Health Benefits of Chaga Mushroom

Chaga is a medicinal mushroom (fungus) that grows on birch trees in cold regions like Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada, northern Europe and Russia. Chaga has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine for centuries. Chaga mushrooms are a source of 200 + phytonutrients with potent effects on health and also contain an array of minerals. Mushrooms have recently gained more popularity and there is a valid reason why. Below are some health benefits Chaga offers

1. Lowers cholesterol – Chaga contains a compound known as Betualin. It is helpful for lowering cholesterol and aids in blood sugar management by increasing insulin sensitivity.

2. Antioxidants - (Inflammation, oxidative stress, detox) – Chaga is one of the highest know sources of antioxidants. It contains an ORAC score of up to 146,700 μ mol TE/100g. However, the antioxidant value of fungus can greatly vary depending on the source. Chaga poses anti-inflammatory effects due the high level of these antioxidants present. Antioxidants work to combat free radicals by donating an electron to them to make them more stable. In doing so, they work to prevent cellular damage that may be caused by free radical damage. Chaga also contains 50x more Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) when compared to other medicinal mushrooms. SOD is an enzyme that breaks down harmful, reactive oxygen molecules. This is an important process in detoxification and is helpful in protecting the liver as it works.

3. Immune Boosting - Chaga mushrooms are known to improve and support the immune system. Chaga has been shown to increase production of beneficial cytokines, proteins that have a regulatory role on the immune system. Chaga can stimulate leukocytes (White blood cells) production. These cells act as a line of defence toward foreign pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. In addition, Chaga is antibacterial and antiviral helpful for combating a cold or flu.

4. Cancer Fighting – The antioxidants help prevent cellular damage and genetic mutations that can induce cancer in otherwise healthy individuals. It can also repair DNA damage that is caused by carcinogens such as smoking and other toxic chemical exposures. Chaga is helpful in aiding detoxification of carcinogens through activating Cytochrome P450 and Phase II conjugation pathway enzymes. Another significant compound worth noting is Betulinc acid, which has been studied for its effect on inducing cancer cell apoptosis (cell death). It possesses anti-tumor effects and is being further studied as a natural cancer therapy treatment.

5. Stress Support – Chaga is known as an adaptogenic mushroom due to its ability to help the body cope and respond to various stressors. It can do so by helping support the adrenals.

To fully extract the medicinal benefits from this incredible mushroom, the tea must be steeped for a minimum of 1 hour. (I like to do it over night.) This is due to the presence of a compound chitin found in the cell wall of plants. This compound is indigestible to humans because we lack the enzyme chitinase, which is necessary for breaking down this cell wall. The breakdown of this cell wall is critical to access the bioactive compounds that offer us health benefits (as listed above).

References

Arata, S., Watanabe, J., Maeda, M., Yamamoto, M., Matsuhashi, H., Mochizuki, M., … Inagaki, M. (2016). Continuous intake of the Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) aqueous extract suppresses cancer progression and maintains body temperature in mice. Heliyon, 2(5), e00111. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2016.e00111

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't: Brunswick Laboratories Test Report for Oriveda Chaga Extract Powder June 2011

Fulda, S. (2008). Betulinic Acid for Cancer Treatment and Prevention. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 9(6), 1096–1107. doi:10.3390/ijms9061096

Kim Y. R. (2005). Immunomodulatory Activity of the Water Extract from Medicinal Mushroom Inonotus obliquus. Mycobiology, 33(3), 158–162. doi:10.4489/MYCO.2005.33.3.158