Chaga mushrooms are having a serious revival thanks to trendy mushroom coffees and teas.
Though you might mistake it for a giant rotten potato instead of your typical toad stool, folks have used chaga mushrooms for centuries thanks to its health benefits.
Let’s dive into the benefits — and potential complications — of adding this fungi to the menu.
Chaga mushrooms (aka Inonotus obliquus) are native to colder climates in China, Korea, Russia, Japan, and the Baltics. To get your hands on one of these mushrooms, you’ll need to live near birch trees — which is the only tree on which this grubby shroom grows.
The fungi looks like a 10- to 15-inch burnt clump with a soft orange core and was traditionally grated down and brewed as a tea.
Today chaga is still used in many alternative medicine lineups. You’ll find the shroom in tea, powdered coffee mixes, and other powder or capsule supplements.
Chaga fans will tell you these mushrooms are prized for their medicinal properties (and can even make a tasty cup of tea). But here’s what science has to say about chaga’s potential health benefits.
1. Nutrition
We’ll be honest, it’s hard to find reliable info on chaga mushroom nutrition. But like other mushrooms, these organisms are believed to offer vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients like:
2. Antiviral activity
Chaga mushrooms may possess virus-fighting fungal superpowers.
A 2011 study found chaga had antiviral effects on hepatitis C-infected kidney cells in pigs. Basically they found chaga may have even stopped viral particle production, meaning hep C couldn’t replicate as efficiently.
In a 2017 study, researchers evaluated a boatload of therapeutic mushrooms, including chaga. They noted that in studies of cats, chaga had antiviral effects against viral diseases like herpes, flu, and stomach infections.
Another 2011 study found chaga extract altered immune responses in mice.
Obviously you’re not a cat or mouse, so we need more research to show how chaga’s antiviral benefits helps humans. Still, evidence of chaga’s antiviral capabilities looks promising.
3. Anti-inflammatory effects
Chaga mushrooms may also help boost your immune system and reduce symptoms of inflammation brought on by immune responses.
A 2020 review shows that chaga decreases the release of inflammatory cytokines. Basically cytokines help signal your immune system to fight foreign pathogens. But too much of a good thing can lead to inflammation.
The same review also found chaga may reduce the release of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) — two substances that play an important role in your body’s inflammatory processes.
Scientists noted in a 2019 animal study that chaga extract may also reduce the inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). But, we need more human studies before we can recommend using chaga to help with IBD.
4. Anti-tumor potential
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