The mysterious Chaga mushroom
(Inonotus obliquus) is a non-toxic, medicinal mycelium
with a propensity for birch bark. If you were to spot it
while roaming through a birch forest in the Northern
hemisphere, you’d probably assume (based on its rather
unappealing appearance), that it was some kind of tree
infection. But Chaga is a whole lot more than just an
unsightly forest blemish. The chaga mushroom is actually
a treasure trove of science-backed healing potential
that’s been a prominent feature in folk medicine for
thousands of years.
Chaga’s reputation as a
powerful natural remedy for everything from
gastrointestinal disease to tuberculosis to cancer spans
at least as far back as the 16th century when botanical
artisans are said to have figured out that it could be
steeped as a tea for a variety of therapeutic purposes.
The historical record suggests that, even prior to
this, natural healers in Asia were likely among the
first to document Chaga’s medicinal potential more than
4,600 years ago. They observed that the strange fungus
has a unique ability to extract nutrients from its hosts
and concentrate them into itself. Hence the chaga
mushroom’s incredible density of B vitamins,
antioxidants, trace minerals, enzymes, and more.
Since these ancient times science has taken our
understanding of Chaga to a whole new level, and the
West is finally catching on to what this amazing
mushroom is capable of. Just in the last century the
Chaga mushroom’s antiviral, antimicrobial,
anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective,
anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-cancer properties
have become more widely known. Prominent authorities
including the International Society for Mushroom Science
(ISMS) have declared it to be a worthwhile dietary
supplement that may be useful as a first-line
nutraceutical remedy. This means it’s a functional food
that exhibits significant medicinal and/or tonic
qualities from which humans can derive benefit.
How Chaga Helps Support a Vibrant Immune System
You probably already know that the primary means by
which the human body avoids disease is through the
immune system, a complex network of organs, cells, and
proteins that actively wards off foreign invaders.
Without an immune system, our bodies would quickly
succumb to harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses,
parasites, and malignant fungi, leading to serious
illness and eventually death.
This is why it’s
critically important to support the immune system with
immuno-modulatory nutrition like the kind found in
Chaga.
A natural Biological Response Modifier
(BRM), Chaga mushroom is rich in a class of
polysaccharides known as Beta-D-Glucans that help to
balance the body’s immune system response, boosting or
slowing it as needed for optimal function. Chaga also
possesses key nutrient compounds that give it the
ability to activate an array of immune cells, including
lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells.
These cells allow the body to suppress the formation of
chronic health conditions like autoimmune disease,
allergies, and cancer.
The immuno-modulatory
effects of Chaga appear to extend even further than
this, with investigatory research suggesting benefits in
the remediation of both food and asthma allergies,
atopic dermatitis, inflammation (including autoimmune
inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis),
atherosclerosis, thrombosis, human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), listeriosis, septic shock, and perhaps most
prominently, cancer. While science has yet to uncover
every precise mechanism behind how Chaga performs these
functions, it’s clear from what’s already been uncovered
that Chaga is a powerful potentiating and
immune-enhancing “superfood” with vast healing
potential.
Inflammation is No Match for Chaga
Mushroom
In addition to Beta-D-Glucans, Chaga
mushrooms contain a variety of other polysaccharides
that have been scientifically shown to help boost energy
levels and promote mental clarity, while protecting the
various organs of the body against damaging
inflammation. Particularly in the area of cardiovascular
health, Chaga exhibits a type of soothing effect that’s
been shown to help relax blood vessels and improve blood
flow. This in turn delivers more oxygen throughout the
body.
Patients suffering from chronic pain,
neuropathy, and even diabetes are strong candidates for
Chaga’s use in this regard, as the mushroom’s
constituents have further been shown to help modulate
platelet aggregation.
Heart disease is another
area where Chaga has shown pronounced benefits. It
contains high levels of a triterpene substance known as
betulinic acid, as well as its precursor betulin, that
studies show is a powerful weapon against high
cholesterol. Researchers from Jiangnan University in
China found that a culture broth containing dry matter
of Chaga extract exhibited both anti-hyperglycemic and
anti-lipid peroxidative effects, helping to break down
damaging LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in
the bloodstream.
Chaga’s diverse antioxidant
profile is even more impressive, as it bears the highest
ORAC score of any known superfood. (ORAC is a measure of
antioxidant potency.) According to research compiled by
Tufts University, Chaga has three times the antioxidant
power of wolfberries (aka goji berries), which is the
next strongest known food. One could argue that this
makes Chaga the world’s number one source of
inflammation-fighting antioxidants.
Chaga
mushroom contains high amounts of Super Oxide Dismutase
(SOD), a powerful class of enzymes that contributes to
its robust antioxidant defense against oxidation and
free radical damage. Chaga’s natural black pigmentation
is indicative of its high content of melanin, a
polyphenol-rich “super” antioxidant that protects
against DNA damage.7 Melanin is the same antioxidant
naturally found in human skin that protects against sun
damage.
Chaga and Cancer: A Potential Natural
Alternative to Drugs and Surgery?
Where Chaga
really shines though is in the area of cancer. Dozens of
scientific studies (and counting!) suggest that Chaga
exhibits strong apoptotic, anti-proliferative, and
chemo-protective benefits. Its full spectrum of
phytosterols, including lanosterol, inotodiol,
ergosterol, and fecosterol, are among the many Chaga
constituents that have been shown both in vivo (inside a
living organism) and in vitro (in a laboratory model) to
directly inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells.
In tumor-bearing mice, extracts of Chaga showed
significant tumor-suppressive effects, the
supplementation of which resulted in an impressive 60
percent reduction in tumor size, on average. The same
research found that Chaga helped to increase tumor
agglomeration as well as inhibit tumor vascularization,
further inhibiting the growth and spread of cancer in
these mice.9 Related research demonstrated Chaga’s
anti-cancer potential as it pertains to the
down-regulation of certain cell pathways associated with
cancer, including in colitis-induced human colorectal
cancer.
Researchers from Russia have been
actively studying the benefits of Chaga and other
similar mushrooms that grow throughout their country and
in nearby Siberia, taking a particular interest in how
these mushroom constituents affect cancer. Among their
discoveries are the therapeutic benefits of Chaga’s
bioactive triterpene compounds – primarily those
containing OH group at C-22 and a side chain unsaturated
bond – which these researchers found have the ability to
directly inhibit the growth of a number of cancer cell
lines, as demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.
Chaga also possesses hepatoprotective properties
that are particularly relevant not only to liver
injuries but also to liver cancer. Studies have found
that even when taken at relatively low doses, Chaga
actively scavenges the free radicals that cause
oxidative liver injury, effectively blocking the
formation of liver disease and liver cancer.
All
of this and more is why one study dubbed Chaga as a
premier “natural anti-cancer ingredient in food,”
suggesting that it may, in fact, be a safe and effective
treatment and preventative protocol for cancer.13 This
sentiment is further reflected by David Winston, RH,
AHG, Dean of the Center for Herbal Studies in Broadway,
New Jersey, and an herbal practitioner with more than 40
years of experience under his belt, who’s convinced that
Chaga is the most powerfully anti-cancer medicinal
mushroom in existence.
It all makes sense when
you consider the incredible nutrient profile of Chaga,
which is virtually unmatched in the natural world. Even
with all that we know it can do, there’s still so much
more to learn about the wonders of the Chaga mushroom,
which is why this powerful superfood will continue to be
the focus of scientific research involving functional
foods for many years to come.