Your Cart is Empty
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS $75+
Chaga isn’t just the trendy wellness beverage you’re seeing advertised at high-end cafes. It’s a natural remedy that’s been used by ancient cultures for decades to potentially boost immunity, improve digestion, and improve overall health. But what is Chaga? Where does it come from? And how do you use it?
If you’re asking these questions, you’re probably ready to learn about Chaga’s benefits and how you can use it in your daily wellness routine. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the research available to support Chaga’s potential benefits and given some tips on how to use it to your advantage. Let’s jump in:
Table of Contents
About Chaga
Chaga Benefits
Chaga Research
How to Use Chaga
Chaga Safety
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
The Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) mushroom has undoubtedly gained a reputation for its health enhancing benefits, and you can find it in various preparations ranging from capsules to tea. It’s nothing new, either, since Chaga has been used in ancient medicine for thousands of years.
The Chaga mushroom grows in cool climates, such as Siberia, Russia, Korea, Northern Canada, and Alaska. You’ll find it growing on the bark of birch trees, and the raw mushroom appears as a bulky, woody growth that has a soft center. Chaga is not safe to consume in its raw form, and instead needs to be carefully cleaned, processed, and usually dried before consumption.
Traditionally, Chaga has been used to boost immunity and manage conditions like diabetes and heart disease, although modern research has only recently explored these uses. Still, you won’t find much argument against Chaga’s powerful potential as a functional mushroom. Here’s how to unlock its benefits:
Modern research has explored a number of Chaga’s potential benefits, but before we dive into the evidence, let’s talk about the components of the Chaga mushroom and how they may benefit overall health.
Like all mushrooms, Chaga contains a bountiful supply of polysaccharides, or complex carbohydrates that provide the body with energy. Additionally, Chaga is known to be a powerful source of antioxidants that can help prevent free radical damage within the body. Other nutritional and biological factors may include:
Let’s break a couple of those down:
Beta-glucans are a type of polysaccharide that are much more bioactive than other carbohydrate. Because they are bioactive, they are often linked to the positive health effects of many mushrooms.
Like other mushrooms, Maitake also contains many different terpenoids, a modified classification of terpenes. These are lipids that are believed to give various mushrooms their immunomodulatory benefits.
Although Chaga’s use as a medicine dates back to some ancient Siberian cultures, modern research has just recently begun to delve into its true medicinal potential. There’s still more research to be done, but here are some potential Chaga benefits that have been researched:
A 2005 study found that Chaga may stimulate the production of beneficial cytokines, a protein that regulates immune function. In turn, this could stimulate the white blood cell response to improve the body’s ability to fight off harmful viruses and bacteria.
On the other hand, the same study found that Chaga may also be able to prevent the production of harmful cytokines, which may help prevent inflammation triggered by bacteria and viruses.
A 2012 study confirmed these results when it found that Chaga extract could reduce gut inflammation by inhibiting non-beneficial cytokine production.
In vitro and animal studies have shown some promising results when using Chaga to prevent or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. One animal study found that Chaga supplementation reduced tumor size by 60%.
Another study found that Chaga tea could prevent and slow the proliferation of human colon cancer cells.
In a test-tube study, chaga extract prevented the growth of cancer in human liver cells. Other studies have observed similar results when using Chaga to combat the cells of liver, lung and breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
Although there are thought to be other beneficial reactions at play, Chaga’s promising cancer-inhibiting properties are most often linked to it’s high antioxidant content. Specifically, Chaga contains large amounts of triterpene, an antioxidant that’s tough to help kill cancer cells. In general, antioxidants help protect the body from free radical damage, which is overall beneficial for tissues, organs, immune functions, skin health, and more.
Multiple animal studies have investigated Chaga’s impact on blood sugar, and all have confirmed that Chaga supplementation may help to lower blood sugar. One study looked at the impact of Chaga on mice with Type 2 diabetes and bound the mice to have lower blood sugar levels and lower weight after four weeks of use.
Another study found that Chaga supplementation reduced blood sugar by 31 % on average after only three weeks of use. Studies from 2006, 2014, and 2017 all confirmed similar effects.
Although this evidence is promising, more human trials are necessary to understand whether Chaga can have a positive impact on Diabetes and blood sugar levels in humans.
Chaga extract could also help to manage Cholesterol level to benefit heart health, although evidence is currently limited. One study found that Chaga extract reduced the levels of bad cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in rats while simultaneously boosting antioxidant levels. A 2008 study and a 2017 study observed similar results, but also found that Chaga may increase levels of good cholesterol as well.
Chaga is an essential part of many people’s wellness routines, but you need to know how to use Chaga correctly before you can reap its many benefits. If you’re looking to add Chaga supplements to your daily routine, here’s what you need to consider first:
The quality of your wellness supplements is incredibly important, especially since supplements are not regulated the same way as prescription medications. Ensure that the Chaga supplement you buy comes from a trustworthy manufacturer, specifically that uses a third-party testing process to ensure quality. You may also look for a company that is experienced with wellness supplements and uses a cGMP compliant manufacturing facility.
You can take Chaga at different points during the day depending on how you intend to use it. Some people drink Chaga tea before bed and claim that it improved the quality of their sleep, although this has not been substantiated through research.
If you’re looking to reap the general wellness benefits of Chaga, though, it’s best to add it to your morning routine and ensure that you take a dose every day. It may take several days or up to two weeks to experience the full benefits of Chaga supplementation, so taking it irregularly is not as beneficial.
Read "When is the Best Time to Take Chaga?" to learn more.
Unlike some functional mushrooms, Chaga is not usually dosed by the milligram. In most cases, you’ll find chaga in a whole powdered form, meaning the entire mushroom is dried and powdered into a formulation that can be used to make tea or other beverages. People may use up to a gram of chaga to brew a cup of tea and may drink 1-3 cups of the tea a day.
Read "Chaga Dosage" to learn more.
Chaga is a woody, bitter mushroom that is not eaten raw. Instead, it needs to be carefully cleaned to remove debris and dirt. Then, it’s usually dried and ground into a powder that can be mixed into beverages or encapsulated.
In some cases, you may find Chaga extract, which usually means that the Chaga material is refined to concentrate the beta-glucan content. Mushroom extract coffee and other supplements that contains at least 20% beta glucans or more are associated with the greatest therapeutic benefits.
In the research available, Chaga is generally well-tolerated by both humans and animals. Still, no research exists to specifically assess the safety or dosage threshold for Chaga, so it’s important to use Chaga responsibly. That means starting with low doses to see how Chaga affects you.
Chaga can interact with some medications, so you should always talk to your doctor before using Chaga if you suffer from a diagnosed health condition or take regular medications. For instance, Chaga could have a negative impact on those who take insulin because it can also lower blood sugar.
Chaga may also thin the blood, so it shouldn’t be used by anyone with a bleeding disorder or who takes blood thinning medications without first consulting a doctor. You should also avoid Chaga before surgery for the same reason.
The primary concern for Chaga consumers should be the quality of the products they choose. Chaga, on its own, is likely safe for most people, but low-quality formulas could contain other ingredients that pose a higher risk. Sourcing Chaga from a high-quality manufacturer can help reduce that risk.
Read "Chaga Side Effects" to learn more.
Chaga is widely renowned for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-boosting potential. Research is still exploring all of the potential uses of Chaga supplementation, but many people claim that it’s useful for promoting digestive health and supporting general wellness through it’s immune-enhancing properties.
In raw form, Chaga is bitter and earthy and generally considered inedible. The powder is also slightly earthy and bitter, but with a milder flavor that works well as a robust beverage, like coffee or tea. Some people add cream, sweetener, or other flavors to their Chaga-infused beverages.
Yes, and it’s recommended that you do in order to reap the most benefit from your Chaga supplementation. Generally, you should start with only one cup of chaga per day, though some people choose to increase that amount over time. It’s recommended to drink no more than 3 cups of Chaga tea daily because it may cause stomach irritation in very large doses.
Some people experience benefits after using Chaga only once, but most people will begin to feel the full benefits of Chaga after 2-3 weeks of regular doses.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
