Chaga birch: description and medicinal properties

Chaga birch (Inonotus obliguus) - This is one of the varieties of fungus tinder fungus. Like the original form, the chaga lives on trees (mainly on birches, but, despite the name, Inonotus obliguus can be found on alder and linden). Due to its characteristic appearance and rich black color, this mushroom is difficult to confuse with any other fruiting bodies.

Chaga birch has extremely useful properties. In the summer, it grows together with the base - the tree on which it grows, and it is quite difficult to extract. In winter, at negative temperatures, the mass of chaga exfoliates from the mother trunk, and therefore it is much easier to extract. This property is used by mushroom pickers. At the same time, it is noted in the literature that the beneficial and medicinal properties of chaga birch in winter not only do not deteriorate, but even improve.

Description of Birch Chaga

The fruiting body of Inonotus obliguus goes through two stages of development. At the first stage, the chaga is a growth, or nodule, from 5 to 30 cm in size, of irregular spherical or convex shape, with tuberous irregularities and cracks. After the tree dies, the chaga does not grow and the second stage of development begins, when on the opposite side of the trunk, an open fruiting body first develops under the bark with a width of up to 3-40 cm and a length of up to 3 m with a tucked-up edge of wood-brown or brown color. Ripening, the fungus destroys the bark, and after spraying, the spore darkens and dries.

The birch chaga looks like many other fungi of the tinder fungus: the flesh is dense, woody, dark brown, brownish with veins, odorless.

Good growths of the chaga are dense, when cut into them, 3 layers can be distinguished: the outer one is black, tuberous and cracking, the middle one is brown, very dense, granular at the fracture (this is the main mass of the chaga up to the trunk) and the inner one is loose, extending deep into the trunk.

As you can see in the photo, the surface color of the birch fungus chaga varies from dark brown to black:



Similar views. According to the description of the fruiting body, chaga is similar to concentric daldinium (Daldinia concentrica), which differs in spherical shape, external luster and small size.

Chaga can be harvested throughout the year. However, it is better and more convenient to do this in late autumn, winter and early spring, when the trees have no leaves and are clearly visible. In addition, at this time, the content of biologically active substances in the fungus reaches a maximum. The growths on living trees that have not yet fallen are chopped with an ax near the birch trunk, then they clean off the inner loose part (they discard it) and remove the pieces of bark and wood adhering to them.

The assembled chaga is cut into pieces of 3-6 cm, dried in well-ventilated rooms, under a canopy or in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 50 ° C. They are stored in a dry place, since the harvested raw materials are easily damp and moldy. Shelf life - no more than 3-4 months.

Look at what the birch chaga looks like in these photos:

Habitats: on the trunk of a birch, linden or alder.

Season: all year round.

There are such types of mushrooms that in winter improve their beneficial properties. These include birch chaga.In addition to the hardening effect in frosts, another effect manifests itself - stratification and collection facilitation for some species, which is why it is recommended to collect birch chaga in winter: in the warm season it grows together with the base of the tree and it is very difficult to separate, and at freezing temperatures it exfoliates and tear off significantly easier;

The main healing properties of birch chaga

Chaga has many healing properties. The main ones are as follows:

• According to the annals of the XI century, the tumor on the lip of Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh was cured by a decoction of chaga. Now it is revealed that chaga does not kill cancer cells on its own, but improves the condition of patients and reduces pain. In the early stages of cancer, tumor development can be stopped.
• During growth, many substances accumulate in the chaga in the form of a chromogenic complex. These substances have a stimulating and tonic effect.
• The beneficial properties of the birch fungus chaga are also that it has a symptomatic effect, soothes pains, improves well-being, reduces pain, and increases the body's defenses.
• Appetite appears in those receiving chaga decoction, sleep improves, intestinal function normalizes.
• Another method of application is the treatment of polyps of the stomach and intestines, cancer of the stomach and other organs that are well supplied with blood, especially when surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are unacceptable.
• Medicines are made from chaga for the treatment of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, gastritis.
• A decoction is used to calm the nervous system and to increase efficiency.
• Chaga powder is used to improve the growth of piglets and increase the weight of adult animals.
• Since ancient times in folk medicine, chaga decoction has been used to treat female and male diseases.
• Studies conducted by I. Pavlov 1st Leningrad Medical Institute proved that, due to its high healing properties, birch chaga enhances redox processes in tissues, has a general strengthening and tonic effect on the central nervous system, relieves various exacerbations, and normalizes acid and enzyme-forming function of the stomach and duodenum, restores the function of cholinergic nerves.
• The drug “Befungin” and others are produced from chaga. These drugs are used to treat malignant tumors as an adjuvant, along with other treatments and methods.