Chaga, or birch mushroom / Inonotus obliquus — a sterile (infertile) form of the fungus belonging to the species Inonotus obliquus in the Basidiomycetes division. It most commonly appears on birches, hence its common name "black birch mushroom." It rarely affects other living trees — alder, rowan, beech, elm, maple.
Forms an irregularly shaped growth, reaching 5 to 40 cm in diameter and 10-15 cm in thickness.
The surface of the growth is black, covered with numerous cracks. Internally, the color is dark brown (due to pigment in the hyphae), transitioning to reddish-brown near the wood. The growth is permeated by white veins composed of colorless hyphae. Growth may continue for 10-20 years, but inevitably leads to the death of the host tree.
After the tree dies, the actual fruiting body of the fungus appears on the opposite side of the trunk. It develops under the bark, with hyphae spreading 0.5-1 m along the trunk's length. As spores mature, they form comb-like projections — so-called "persistent plates." These protrusions pierce the tree's bark, exposing the brownish-brown hymenium.
Medicinal material consists of growths that form on birches infected with the fungus Inonotus obliquus. Chaga can be harvested at any time of the year, although it is most often collected in late autumn, winter, or early spring, since the absence of foliage makes it easier to spot. Chaga is cut from the tree trunk with an axe, then the loose, light-colored portion is removed, as it is not suitable for use.
Contains up to 12.3% ash, and relatively high potassium content. Also detected: oxalic, formic, acetic, oleic, vanillic, paraxylbenzoic acids, two triterpenoid acids from the tetracyclic triterpenes group, oblikvinic, inonotonic acids, and others, also detected: free phenols, polysaccharides, pterins, lentin, cellulose, etc. Thanks to the presence of pterins, chaga exhibits positive effects against malignant neoplasms.
Used as a symptomatic remedy for gastric ulcers, gastritis, malignant tumors, especially when radiation therapy and surgical intervention are not recommended, but it should be noted that chaga does not eliminate tumors; chaga infusions and decoctions improve patients' well-being and reduce pain. Not recommended for use in conditions accompanied by fluid retention in the body. Prolonged use may cause increased excitability of the autonomic nervous system in some patients; this effect gradually disappears with reduced dosage or complete cessation of the preparation.
Chaga infusion, Tinctura Fungi betulini — used as an immunostimulant and gastrointestinal remedy. Exerts a moderate toning effect on the central nervous system. An excellent remedy for quenching thirst. One of the most effective remedies for reducing edema in pregnant women and after alcohol intoxication.
Chaga is mentioned as an effective anti-cancer remedy in the novel A. I. Solzhenitsyn's "Cancer Ward."
"About Dr. Maslenikov, the former patient told me that he was an old village doctor from the Alexandrovskiy district near Moscow. That he treated patients in the same hospital for decades — as was customary back then. And he noticed that although medical literature increasingly discusses cancer, among his peasant patients there is no cancer. Why is that?.. He began to investigate — he began to investigate,-- Kostoglotov repeated with pleasure,-- and discovered this: that, saving money on tea, the men in the entire area brewed not tea, but chaga, otherwise called the birch mushroom… „
Cultivating Chaga mushroom on a homestead plot.
To cultivate Chaga, only birch trees are used. Freshly cut tree trunks are sawed into logs 30-40 cm long and 15-25 cm in diameter. Holes of 2 cm diameter and 4-5 cm depth are drilled in a checkerboard pattern into the logs, the mycelium is placed inside, and the logs are covered with bark, sawdust, or moss. Watered using drip irrigation. After 2-3 months, each log is buried in the ground to a depth of 10-15 cm. Chaga is cultivated directly on the birch tree using the same method as on logs, but it should be remembered that the fungus parasitizes and lives on the tree until it kills it.
