Chaga

One day in late September 2020, while we were driving our little golf cart back up the hill from the creek, where we had been to switch out the memory card in one of trail cameras, we spotted an unusual black growth on a tree along the old forest road. Steve had seen similar ones over the years and was pretty certain it was chaga, a fungi much sought after for its therapeutic qualities. He had never harvested it before though so we were curious to try some and experiment ourselves with our first medicinal mushroom.

Chaga is an extremely therapeutically-potent fungi, full of antioxidants, that has been proven to be effective for preventing cancer, as a cure for psoriasis, and as a great booster to our immune systems which helps in preventing or lessening the effects of the flu, the common cold and other viruses. It has been used for thousands of years to cure these and many other ailments. In fact, on a recent trip to northern Italy we visited a fascinating exhibition in Bolzano featuring the 5,300 year old frozen mummy, Ötzi. His extremely well-preserved body had been found frozen in ice in the 1990s, along with his clothes, weapons and a small pouch he wore containing a tiny amount of Chaga. It is fascinating to think that this prehistoric man also knew about and utilised the medicinal qualities of this mushroom!

Chaga can mainly be found growing on birch trees and is unmistakable as a black growth protruding from the trunk of a live tree. The exterior looks like charcoal but once removed from the tree you can see a beautiful golden-brown, sometimes almost yellow colour, on the inside. These growths take years to get to a big enough size that is worth harvesting so best to leave it on the tree until it is at least a hands length long. They are hard, stubborn fungi to remove and you might need an ax or a handsaw to detach it from the tree. It’s a good idea to leave at least a fifth of it on the tree so that it will regrow for future harvests.

There are several ways you can prepare Chaga for consumption, including making teas, coffees and tinctures. But first you will want to preserve it so that you can store the bulk of it for long periods, as you will only use a little bit every time. Chaga, when first harvested, will be full of moisture so needs to be dried to start with. This can be done in a dehydrator (about 24 hours), the oven (about 15 hours at 50° C) or if you have the time (a couple of months) you can lay them in the sun in front of a window. For all the drying methods, break the Chaga into 5cm chunks, or smaller, to speed up the drying process. Once dried Chaga chunks can be kept in a well-sealed glass jar in a cool dark place for many months. It can also be ground up using a coffee grinder and stored in powder form.

Making Chaga tea is a less potent way to consume Chaga than tinctures and so teas can therefore be drunk every day with lots of positive side effects. We both have really noticed a huge difference in our health since drinking a glass of Chaga tea every day. Steve feels more energetic and his old injuries affecting his joints are not bothering him as much anymore (the anti-inflammatory properties at work). As for me, I have had suspected tick-borne disease for quite a few months now, which at times has been quite debilitating with bouts of chronic fatigue, dizziness and muscle weakness. Ever since I started drinking Chaga tea I have felt so much better, the difference is quite amazing! I have noticeably more energy and can go for long walks and hikes again. The dizziness has gone altogether and I generally feel increasingly better. After noticing these positive effects I did some research and sure enough, I found several articles from other people suffering from Lyme’s and other tick-borne diseases describing the same improvements in their health, most likely from Chaga’s immune system boosting qualities. From what I’ve read, and from personal experience, Chaga doesn’t seem to be a cure for these diseases but taking it daily definitely makes living with them a whole lot easier by diminishing their symptoms.

Making Chaga Tea

A quick cup of Chaga tea can easily be made by simmering a chunk of Chaga in a pot of water for about 30 mins. The key is to not let it boil, but just simmer, as boiling it will kill some of the beneficial effects. Add a shot of honey or maple syrup and you have yourself a healthy and tasty hot beverage.

Personally, we like to make a large pot at a time and keep many bottles in the freezer and fridge for daily doses. Proportions for a big batch are 25g of Chaga chunks for every 1 litre of water. We make 8 litres at a time with 200g of Chaga chunks (about 2 cups). We also like to add a couple of handfuls of birch polypore and turkey tail as well for extra therapeutic goodness. Bring the pot to a near boil and simmer for an hour to an hour and half. Strain the tea and store in the freezer for many months and in the fridge for a few weeks. Chaga on its own has a nice, mild taste to it but the birch polypore can make the tea a little more bitter. We drink a glass of it cold, straight from the fridge, every day with some orange juice added to it which makes it into a really tasty drink (I think it tastes like liquorice and Steve gets more of a grapefruit flavour from it, go figure!).

Chaga can also be taken in more concentrated tincture form. This works great as a quick shot whenever you are feeling like you have a cold or flu coming on or you just need a pick me up to boost your immune system. After a lot of research on-line we narrowed it down to two easy methods to make tinctures. The first method only takes a week and is a good option if you want a tincture in a hurry. The longer process takes about two months but will give you a stronger tincture due to a second extraction step. Both methods are described below.

Ingredients:

• 800ml water

• 100g chaga chunks

• 800ml vodka, gin, rum or whisky (40% alcohol)

Directions:

1. Place Chaga chunks and water in a wide-bottomed pot and bring to a simmer

2. Simmer, without a lid, until most of the water has boiled off, leaving a small amount of thick dark liquid

3. Take off the heat and let cool

4. Pour into a glass mason jar, fill with the alcohol of your choice and seal with a tight lid

5. Keep in a cool, dark place for a week

6. Strain to remove the Chaga chunks and it’s ready for consumption

7. Drink in coffee or take it straight, 1-2 Tbsp per week is sufficient

Ingredients:

• 800ml vodka, gin, rum or whisky (40% alcohol)

• 60g chaga chunks

• 1600ml water

Directions:

1. Place Chaga chunks and alcohol of your choice in a glass mason jar and seal tightly

2. Store the jar in a cool, dark place for two months, shaking it weekly

3. Strain the mixture and set the Chaga-infused, alcoholic tincture aside, use the Chaga chunks for the next steps

4. Put the Chaga chunks in a wide-bottomed pot, add 800ml of water and bring to a simmer

5. Simmer for 30 min with the lid on

6. Let cool and then add to the original alcoholic tincture

7. Repeat steps 4-6 with the same Chaga chunks and then add to the tincture as well

8. You have now diluted the vodka tincture by 2/3rds and taken most of the valuable nutrients from the Chaga chunks

9. It’s ready to consume! Drink in coffee or take it straight, 1-2 Tbsp per week is sufficient