Chaga Mushroom Tea: Health Benefits And Side Effects
Last Updated on August 27, 2019 by Michael Joseph
Chaga tea is a drink made from an extract of a medicinal mushroom called Chaga.
The mushroom has a long history of medicinal use in China and Northern Europe, and proponents claim that it offers numerous health benefits.
Some of these claims are rather bold too, and they include cancer-protective and immune-strengthening properties.
However, is there any truth to these claims?
This article examines what the research says about Chaga mushroom tea, and the potential health benefits and side effects of the drink.
What Does Chaga Taste Like
They may not look like a treat for your taste buds, but Chaga mushrooms make a pretty delicious brew. Dont let their tough body, chewy texture, and dark color fool you Chaga tea is actually relatively mild and sweet, with a fruity aftertaste that will have you begging for a refill.
Tip: Chaga tea should never taste bitter. If it is overly earthy with a dirt-like taste, then you have probably just brewed a bad batch. Throw it out and buy yourself some fresh Chaga!
Recipe #: Chaga Iced Tea
Okay, this method takes the longest to make, which is understandable due to the cooling, but once you try Chaga this way, it will become your go-to summer refreshment. And if youre already tired of your peach or lemon iced tea, then Chaga is the perfect way to spice up your hot afternoons.
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How Often Should You Drink Chaga
Best to consider any medicinal mushroom as a medicinal tonic to be enjoyed daily. A maximum of two cups daily is recommended. One cup in the morning and a second late afternoon around dinner time.
Rich in Birch tree sterols, drinking the tea daily provides a boost energy and vitality. A good reason to should avoid drinking the tea too close before bed time otherwise it may affect your sleep.
Mushroom Tea Chaga Side Effects
Chaga mushrooms grow on Birch trees so if you are allergic to Birch you should probably not consume chaga in any form.
You are taking diabetic medications laboratory studies suggest that chaga may also lower blood sugar, causing additional effects.
Chaga can mimic a blood thinner. You should stop taking chaga a few weeks before any planned surgery and be advised if taking blood thinning medications.
Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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Life Cycle Of Chaga Mushroom
Wild Chaga Fungi is found in the worlds northern regions. In Canada it can be found growing from coast to coast. This elusive fungi has a unique symbiotic relationship with its host the birch tree. Some also call it a parasitic relationship. In some cases Chaga causes its host trees eventual death but not always as there are many factors involved. When the host birch tree dies, so does the Chaga growing with it. Once this happens a rare event occurs in which the fruiting body erupts on the trunk of the birch tree. This fruiting body of the Chaga looks nothing like the sterile conk/mycelial mass of Chaga that we collect for tea. Instead, it forms a thick 1-2 inch layer comprised of thousands of tiny spores that blow away in the wind. Insects, other creatures and wind can also carry the spores to new birch trees. Thus the life cycle of Chaga begins once again.
How Is Chaga Tea Made
When it comes to buying chaga tea, you need to understand the chain of production that is involved in creating it. While chaga is all-natural, there are many companies and businesses that will try to cheap out, offering inferior tea so they can make more money. Heres a brief overview of the chaga tea production cycle.
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Household Medication Side Effects
Household medicines that most doctors consider very safe have significant side effects. Ibuprofen can increase risk of heart attack or stroke. It can also lead to stomach ulcers or intestinal bleeding according to Drugs.com. RXList informs that Acetaminophen or Tylenol can cause nausea, stomach pain, rash, or jaundice. Severe side effects include allergic reaction such as hives or swelling. These common, everyday pain relievers have known side effects that we risk when we take them for a headache or other ailment. In contrast, Chaga is entirely natural. It is not manufactured and has been used successfully throughout history with few known side effects.
What Is The Correct Chaga Tea Quantity
Most advocates of chaga see its popularity growing. More enthusiasts are learning how to make chaga tea. There are a number of wonderful chaga tea recipes. Its best to be sure your supplier is one who is passionate about the products so as to bring you the best available.
Its also important to consider your long-term dosage. Above, we recommended that it is generally considered safe to consume up to three cups of chaga tea per day: morning, midday and night. This dosage is a good recommendation for long-term consumption as well.
Moderation in everything is still a good example to live by. Its important to not overuse any natural supplement. Our bodies are very good at removing supplements we do not need. If we let out body do its job, it will absorb what we require and dispose of the rest.
Reasons behind drinking chaga tea are as different as the people consuming this herbal beverage.
From immunity boosting potential to anti-oxidant protection elements, chaga is used for a number of reasons.
To say that chaga is versatile would be an understatement.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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To Brew Or Not To Brew
There are no hard and fast rules about how you enjoy you chaga tea. If you have time, steeping and simmering is the way to go for the best natural health chaga tea result. Whether your preference is whole chunks or a finer powdered product is the best chaga tea available for you. Chose the one that suits your preferred method and lifestyle. Therefore, for those on the go, convenient chaga tea bags will suit. Tea is for enjoyment and relaxation. It sits in a different category to coffee and other morning beverages. Having a tea for two? How about tea for one.
Seeking the different and creative is human nature. Cooking is a creative way to discovering who we are as individuals. After all, cooking has been one of the best ways to express ourselves for many centuries. Tea, while the most common form of chaga beverage made is not the only game in town Depending on the goal, incorporate chaga into other daily recipes. Simply follow the regular instructions for making chaga tea and add the liquid to smoothies, iced beverages or even delicious evening mocktails. Feeling adventurous? Dont forget to change things up a bit. Add some spice or citrus to your tea for an entirely new flavor. Hence, if you are concerned about how to create the perfect cup, ask your supplier for the best way to consume your favorite tea. Remember, ensuring you boil chaga tea at a pleasant temperature just guarantees a more soothing experience.
What Are Chaga Mushrooms
Charcoal black on the outside and sunny orange on the inside, Chaga mushrooms are a slow-growing fungus that you can find sticking out from the white trunk of birch trees. Their history goes back to 100 BC, and their use is incredibly versatile.
Growing in Canada, New England, Korea, Russia, and North-East Europe, these odd cure-all mushrooms are a popular folk medicine.
Tea may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you spot this fungus protruding a birch, but once you steep dried Chaga in hot water, chances are, youll soon become addicted to this yummy me-up beverage.
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How To Make Chaga Tea At Home
Brewing chaga mushroom tea is a simple way to extract the healing compounds of this versatile mushroom, by using hot water extraction. Anyone can learn how to make chaga tea, whether youre at home, or outdoors huddled around a fire!
The chaga mushroom is a wild growing fungus that grows on mainly white and yellow birch trees in the Northern Hemisphere. Commonly found throughout Canada, the Northern United States, China, and Russia, chaga has been used for centuries in healing teas and remedies. It can even be used as a fire starter!
This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.
What Is The Chaga Mushroom
Chaga mushrooms grow wild in places like Siberia, Northern Canada, Alaska and some northern areas of the continental United States. They are a type of fungus mainly grows on the outside of birch trees in very cold climates.
They also can be found on beech, alder, chestnut and hornbeam trees
Chaga mushroom identification isnt too difficult since they have such a distinct appearance.
What do chaga mushrooms look like? They tend to be lumpy with an exterior that looks similar to burnt charcoal with a softer, squishy yellow-orange core.
The name chaga comes from the Russian word for mushroom. These mushrooms have also been called black gold.
These mushrooms have been used as traditional medicine in Northern European countries as well as Russia for hundreds of years. They have been used traditionally to treat diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer, along with heart disease, in these areas of the world.
When chaga mushrooms grow on birch trees, as they commonly do, they are quite a sight to see. Not only do they look like burnt wood, but they also can grow in a clump that ends up being as big as a human head.
Like other medicinal mushrooms, the chaga mushroom requires the introduction of hot water or alcohol to break down its tough cellular walls to make the benefits of the mushroom available for human consumption.
Can you put chaga in coffee? You definitely can!
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Too Much Of A Good Thing
Can you drink too much chaga tea? The answer is, we love tea for different reasons, but complementary health supplements, tea or otherwise, should be taken seriously. Health supplements can cover may base from energy levels to vitamin deficiencies. The key is to find something that can be of benefit effects of chaga mushroom for your individual concern.
Taking any complementary medicine too many times or for the wrong thing, can lead to neglect in the areas that need the most attention.
Remember, the body will expel any surplus supplement.
How The List Was Chosen
The list and table above were designed to help you buy chaga products that offer the best value for money. With that goal in mind, we have compiled our top 3 chaga products and listed them in order of preference, along with customer reviews.
We also listed all the key details you should be aware of when you buy chaga products, namely Quantity and Quality .
When looking to buy chaga products, especially extracts, remember to review the supplements facts label as this provides the true value of the product when compared with the price and quantity.
Note that weve expressed the quantity in ounces even when the product lists the number of capsules instead of weight. Here weve just multiplied the number of capsules by the mg per capsule and then converted it to ounces.
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Chaga Mushroom: 5 Benefits And How To Make Chaga Tea
A common star of mushroom coffee and mushroom tea, the chaga mushroom is loaded with impressive health benefits. It actually has one of the highest ORAC scores of any food.
Why is this a good thing? ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbent capacity.
The higher the ORAC value, the better a foods ability to protect the body from disease-causing free radicals. It also means that chaga mushrooms are one of the best sources of antioxidants, with an ORAC value of 146,700.
So why exactly do people want to add chaga mushroom to their diets? What are the benefits of chaga?
People have been known to take chaga mushroom for many health concerns, including heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, parasites, stomach pain and certain types of cancer.
Lets talk more about possible chaga mushroom benefits and why theres so much buzz about disease-fighting mushrooms these days.
Everything You Should Know About Wild Canadian Chaga Mushrooms
Whether you are considering Chaga for the first timeor looking for a refresher, think of this blog as a healthy sip of what you want to know and what you should know about Wild Canadian Chaga Mushrooms. I am TaoWu from Tao TeaLeaf, and I am writing to support your thirst for learningabout and trying Chaga Mushrooms.
What are ChagaMushrooms?
Chaga is a big fungus that typically grows on yellowand white birch trees it has a black charcoal outside and a golden colour onthe inside. Chaga is well known for its richness in Beta-Glucans, which containscancer fighting properties, and a woody and loam notes taste.
A fewalternative names for Chaga includes Clinker Polypore and Birch Conk.
History of ChagaMushrooms
The “Gift from God” and alsonature’s “King of Herbs” are just a few phrases that truly makethis mushroom shine and this is due to its strong presence or roots in timesbefore Christ and traditional Asian medicine.
Back then and leading up to this day,some specialists believe that a dailysupplement of Chaga plays a hearty role in boosting the immune system and encouragingpositive life energy for growth and development.
and some just drink it leisurely.
Where canyou find Chaga Mushrooms?
These Mushrooms grow best on the outside of yellow andwhite birch trees in cold climates . The average size of afull-grown mushroom is 15 to 20 inches, but they can definitely grow larger.
How is Chagaharvested?
Variousstyles of Chaga
Nevertheless, here are a few styles toconsider:
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Preventing Drug Side Effects
Research is still in its infancy, but if chaga proves effective at fighting illnesses such as cancer and arthritis, it could be an alternative to traditional treatments.
Treating people with chaga mushrooms could prevent them from experiencing the side effects of other treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and various medications prescribed for chronic illnesses.
Chaga mushroom is available as a supplement and in herbal teas.
People planning to make their own chaga supplements, or who wish to incorporate chaga into their diet, should consult a doctor before doing so. The right daily intake of chaga varies depending on treatment goals.
Chaga is not a substitute for other forms of medical care, so people who have conditions such as cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure should continue with their usual treatment.
Instead, chaga can be incorporated as a supplement under the direction of a doctor.
Adapt Chaga Tea 270ml
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Is It Safe To Take Lions Mane While Pregnant
The lions mane is a mushroom that derives its name from its resemblance to the lions mane. The mushroom is known for its medicinal value and has been used for years in Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea.
Whether it is safe to consume the mushroom during pregnancy is still unclear as not enough research has been done on the subject. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid the lions mane during pregnancy to prevent unknown side effects to both the mother and her unborn child.
The 5 Most Common Chaga Mushroom Side Effects
Chaga is a mushroom that is steeped into a delicious tea, rather than eaten raw or baked. Many people add several cups of Chaga tea to their daily diet to promote health and wellness. Before you add Chaga into your diet, you may be wondering about potential Chaga mushroom side effects and if Chaga is right for you.
Chaga is a very safe mushroom to consume. It does not have many side effects, and it is not likely that you can really overdose. While there have been very few clinical studies of Chaga in humans, there is very little cause for concern when it comes to human consumption. This mushroom has been used as a folk medicine for centuries and there are few indicators that is has caused problems. With that in mind, there have been many advances in medicine and Chaga can interact with modern medications, causing some problems. If you are being treated for a specific complication or are taking medications of any kind, talk with your your prescribing doctor before adding Chaga into your regular routine. In most cases, adding Chaga to your diet will be fine, but it is important for your doctor to be aware of all of the medications and supplements you are taking. A balanced approach to wellness is necessary and a doctor may need to know how everything that is impacting your body is working together.
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