Chaga grows as a black cankerous mass on birch, dead or living. It may rarely be found on beech, elm, ash or hornbeam as well.
Eurasians have used it for centuries to treat tuberculosis, digestion, and cancers of the heart and liver. [121]
The traditional use was to peel the black skin of the mushroom and then boil it into a tea. Being a compact and easily portable medicinal made it very valuable to healers throughout history.
Modern research on chaga has mainly focused on its potential application as an anti-cancer remedy. In Russia, this usage was already approved as early as 1955 to treat lung, stomach, breast and cervical cancers. [122]
A modern study conducted in 1998 showed that chaga extract does indeed inhibit the growth of cervical cancer cells under laboratory conditions. [123] Another study from the mid-90’s found the active compound betulin to cause growth inhibition and death of melanoma cells, also in lab. [124, 25]
Other research papers also confirm that some of the active compounds of chaga help retard the growth of cancer cells. [125, 126]
Betulin is a medically active compound from the birch tree that gets concentrated in the black outer skin of the chaga mushroom, which has been found to contain 30% betulin, [127] whereas the inside of the chaga mushroom contains fungal lanostanes. It would therefore be suggested that chaga tea is better made from the whole mushroom, including the black skin.
The best chaga extracts are made not only from the whole mushroom fruit body but also the mycelia (”roots”), which contain more medically active protein compounds than the fruit bodies.
Other research has found chaga to possess powerful anti-viral properties. In 1996, two studies published results of inhibitory effects on both influenza virus [127] and HIV. [128] Considering the nature of viruses, the most likely scenario is that chaga works on viruses by enhancing the body’s own immune system, a theory confirmed by a paper published in 2002 and another in 2005. [25, 129] The same mechanism may explain the reported anti-inflammatory effect of chaga. [130]
Furthermore, alcohol extract of chaga mushroom has been found to lower blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also demonstrates significant antioxidant properties that help protect the genetic integrity of the cells. [132, 133]
As an amusing aside not related to human health, Siberian chaga may even be used as a tree medicine. Paul Stamets relates a story of a Quebec arborist using a chaga poultice to heal chestnut blight. Not only does it cure the tree, but the tree even becomes resistant to further infections of blight after having been treated. [134]
Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a licensed medical practitioner before using any herb (or mushroom) for medicinal purposes.
Credits: Thank you, Paul Stamets, for research references.
Dr. Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently focuses on medicinal mushrooms in cooperation with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, a U.S. business offering Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the scientific references to this article, go to the Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.
