system and fight off viral infections. In addition to that, this is also known to fight off certain kinds of cancer and stop the growth of tumors.

Aside from the fact that these grow on birches and suck out all of its nutrients, these can be easily distinguished from the rest of its brethren. These are black and charcoal like in appearance. In addition to that, it feels like a cork to the touch, while its insides are comparable to rusted iron. Since this is a fungus, it is basically a parasite because as mentioned earlier, it lives off birches and drains it all of its nutrients until it dies.

This only gained popularity in the West when book author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn published his book, "Cancer Ward." In the story, the protagonist has cancer and was cured of the disease by ingesting the said fungus. It is believed that this story was a real-life account of the author himself, because he too suffered from the dreaded disease and was cured after drinking Chaga tea. Thanks to Solzhenitsyn’s book, the Westerners opened their eyes to the numerous medicinal benefits that is found in these fungi.

Various studies and researches have been made concerning the benefits and advantages when this is ingested. It was then found by Russian and Finnish scientists that it can fight off cancer that is found in the liver, uterus, and breast. In addition to that, it was later discovered that it inhibits any further tumor growth. Since it is very rich in anti-oxidants, these can be taken regularly in moderate doses, and the cells that are infused with its extracts become more resistant to damages that can be brought about by free radicals.