Chaga grows as a black cankerous mass on birch, dead or living. It may rarely be found on beech, elm, ash or hornbeam as well.
In Europe and Asia, chaga has been used for centuries to treat cancers of the heart and liver, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis. [121]
The black "skin" was removed and the lighter inside boiled as tea. Being such a compact natural medicine made it a valuable, portable remedy for healers of old.
Today's scientific focus on chaga extract is primarily as an anti-tumor remedy. In fact, it was approved in Russia as a cancer drug already in 1955, successfully used to treat cancers of the stomach, lungs, breasts and cervix. [122]
One modern study from 1998 showed that chaga extract did in fact inhibit growth of cervical cancer cell lines under lab conditions. [123] Another study from 1995 reported that an isolate of the active compound betulin first inhibited growth of melanoma cells in a lab, and then killed them. [124, 25]
Additional research has shown cancer cell division to be decreased by some of the active compounds of the chaga mushroom. [125, 126]
The black color of chaga is caused by betulin, a medicinally active compound that makes up 30% of the skin. [127] The lighter inside of the mushroom is rich in fungal lanostanes. So chaga tea may be more effective if made with the whole mushroom, including the skin.
Better yet are chaga extracts made with both the mycelium ("root") and the whole mushroom fruit body. The mycelium is richer in medicinally active proteins than the mushroom itself.
Other researchers have found chaga extract to be potently anti-viral. Two studies in 1996 found it to have an inhibitory effect on both influenza [127] and HIV. [128] Perhaps it does so by helping to stimulate the body's natural immune functions, something that was first confirmed in 2002 and then again in 2005, [25, 129] and which may also help explain the historical use of chaga mushroom as an anti-inflammatory. [130]
An alcohol extraction of chaga was reported to lower elevated blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also contains powerful antioxidants. [132, 133]
As an interesting aside unrelated to human health, a Quebec arborist uses a chaga poultice to cure chestnut blight. The trees later even become immune to the blight and resistant to future infections. [134]
Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any herb (or mushroom) except as advised by a licensed medical practitioner.
Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.
Dr. Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in the mid-90's. He currently specializes in medicinal fungi in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, an NC business offering Siberian Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the research references to this article, go to the Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.
