So what is Chaga?
"Chaga" as it is commonly known is actually the dense black mass of mycelia that appears on the outside of birch trees infected with the parasitic fungus Inonotus Obliquus.
The hard & cracked black exterior, which looks like burnt charcoal, is called the sclerotium.
The interior is softer and is a yellow-brown color that becomes visible when it's removed from the tree as you can see in this picture.
When we are lucky enough to find and harvest a piece of chaga, we put it in a bag and break it up with a hammer making it easier to dry and more manageable for use in tea making.
Once it is broken into smaller pieces we leave it to dry before storing to prevent mold. When it is thoroughly dried we will vacuum seal it into jars to maximize freshness during storage.
When making Tea, we mix 30 to 50 grams of chaga with one gallon of water. You may like it stronger or weaker, but we find this is a really great ratio. We mix the water and chaga in a crock pot and will put it on low for 3 to 4 hours for the initial brewing.
As we consume the tea, we'll replace the water and brew it again for up to one week.
Chaga has been used throughout history and has been the subject of medical research all over the world.
This is the first I've heard of Chaga, most likely because we don't have birch trees in Kansas. It's such a dark brew, it looks almost like coffee in your video. I see there are several places I can get some online so I think I'll give it a try.
I look forward to hearing about your experience with it.
How would you describe the taste of the chaga tea?
I would describe the taste as a mixture of vanilla & caramel without the sugary sweetness.
This is really awesome! I use Chaga in the coffee I drink but I never knew what it really was. So many health benefits. Thank you for sharing.
Where can you find Chaga in the wild?
You can find it in northern birch wood forest around most of the northern hemisphere. If you are in the U.S. you should be able to find it in the most northern states.
That's really cool, I wonder if it is save to take out of the wild or if a certain amount of processing is required to make sure it is safe
We go from the tree to drying to tea!
We need to start foraging for this, thank you so much @brimax!
Keep your eyes open on your daily walks and you just might see a piece. You will need a hatchet or an Ax to remove it. Let us know how you make out!
Thanks, I will let you know!
¿Este hongo nace en cualquier tipo de árbol?
En mi casa hay un árbol de mango y veo que nace algo parecido a eso... pero no sé si es lo mismo
Por lo que sé, solo se encuentra en árboles de abedul y solo crece en el hemisferio norte. Si tienes un crecimiento similar al de un árbol de manga, probablemente sea un tipo diferente de hongo.
Have seen Chaga many times in vids from the YT but never found one myself as of yet. Not many Birch trees where I'm at unless it an ornamental Paper Birch but I'm always lookin'. Thanks for the show!
It will depend on your latitude, if you are to far south you will not see it at all. Perhaps the next time you and your wife are thinking about going somewhere to collect sharks teeth, just head north instead and try collecting a little Chaga!
Haha! YES! That's an idea! Speaking of the teeth we found. I need to take some pics and post them cause I found a BIG un!
Looking forward to the shark tooth post!
Great info with the recipe. I'd love to see an article discussing ethical harvest. Hmm...maybe I'll research and write one.
I believe it is important to harvest it ethically. We are lucky as someone who has a managed wood lot allows us to go in ahead of the cutting crew to harvest what can use.
This at least allows us to make use of Chaga that would otherwise be turned into firewood.
Oh. That is a wonderful way to harvest. Seems some people think harvest can hasten the death of a tree, and others say it is just a symptom of an already dying tree, so no harm in removing. I've seen chaga harvest on a beautiful old tree with many years left in Glacier National Park. I would love to have an ethical harvest location. But, I'm in the Pacific NW (west of the mountains) so I get lots of great local Reishi to keep me happy instead.
Reishi something we are looking forward to implementing into our foraging forays!
@brimax
That is an interesting video. I didn't know about Chaga.
We learn on Steemit all the time.
Thank you
Francis
Glad I was able to share a nugget og knowledge!
We haven't brewed ours yet but plan on doing so this coming week - looking forward to it!
Enjoy!
just started our first batch of chaga to brew - can't wait !!
Muy buena información, estimado @brimax. ¿Conoces algunas propiedades curativas?
Algunos de los estudios de salud han demostrado que "puede" evitar el crecimiento de células cancerosas. También se informa que es beneficioso para la piel ya que es alta en melanina.
Hay muchos trabajos de investigación en línea. Siempre recomiendo que la gente haga su propia investigación antes de intentar cualquier cosa.
Thanks a lot for your answer, @brimax.
You're welcome!