CHAGA
“Siberian Superfood”
Chaga is found widely in the forests of Eastern Europe and Russia as well as the northern forests of Europe, the US and Canada. In areas of Russia and Poland it has been used as a traditional medicine for a range of serious conditions and as a general preventative for various illnesses since at least the 12th century. It is held in such high esteem by some groups of indigenous peoples of Siberia, such as the Khanty people, that they see it as a miraculous cure all, even incorporating it into normal daily rituals. Chaga even got a mention in Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s 1967 semi-autobiographical novel, “The Cancer Ward”. This book was probably the springboard for Chaga’s introduction to western Europe from the east.
During the 1950’s Chaga became an official medicine in Russia, and it still exists there as the product Befungin.
The active components of Chaga once again include triterpenoids and beta-glucans and it is thought the chaga actually takes some of its active chemicals from the trees it grows on. It has historically been used for its immune system stimulating effects, called upon to treat all sorts of infections and more serious conditions that could benefit from a ramped up immune system.
This Chaga is once again cultivated on wood to simulate its natural environment.
You might also like
