Chaga?

[Woodhauler]

Anyone on here a user of it?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

What is it? Don't think I know this one. say_what

[Sixacresand]

Not me.  I googled it.  It is some kind of mushroom with medicinal properties. 

[Magicman]

No....not for me.

[r.man]

I was told by a friend who has used it that it is a medicinal something or other that grows on one or both of the local birches. It is a grainy ugly lumpish black thing growing on the tree. You grind it up and make tea etc. Supposed to be a good anti oxidant.

[WV Sawmiller]

Hauler,

   Never heard of it. I thought it was a South American dictator or drug lord. (Is it even politically correct to admit that?)

[Woodhauler]

While moose hunting , my buddy got 2-3 pounds of it. Looks like a cow patty on a tree! He is more then welcome to use it.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

You eat them wild cow patties off a tree and you'll thing its Halloween 30 minutes.  :D :D :D

[Ken]

Seems to be quite popular among some.  Found on overmature white and yellow birch.  Looks like a lump of charcoil on a tree.

[DanG]

I opened this thread because I thought it was a Mainer with a question about battery chargers.  :D :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I opened this thread because I thought it was a Mainer with a question about battery chargers.  :D :D

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D You're kiling me DanG!

[Autocar]

 :D :D :D :D :D

[Woodhauler]

I opened this thread because I thought it was a Mainer with a question about battery chargers.  :D :D

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D You're kiling me DanG!

Yahall want to talk about funny accents???? 

[Sixacresand]

Seems like I remember back in 70's,folks would pic mushrooms off cow pies, make koolaid out of it and then see pink elephants in the room. 

[coxy]

they are getting 120$ a pound for it here  ???

[John Mc]

Chaga isn't the stuff with hallucinogenic properties

[whitepine2]

What is it? Don't think I know this one. say_what

Ya grind it up and sprinkle it on "GRITS"  yum yum

[coxy]

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[1wkinsley]

It is a fungus on Birch trees. I have mainly seen it used for chaga tea which tasted pretty good. But it is a health nut thing mostly.

[DonT]

I made chaga tea last winter,many make a tincture from it.I think it has its merits.

[jake pogg]

Greetings,everyone.

This is my first posting on this board,so let me briefly introduce meself:My name's Jake Pogrebinsky(good Irish name),and i'm an aging river-rat,infesting the middle-Yukon R. valley,roughly between the villages of Ruby and Galena.I came to Alaska 29 years ago,but have lived here,400 miles downriver from the nearest road,for the last 21 of these...Living thus,"far from the madding crowds",convinces one that he knows EVERYTHING :P,so that you're very lucky that you now have me on here...But even luckier is the fact that my internet access is spotty at best,so that you're safe,afterall! ;D

But,be that as it may,it was my twisted fate to've been born in the good ol' USSR(i was brought here as a kid so i'm not really a commie,promise).And thusly do i know a little of this fairly recen fad,the Chaga!
There are regions in Siberia that have used the stuff from time immemorial,and at some point it came to the attention of authorities that the incidence of cancer there,SEEMINGLY coinciding with the areas of the chaga-guzzling,are strikingly,suspiciously low.
Now,the soviet authorities were anything but gullible on the subject of folk-medicine,quite the opposite,they were mean,cynical,and disapproving in re; of any non-allopathic business,but the statistic was too glaring to avoid.
And zo,they prodded and poked at the chaga business in their pharmacological labs,and being rather dysfunctionally-beaurocratic have taken their time about it(no idea what reflection the time had on thoroughness,but they didst sliced it and diced it for a goodly while.
And...Nada...zilch,no connection at all between the many and sundry alkaloids in chaga(some fairly exotic),and the cancer research(of the period,at least).
But,the statistics were still there,and so grumbling and dissatisfied,they desisted,but(atypically)without denouncing chaga with the Opium for the Masses label;it was all just inconclusive...
And so the Myth lives on,here,there,many places,and the legit bio-chemical jury is still out... :...And the villagers in the deepest,darkest Siberia keep on chugging chaga,but then again,one look at the shelves in them village stores would drive one to drinking even more interesting stuff....

Meanwhile,it tastes decent enough(very much like Lipton tea),and especially if the water where you're camping is foul-tasting,makes for a good hot drink,while out and about.And,most conveniently,the stuff's EVERYWHERE!
(The post above mentioning it selling for hundred + bucks a pound must be incorrect,else,have i missed my carreer opportunity YET again?!Well,won't be the first time...

Cheers,and hope that it wasn't too brief!:)

[Magicman]

Wow, it is nice to meet you here on the Forestry Forum, jake pogg, and Welcome!   

[jake pogg]

Magicman,thank you,Sir.

I'm actually not that that much of a clown,normally.And have joined the board for  reasons having to do with serious,legit questions in regards to the wood technologies.
My personal interests are often towards the older,even arcane,methods,hand-tools related(my forging anymore is strictly woodworking tools),but life being what it is,even here,on the day to day basis i'm likelier to be using a Stihl461 or a band-mill.
I AM very lucky to be living here,as the backwardness of this place allows me to play with making my own charcoal for forging fuel,or taking liberties/experimenting with the log-building joinery,et c.
I'm honored to be here,and would like to take some time to look around,so as to be more respectful of all everyone's time,when asking questions,or(God forbid),volunteering some information.. 

[Magicman]

I won't forget, but add your location to your profile so that everyone will know.

We are planning another Alaskan trip next year, but our travels will be on the highways.   ;D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I'm actually not that that much of a clown,normally.

Wait until I get through with ya.  :D

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the FF.

Goat. 

[goose63]

Are these what you guys talking abought if so there must be ten pounds in this pile

  

  

 
If so you can take all you like

[kwendt]

It goes for about $70 per oz of tincture up here. And yes, grows on old white or yellow birch, I'm told it's a slow growing fungus. There are quite a few ppl who use it...cited to be the best or strongest antioxidant known. Folks soak it in alcohol to make a tincture....

[Miller-Thinner2]

I went picking Chaga the other day. Found a bunch even a 27lb piece

[kensfarm]

Goose I don't believe that is chaga..  google it and look at the pictures.. looks like a black burl on the side of the tree. 

[starmac]

I was told to brew it like coffee, personally liked grits better and nobody has been able to force me to eat grits in over 50 years. lol

I may have to make some tea, and see if my taste buds think any better of it.

[r.man]

Does anyone know how the chaga is processed to be used?

[Miller-Thinner2]

you can grind it up put it in one of them stainless tea balls or cut it up into to chunks. you can reuse the same chunk a couple times. Im sure many other ways to make it. I cut mine up into 1 inch squares. its very hard to work with once its dried. once i pick my chaga I start to dry it so it dont mold.
I was reading online its only good to pick in the winter after the tree has gone dormant. Never pick it off of a dead tree.



this piece weighed 27lbs that would last someone a very long time in tea lol

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, jake pogg!

Jake, I see by your description that you;re on the Iditarod Trail! 

I've seen Chaga around here and lately, I've seen it mentioned on the previews of the new TV series "Alaska Proof"!

Apparently it is used in producing certain types of alcoholic beverages!

[coxy]

 why cant you pick it off dead trees

[DonT]

My understanding is that chaga is a living organism that requires the host tree to be alive,when the host dies the chaga does as well. 

[Chuck White]

Sounds right, Don!

[47sawdust]

The good witch that I live with gathers chaga and makes medicinal tinctures.Her drug store is full of  of home made medicine.
She is sleeping now or I would ask for details.It is best not to wake "she who must be obeyed" from her slumber.
I trust her more than my doctor.

[Fundyheather]

chaga, Inonotus obliquus

Cures cancer etc, grows on my birch tree firewood, seems to prefer yellow birch, commonly found in boreal and boreal transition forest.  When damp fresh off the tree the interior grinds easily with a cheese grater.  I store it in the freezer to preserve it and keep it damp, makes sort of a caramel tasting tea.  Worth about $30 lb in our area.  Active ingredients are commonly extracted using water and alcohol.  True believers do both, then recombine resulting liquids.   

Best research information I have found comes from Russia and northern Europe. 

Local witch doctor does a popular vodka extraction (for medicinal purposes only.)

[johnnyllama]

I recently met someone who was quite familiar with chaga at a native american and pioneer fair this fall in western NY. He was a flint knapper who also demonstrated firestarting and used finely ground chaga as a tinder in his percussion firestarter. After showing me what it looked like I realized I had some growing on my own property on some yellow birch trees. A little time on the internet shows it is still the subject of quite a bit of research as a stong anti-oxidant and possible cancer fighting fungus but not so much when brewed as a tea. They are utilizing other ways to extract the chemicals that provide a much higher level of concentration.
I was told to harvest only part at a time as it will continue to grow if not completely stripped but so far I haven't touched it. I'll see if I have some good pictures of it. I've wondered for years what it was.

[r.man]

Does anyone know if some of the chaga is waste like a fruit rind? I see that the inside is a different colour than the outside. Is one more or only desirable?

[DonT]

I have been told the black portion is the most "potent". Many facebook pages exist with an abundance of experts.I made a tea in my slow cooker,I believe everyone needs to research it and form their own opinions based on their findings.

[Fundyheather]

Chaga seems not to be a waste or 'rind' product as asked.  Appears the chaga mass is concentrating birch tree chemicals, particularly betulin, which also occurs in the bark.  The mass can be seen to be extruding from a wound in the tree, pushing the bark aside.  It's less clear (to me) if the mass is killing the tree. as I see it in a mix of trees, some of them very healthy specimens.  The mass we see seems also not to be the 'fruiting body' like we expect to see in a mushroom.  It's a puzzle the more you look at it.  Willow bark gave us Aspirin, ground hemlock gave us Taxol, and chaga has something to give if we can figure it out.