A mushroom that grows on birch trees in colder climate across the Northern Hemisphere, though not very appealing from its looks, has a remarkable health value. It has been consumed for centuries in the East, usually as tea, known to have great health benefits. In recent times, it is slowly gaining popularity in the West for its numerous health benefits and is widely recommended by the health gurus. Technically, it is a black mass extracted from birch trees with non-toxic fungus called InonotusObliquus. The exterior looks dark and hard, whereas the interior has a rusty brown colour. The Siberian mushroom known by the Russian name chaga contains high levels of antioxidants which will improve your immune system tremendously and will slow down the ageing process if you consume it every day. It is also known to contain high levels of superoxide dismutase, a powerful enzyme found in living cells. The antioxidants play a vital role in protecting the body’s cell from damage caused due to free radicals.
The vast and ancient history related to the herbal medicine
Popularly referred to as the “Gift from God” or the “King of Herbs”, since its healing benefits are known from time immemorial. It has been respected for thousands of years throughout Russia, Northern United States, North Carolina mountains and Canada, Korea and Eastern and Northern Europe.The name originates from the Russian word ‘czaga’ meaning fungus. In Norway it is known as kreftkjuke’ meaning “cancer polypore” in reference to its fungal appearance and remarkable medicinal properties. Since the 16th century it has been used in botanical medicine throughout Eastern Europe. In China, the use of this medicine dates back to thousands of years where the locals of Siberia drank it as tea, inhaled and used it topically on the skin. Slowly it popularity spread throughout the Ural Mountains and the Baltic regions of Eastern Europe.In the late 1970s Russian Nobel laureateAlexander Solzhenitsyn wrote about the beneficial uses of this medicine in his semi-autobiographical novel “Cancer Ward”. Nowadays, supplements like Chaga are widely used throughout the world because of its antioxidant properties and without any side effects.
The potential health benefits
In the late 1950s, researchers in Russia and Finland found this herb to contain anticancer benefits for breast, liver, uterine and gastric cancers. It was even found to offer potential benefits in case of ailments like hypertension and diabetes. A Russian journal wrote about the benefits of the herbal medicine in treating psoriasis. Researchers in Japan and China found the anticancer effects of this herb, similar to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation, without having any side effects. Polysaccharides in this herb have been shown to contain strong anti-inflammatory and immune balancing properties to stimulate the body to produce natural killer cells, known to battle infection and tumor growth. Chinese and Western herbal cultures, suggest supplements like Chaga to be the strongest anti-cancer herbal medicine available and its use is strongly backed by years of scientific research.
