Chaga - medicinal properties and contraindications

Chaga, or black birch mushroom, is a fungal form of the parasite that turns from a small spore into a large, full-fledged organism. Chaga begins to grow and develop in those places where fungal spores fall on the damaged part of the tree bark. Spores penetrate into the tree, under the bark, feed on its healing properties. Usually, chaga grows on birches; very rarely, a mushroom can be found on other trees. Centuries ago, when tea and coffee were not so common drinks, people drank chaga tea in the villages. He not only gave the drink a characteristic dark color, but also gave it a special sweetness and taste. Everyone knows that in spring birch oozes sweet juice, which flows down the bark of a tree, impregnates chaga. People collected young growths and made a sweet drink. For medicinal purposes, not young, but more mature black mushrooms are used. In this article, you will learn about the positive and negative properties of chaga, get acquainted with the methods of collecting mushrooms, and also be able to properly prepare medicinal products from raw materials.

How to collect and harvest chaga?

In principle, chaga can be harvested at any time of the year, but in the summer it is difficult to find a mushroom due to the large amount of greenery. In winter, collecting chaga is also not easy, you can get stuck in snowdrifts. Experts say that the maximum amount of nutrients in the chaga contains in the spring before the first greens begin to appear. Chaga can also be harvested in the fall, when the yellow foliage comes off. When collecting chaga, it is very important to distinguish it from a tinder fungus, which is very similar to a birch mushroom. Carefully look at the shape of the mushroom - the chaga is shapeless, has a black color. But the tinder fungus grows in the shape of a horseshoe, more rounded, its color is lighter, closer to brown and brown.

When going to the forest behind the chaga, be sure to bring a good knife or hatchet with you. The fact is that the mushroom strongly clings to the bark of the tree, do not tear it off with your hands. In no case do not cut the chaga from dead trees - there is nothing useful in it, such a mushroom also died long ago. And you do not need to cut the chaga from the lower parts of the tree - the higher the chaga is located to the top, the more useful it is. Another advice from experts - do not cut the chaga from lonely standing birches, only from birches that grow in large groves.

After collecting, you need to clean the chaga from the wood - where the mushroom was in contact with the bark of the tree. Then remove the black surface layer of raw materials, leaving only a brown mass. It is crushed into small pieces convenient for preparing a drink or medicine. The fact is that the chaga hardens after drying, you can not leave it in one piece. Drying the chaga is not difficult - just leave the raw materials in a well-ventilated place for a couple of weeks. Do not expose the mushroom to direct sunlight, protect raw materials from ultraviolet radiation. A faster drying method is in the oven. Store the finished dried chaga in paper or canvas bags, boxes. You can not store the product in a jar - chaga must breathe. Dry chaga can be stored for 2 years.

Useful properties of chaga for the human body

But why are people so anxiously collecting, procuring and storing chaga? The list of its useful properties is very wide.

1. Bactericidal and antimicrobial properties. Due to its antiseptic effect, chaga is used in the fight against various external wounds, cuts, and inflammations. From chaga make decoctions or lotions that successfully treat eczema, frostbite, burns.And chaga is a great antidote to the bites of poisonous insects.
2. Against gastritis. One of the main uses of chaga is the use of a decoction in the fight against inflamed gastric mucosa. Chaga perfectly heals the walls of the stomach, inhibits the development of ulcers, relieves stomach pain with gastritis. In addition, chaga stimulates the production of enzymes, promotes digestion. Chaga decoction can be drunk with colic and bowel spasm - it quickly relieves pain.
3. Oncology. Another frequent use of chaga is use in the treatment of oncology. Of course, chaga will not be able to completely suppress cancer cells, but it significantly slows down their growth, improves the quality of life of the patient, and relieves pain.
4. Tone and immunity. There are a lot of useful substances in the chaga that saturate the immunity weakened by the disease. Chaga decoction was always given to people after infectious diseases, after nervous and physical exhaustion to strengthen immunity and increase vitality. The anti-inflammatory properties of chaga allow you to use the mushroom as the best way to treat colds. Regular consumption of chaga as a drink is an excellent prevention in the winter season.
5. For the nervous system. Chaga is incredibly useful for a variety of nervous pathologies. If you sleep poorly, if you are tormented by insomnia, anxiety, apathy, or panic attacks, if you are often nervous, and any external factors make you crazy, you need to take a course of chaga. A large amount of vitamin B in the composition of the product allows you to strengthen the integrity of nerve fibers, you can become a calmer and more balanced person.
6. Treatment of the oral mucosa. Chaga has a powerful healing and astringent effect, it copes with inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. Chaga decoction is used to rinse the mouth with stomatitis, periodontal disease, periodontitis. Chaga copes with throat diseases perfectly - rinses are effective for tonsillitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis, etc. In addition, a thoroughly strained chaga decoction is used in inhalations - steam quickly settles on the inflamed wall of the mucous membrane of the larynx or lungs, relieves swelling and spasm, facilitates breathing, and relieves cough.
7. Against edema. Tincture and decoction of the fungus is often used in the fight against swelling of the limbs. Chaga has a mild diuretic and choleretic effect.
8. For men. Chaga has long been considered the best treatment for male impotence. The fact is that there are a lot of microelements in the chaga, the lack of which leads to a decrease in testosterone levels. Regular course use of the medicinal properties of chaga helps reduce the risk of developing prostate adenoma cancer.
9. For women. Chaga is also widely used to treat the female body. With its help, you can get rid of such diagnoses as cervical erosion, myoma, endometriosis, ovarian cyst, mastopathy. Douching or placing a cotton swab dipped in a chaga broth in the vagina allows you to get rid of sexually transmitted and infectious diseases. In past centuries, chaga treated infertility. The beneficial properties of chaga for women also lie in the widespread use of the product for cosmetic purposes. Masks with chaga decoction improve complexion, fight acne and inflammation, suppress excess oily skin, and tighten the oval.

And chaga perfectly reduces blood pressure and normalizes blood sugar, improves the cardiovascular system and regulates metabolism. Recently, chaga has been used as an effective means for losing weight - it has few calories, but a lot of useful substances that are so necessary for the body with poor nutrition.

Contraindications Chaga

Any, even the most effective medicine and the most useful product can be dangerous if used incorrectly.To maximize the effect of chaga, a home remedy cannot be used simultaneously with a course of antibacterial therapy. For example, penicillin group drugs inhibit the action of the fungus. In addition, chaga cannot be used in glucose treatment - the effect of such therapy is reduced to zero. When treating with chaga, it is better to introduce more dairy products into the diet - this is an excellent environment for the development of beneficial fungi and bacteria. Among the contraindications for taking chaga, dysentery and acute infectious pathologies can be noted. In addition, chaga can cause an allergic reaction. You can not be treated with chaga during pregnancy and lactation, the medicine is also contraindicated for children. Do not drink chaga before going to bed - it will give energy and strength, active wakefulness can interfere with healthy sleep.

How to make medicine from chaga?

Chaga is really very useful, but how to cook it to get the most saturated and effective medicinal composition?

1. Tea. A weak solution of chaga can be used as a drink without concern. For this, the dry mass of chaga is ground almost to a powdery state, and a teaspoon of raw material is poured into the teapot, like a regular tea leaves. Then pour boiling water - after 10 minutes the tea is ready. It can be taken for preventive purposes.
2. Decoction. For a more concentrated composition, a decoction should be used. In a liter jar, you need to pour three tablespoons of chopped chaga into pieces, pour boiling water, wrap and leave for 5-6 hours. Drinking a decoction for oncology and gastritis, it can also be used for external use, rinsing the mouth, douching with hemorrhoids and gynecological diseases. During treatment, the broth is drunk 100 ml three times a day half an hour before meals.
3. Infusion. Alcohol tincture on the chaga is prepared for a long time, but can also be stored for as long. A bottle of dark glass should be filled with pieces of chaga, slightly tamped and filled with vodka or alcohol. Leave for 3-4 weeks in a dark and cool place. From time to time, you need to shake the bottle to make the infusion more saturated and concentrated. When the infusion is ready, it is filtered and stored in the refrigerator, up to six months.
4. Chaga oil. Oil for external use can be used in the fight against various inflammatory processes on the skin, the oil perfectly relieves pain from rheumatism and arthritis. For its preparation, the chaga is cut into small pieces, placed in a glass container, poured with hot but not boiling oil so that the oil slightly covers the crushed chaga. The container should be closed and wrapped with a towel, put in a warm place for 10 hours. Next, the composition is filtered, and the raw materials are carefully squeezed out - it contains all the most useful and necessary. Then the oil should be filtered through several layers of gauze and stored in the refrigerator. If necessary, warm in a water bath and apply to the affected areas.

In addition, you can enhance the effect of chaga if you brew it with various medicinal herbs - chamomile, nettle, oregano, and a succession.

Chaga is a very strong and powerful natural medicine, it should be used correctly. If you decide to be treated with chaga, be sure to consult your doctor. This will allow you to avoid problems and get only benefits from the product.

Video: useful properties and application of chaga