Chaga Mushroom Is Used As Remedy For Many Maladies

Chaga mushroom is called as Inonotus obliquus.The name chaga comes from the Rusian term ųarà is a fungus in Hymenochaetaceae family.It is parasitic on birch and other trees.The sterile conk is irregularly formed and has the appearance of burnt charcoal.

Chaga Mushroom has different names depending on the country such as :

• In England and Canada, chaga mushroom is known as the sterile conk trunk rot of birch, which refers to the fruiting bodies growing under the outer layers of wood surrounding the sterile conk once the tree is dead, to spread the spores.
• In France, It is the Carie blanche spongieuse de bouleau means spongy white birch tree rot.
• In Norwegian, It is called "Kreftkjuke" which translates as cancer polypores referring to fungus appearence or to its alleged medicinal properties.
• In Dutch, it is known as " Berkenweerschijnzwam " means birch glow mushroom.
• In Gernman name is "Schiefer schillerporling or  Oblique Inonotus.

Chaga is traditionally grated into a fine powder and used to brew a beverage resembling coffee or tea.This black gold that grows on birch tree has been the most sought-after mushroom in northern cultures for ages.For Medicinal use, an extraction process of Chaga mushroom is needed to make at least some of the bio-active components bioavailable.Its dosage 500 Mg of powdered extract per day.

There are three extraction processes of  Chaga mushroom :

• Hot water extraction should be performed under very high pressure (480 psi / 4.0 Mpa); boiling will over time cause the bioactive beta-glucans to disintegrate, this is neutralized by performing this phase of the extraction process under high pressure.
• Ethanol or Methanol extraction isolates the water-insoluble components, betulinic acid, betulin, and the phytosterols.Since ethanol alone will not break down chitin effectively - heat is essential.
• Fermentation is the most time-consuming, so is the most expensive.The fermentation methods are not standardized which many types of bacteria and fungi can be used in the process and the outcome is also not standardized.

The benefits of Chaga mushroom :

• To hamper the growth and poliferation of tumors.
• To keep a bulletproof immunity to stay healthy.
• To ail heart disease.
• To clean, disinfect and become decoction for stomach disease.
• To treats cancer.
• To clean and disinfect intestinal worms.
• To treat liver.
• To ail psoriasis.
• To treat  irritable bowel syndrome.
• Chaga mushroom has been used  in folk medicine Rusia, Poland, and most of the Baltic countries as antibacterial, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and immunotheraphy activities.