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There is a large primeval forest in the far north. Spruce, pine and white birch, as far as the eye can see. Every week there are numerous people in this forest looking for chaga mushrooms, the diamonds of the forest, as these are diamonds are sure.
How the Story Starts
The story of the chaga mushroom begins at least 600 years ago. Some even say the chaga mushroom was discovered thousands of years ago. The opinions are divided. What we do agree on, is that the Aino people in East Asia have discovered these special mushrooms. In ancient texts, the chaga mushroom is even described as 'the king of the herbs', ‘diamond of the forest' and 'gift of nature'. When looking at this fungi, it does not seem worthy of these titles. It looks like a burned piece of charcoal, stuck to the tree. Yet, that's not true at all. Don't be fooled by its appearance; the chaga mushroom is all but 'ugly'. With this mushroom, it's the inside that counts.
Why the Chaga Mushroom?
Although the mushroom's appearance is not of great beauty, it certainly is a valuable discovery. These mushrooms are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It provides your mind and body a well-deserved boost during stressful times. For this reason, the chaga mushroom is a popular basic ingredient for many products.
You can take chaga mushrooms in different ways:
- Drink Chaga tea or coffee.
- Drip a tincture twice a day as Chaga Mushroom Extract.
- Mix chaga mushroom powder with, for example, yogurt or smoothies.
- Take in chaga mushroom powder via a capsule.
The Parasite for the Birch Tree
Even though has a romantic beginning, this mushroom is no 'valuable addition’ for all. These mushrooms mainly grow on (old) birch trees. As such, they are also known as the birch tree chaga. Still, for the birch tree, this mushroom is anything but innocent. The slowly growing parasite feeds on the tree. A chaga mushroom needs about twenty years to fully mature. During these years, the chaga mushroom grows bigger and stronger, while the tree goes towards its demise.
On the other hand, because these mushrooms feed on their host - the birch tree - they absorb important nutrients from this tree. For people, in either case it is a safe food supplement.
Want to try chaga? Note: Never go for 'Cheap' Imitations
The chaga mushrooms come in various brands. Note: cheap variants of this mushroom exist. Don't fall for these brands! Cheap imitations often use different fillers, causing you cannot take full advantage of the mushroom. Go for quality.
The Mushroomist
A good example of a quality supplier of chaga mushrooms is The Mushroomist. During the harvest, they select the chaga mushrooms themselves in the Finnish forests. It's an intensive harvest, but it ensures you can rely on their quality. They only harvest the healthy, ripe chaga mushrooms for their products. After this intense harvest, they extract the mushrooms through several methods, so all valuable and active substances will be preserved. As icing on the cake: they season their tinctures with organic maple syrup. Delicious!
Curious about other mushrooms? Start reading about the Lion's Mane or the Reishi mushrooms.
