Chaga mushrooms are finally finding their way into the much-deserved spotlight, primarily due to their potentially beneficial effects. From chaga coffee and chaga tea to fancy new chaga supplements – these superfood mushrooms are popping up everywhere.
You may be wondering what all the buzz is about. Can mushrooms really be that impactful on your health? Absolutely they can.
Before we jump into the health benefits, assuming you know very little about chaga mushrooms, let’s take a second to learn more about what they are.
Chaga mushrooms like to grow in cold climates throughout the northern hemisphere, like Siberia, Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, and some parts of North America and the United States. They grow mainly on birch trees and can stick around for 10 to 20 years until they become a hard mass, or conk, attached to the tree.
Although these mushrooms may not be the most attractive, the health benefits of their fruiting body more than makes up for their ugly appearance.
Interestingly, despite its potential health benefits for humans, chaga fungi is considered a parasite to the trees it grows on because it needs its host to survive. Because of this, you should never harvest chaga from a dead tree.
If you think chaga mushrooms are a new trend, you’d be wrong. Chaga mushrooms have actually been used for hundreds of years in Russia and Northern European countries as part of traditional herbalism and folk medicine. In fact, the word chaga is an old Russian word for “mushroom.” The fungi was traditionally prepared by grating the mushroom down to a fine powder and then brewing the chaga mushroom powder as an herbal tea.

Just like you need a healthy immune system, chaga mushrooms need the same thing to ensure their own survival. This has massive benefits to the humans that eat them, as they become loaded with biological chemicals that can enhance not only their lives but ours as well! Stay tuned for just a few of the health benefits of this odd yet popular fungus.
1. Supports Immune Health
A healthy immune system is a cornerstone of a healthy body, and one of chaga’s most well-known health benefits is its ability to support healthy immune function.
Compounds that are found in chaga have precisely this benefit. These long chains of carbohydrate molecules also help support the body’s conversion of food into energy for a caffeine-free energy boost.
2. Supports Healthy Anti-Inflammatory Response
Supporting a healthy inflammatory system is crucial if you want to keep your body functioning optimally. Mushrooms like chaga have been used for thousands of years to support immune health and inflammation systems, and continue to be an area of study for researchers.
Research on animals and test-tube studies show the chaga mushroom can help support healthy inflammation systems and healthy immune cells in mice and rats.
3. Supports Heart Health
Keeping the heart, our most vital organ, happy and healthy is key to a long and vibrant life. Chaga mushrooms may support your cardiovascular health in several important ways, including supporting healthy blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
Inflammation is also strongly linked to heart health. Chaga contains a number of health-promoting compounds that not only support your immune system but may also support your inflammatory system.
4. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Normal blood sugar levels are linked with overall health. Studies find that chaga mushroom supplementation is linked to healthy blood sugar levels in mice. It’s thought that this is because chaga mushrooms, like your bog-standard mushrooms, contain a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibre, of which soluble fibre is shown to keep blood sugar levels in check.
In people with diabetes, fibre — particularly soluble fibre — can slow the absorption of sugar and help improve blood sugar levels. A healthy diet that includes insoluble fibre may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
5. Supports a Healthy Stress Response
Chaga mushrooms are part of a category of plants called adaptogens. Adaptogens have unique properties that help support the body’s ability to cope with the effects of physical and emotional stress. When taken consistently over a period of weeks or months, adaptogens may help support healthy stress response and promote feelings of calm and balance.

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