Chaga Mushrooms and Cancer
Chaga mushroom, known also by its scientific name, Inonotus obliquus, grows only on birch trees and has been used in folk medicines for centuries. The conk of chaga mushroom has medicinal benefits when it comes to digestive systems, diabetes, immune systems, endurance, fatigue and cognitive abilities. One of the most remarkable benefits that chaga mushrooms have is the cancer fighting and prevention properties of the fungus.
What is Chaga Mushroom
Chaga mushroom is a parasitic fungus that infects birch trees in the northern hemisphere. The woody growth of the fungus called the conk can be ground and used in teas and tinctures for medicinal benefits.
Chaga is a black mass of mycelia that is very dense and is harvested when it protrudes at least 10–15 from the tree. The exterior will be hard, black, and cracked much like burnt charcoal. This exterior is called the sclerotium. Inside of the sclerotium is a soft, yellowish material called mycelium.
Mature chaga is found on birch trees that are more than 40 years old and can be harvested approximately five years after the tree is infected. Chaga is a fatal birch tree infection because the fungus pulls all of the nutrients out of the tree and consumes them inside itself. Trees can live with chaga for up to 20 years.
Chaga mushrooms are also considered a superfood that is dense in several key nutrients including: Amino acids, B complex, calcium, copper, fiber, Iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, rubidium, vitamin D and zinc.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is currently studying chaga for its properties in treating and preventing cancer and other diseases.
How Does Chaga Relate to Cancer?
Chaga has been used for centuries as a remedy for cancer in Russian folk medicine for centuries. In laboratory tests, chaga has shown antitumor, analgesic, and antidiabetic properties. In living specimen testing the mushrooms have shown to immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. Animal testing has proven chaga to be effective as an antiallergen, and antioxidant with cognitive enhancing properties. Other testing has shown chaga to increase exercise endurance and biological responses to fatigue.
When it comes to cancer, chaga extract was effective in fighting colon and cervical cancers as well as hepatoma cells. Chaga was even able to demonstrate selective apoptosis without effecting healthy cells at all within tumors. Animal testing has shown chaga extract to inhibit the growth of melanoma in animals and to also reduce radiation toxicity which can aid cancer treatments.
In 2016, a study was completed in Japan that proved the chaga extracts long fabled cancer fighting properties when tests were conducted on mice with Lewis lung carcinoma and spontaneous metastasis. These mice were given 6mg/kg/day of chaga infusion and scientists observed a 60% average tumor reduction in the mice. In metastatic mice, nodules were reduced by 25%. The chaga mushroom not only fought the cancer in these mice but also reduced their body fat in the middle-aged mice and rose the body temperature of older mice which prevented body temperature from dropping after the tumors were implanted. These findings show that chaga effectively increases energy metabolism and body efficiency.
Other Medicinal Benefits of Chaga Mushroom
There are many other researched benefits of the chaga mushroom for ailments other than just cancer.
· Slows Aging- Chaga has not been researched for an anti-aging solution yet but because aging is related to oxidative stress and chaga is linked to being able to fight oxidative stress holistic medicine practitioners have good reason to believe that chaga mushrooms can reverse or slow the signs of aging.
· Reduce Bad Cholesterol- Chaga mushrooms are rich in antioxidants that reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Chaga mushrooms have been used in folk medicine to fight heart disease (caused by the bad cholesterol LDL).
· Lower Blood Pressure- Chaga has another benefit to fighting heart disease through its ability to control blood pressure. Antioxidants in chaga fight oxidative stress which is a major contributor to high blood pressure.
· Immune System Support- Studies on mice have shown that chaga regulates the body’s production of cytokines. These chemical messengers are proteins that stimulate white blood cells and fortify the immune system. Chaga helps these messenger cells communicate more effectively with each other which can help fight and ward off infection and disease.
· Anti-Inflammatory- Cytokines do more than stimulate the immune system, they also reduce inflammation which makes chaga mushrooms a vital component to treating autoimmune diseases.
· Control Blood Sugar- In 2006 a study was conducted to research the affects on chaga and diabetes. The chaga mushrooms lowered the blood sugar in rats that were modified to have diabetes and gain weight. After an 8-week diet that included chaga, the mice showed lower blood sugar levels.
Patients who use chaga mushroom should continue to take all of their prescribed medications as chaga is a supplement rather than a replacement for traditional medicines. Before being a chaga regimen you should consult your primary care physician and any specialists that you see. Chaga does have some possible negative side-effects with certain prescription drugs such as blood thinners.
How to Use Chaga
Chaga mushroom can be used the traditional folk medicine way of drinking chaga tea or tinctures. The chaga mushroom can also be ground into powder and enclosed in capsules. Chaga supplements, including teas and tinctures, can be purchased at many health food stores and are a vegan supplement.
Chaga mushroom is also found in other mushroom teas and coffee and are commonly found with cordyceps, reishi, lion’s mane, and turkey tail. Mushroom coffees and teas have less caffeine than regular coffee and teas with less acid also. Chaga mushrooms do not taste like the mushrooms you find in stores such as portabellas or button mushrooms. The taste can be slightly bitter and similar to black coffee.
Making Chaga Tea
Chaga tea is quite simple to make. You can use whole chaga mushroom chunks or ground powder. The chaga chunks can be put into a mug of boiled water and allowed to steep for 3 minutes before being removed. If you prefer, the chaga chunks can be ground into powder using a coffee grinder. Two teaspoons of powder should be placed in a diffuser and steeped for 3 minutes.
Adding raw honey, lemon juice or syrup to chaga tea can improve the taste if you prefer sweeter tea.
Chaga tinctures are another fantastic way to enjoy the benefits of the chaga mushroom. Tinctures are made by soaking something in alcohol to create the most concentrated mixture of the nutritional and antioxidant benefits of chaga.
To make a chaga tincture follow these steps:
1. Put chaga chunks on the bottom of a pot
2. add .5L water and heat the pot to boiling.
3. After pot boils, turn heat low and simmer for 45 minutes uncovered
4. Remove chaga mixture to cool
5. Pour chaga water into a tightly sealed jar
6. Add .5 L of vodka that is at least 40% alcohol to the jar and the mushroom chunks
7. shake the jar firmly and store in a cool, dark place
8. shake jar once per day for 7 days
9. After 7 day, filter the mixture and pour it into a bottle
Remember not to allow the pot to boil dry in step 3. Your goal with creating a tincture is to concentrate the ingredients, if the pot boils dry all of those ingredients are evaporated with the water. The double tincture method is the most popular and most effective way of consuming chaga. The chunks left over from the first tincture can be used again for another batch which is smoother in taste and texture. The double tincture method also reduces the alcohol content by two thirds.
Chaga tinctures are recommended to be taken once per week as a tablespoon dosage. The dose of tincture can also be taken as needed at the onset of an illness.
