Chaga extract (powder)

• Chaga is rich in antioxidants and supports immune function, liver health, brain health, and increases longevity. It is also known for its ability to stimulate digestion and clear the skin.

Chaga, or Inonotus obliquus, commonly known as the mushroom, is actually a highly prized sclerotium or woody cancer that grows in the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere on birch trees. The first medicinal uses appear to have come out of Russia around the 16th century when it was used as a tea to treat stomach ailments. After 1966, Chaga gained more visibility after its healing powers were written about in Alexander Solzhenitsyn's book, Cancer Ward. Since Chaga grows primarily on birch trees and much of the sclerotium itself is actually wood fiber and not mycelium, many of the medicinal compounds in birch, such as betulin and betulinic acid, are found in the sclerotium. The outer black layer of the cancer contains large amounts of melanin, which can be beneficial for our skin.

Until recently, Chaga could not be cultivated, but now in Finland, they are inoculating birch trees with this mushroom. Lab-grown Chaga does not develop into sclerothium, and since it grows on grain rather than birch, it does not contain the important medicinal compounds that come from birch. Real Mushroom Siberian Chaga extract is wild-harvested in Russia and tested by third-party labs for the active beta-D-glucan compounds, which are the epitome of nutrients for the immune system.