Chaga Tea Recipes, Dosages & Mushroom Health Benefits

The best chaga tea recipe is the one that does the least damage to the chaga mushroom’s beneficial nutrients. This ancient medicinal mushroom (botanic name: Inonotus obliquus) is nutritionally dense.

It contains high levels of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and may exhibit strong antioxidant properties.

Additionally, chaga is a significant source of minerals including calcium, copper, manganese, iron and zinc. B complex vitamins, especially pantothenic acid (B5), are also plenteous.

Finally, chaga mushroom tea contains more than 240 different phytonutrients that still warrant further clinical experimentation to discern their potential therapeutic effects.

Chaga Mushroom

Mushroom Supplement

Immunity

Anti- Oxidant

Anti- Aging

How It Works:

• Supports the immune system
• Anti-inflammatory with highest ORAC score
• Natural source of superoxide dismutases (SOD)

Dosage:

Between 200 - 800 mg per day

Safety:

Generally Well Tolerated

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Chaga Tea Preparation

Chaga mushrooms are often consumed as teas.

While raw foods practitioners oppose heating food sources beyond 135 degrees Fahrenheit, it is necessary to heat chaga to extract its beneficial nutrients.

The antioxidant enzymes require only gentle heating to be released, but can be damaged by rapid boiling.

The chaga mushroom has a hard, wood-like exterior. It develops very slowly as a parasitic fungus that favors birch trees, especially the white birch. The concentrated nutrients in chaga demonstrate strong antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties.

By heating the mushroom slowly, over hours, on low heat, the nutrients are released into the tea and damage is minimized.

Chaga Tea Recipe

1. Bring five cups of purified water to a boil and then reduce heat (if using an electric element, switch elements after bringing the water to a boil).
2. Place a handful of chaga mushroom pieces into the hot water, and then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Allow the brew to simmer, without boiling, for three to four hours.
4. Check periodically to make sure the mixture is not boiling. If it boils, remove from heat for fifteen minutes and then resume heating at the lowest temperature setting.
5. When tea is finished simmering, allow it to cool for fifteen minutes.
6. Strain the chaga tea to remove all the plant material. Place the liquid into a glass container for refrigeration.
7. Note: Amounts of chaga and water can be increased proportionally for larger batches.

Chaga is not just used as a tea. Over centuries, it has been made into decoctions, tinctures, extracts, powders, tablets and even aerosols. The inner burnt orange mass of the mushroom is preferred for its more concentrated nutritional value.

Chaga Mushroom Tea Dosing Guidelines

Chaga has been used in folk medicine throughout Russia and most Baltic countries for centuries. Traditional preparation uses approximately three square centimeters of chaga mushroom per 10 cups of water.

One cup of chaga tea is traditionally taken three times a day, about a half hour before meal times. This regimen is followed for up to twenty weeks to treat various maladies.

Chaga Mushroom Health Benefits

Chaga mushroom tea is not primarily imbibed for its flavour. It does have a mild taste that many consider pleasant, but most prefer the flavour of more conventional teas.

Instead, people usually consume the tea as a treatment for a variety of diseases and to promote good health.

Chaga extracts and supplements have been part of traditional medicine systems throughout Northern Asia, particularly Siberia, for centuries.

Within these medical traditions, chaga has often been used to treat cancers and diseases of the digestive system, as well as to promote good health. It is still commonly used in Russia and is readily available.[3]

Although chaga has great pharmaceutical importance in parts of Asia, its function remains largely unknown in Western medicine and research is currently underway to examine the traditional uses and to understand the mechanisms behind the mushroom’s purported uses.

Components of the chaga mushroom are being investigated for their use in treating some cancers. [4] Of particular interest to researchers is the high level of betulinic acid and its precursor, betulin, found in the mushroom. Both compounds are being investigated as a potential chemotherapeutic agent.[1]

There is also some evidence that chaga may support the immune system,[5] help inhibit the formation of blood clots, (Hyun) and play a role in reducing oxidative stress caused by free radical damage. [2]

Chaga Safety

Chaga tea is usually well tolerated by humans, but it may interact with certain chemical substances, particularly pharmaceutical medications. If you are considering chaga supplementation, it is important to speak to your doctor about possible drug interactions. Please speak with your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning supplementation.

Chaga Tea Recipe Enhancements

While it is true that chaga preparation should be more about the health than the taste, there is certainly nothing wrong with experimenting with flavor enhancement. Often people cease healthy supplementation habits because of secondary factors such as bad tastes and smells.

Chaga teas can be made more palatable if infused with other types of teas (green, red rooibos, black oolong, etc.). Also, consider flavoring you chaga mushroom tea with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, lemon, raw sugar or other additives that appeal to your particular tastes. In time you’ll discover the chaga tea recipe that is best for you.

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