Product Description
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus (persoon) Pilat) is a highly prized tonic mushroom (fungal mass). It is said to have many beneficial health functions, especially as an immune modulating tonic agent. It is found growing wild in old birch forests throughout the colder regions of the northern hemisphere, and has been well documented in Northern Asia and Northern Europe. Chaga has long been used in traditional Siberian, Korean, Chinese, north European and Scandinavian herbalism, especially Russian herbalism. Chaga has also been found in northern forests of America. The highest form or "superior grade" Chaga can only be found in locations with harsh wintery conditions where the temperature drops below minus(-) 40 degrees C. That is very cold. Premium Chaga is now being collected from the vast forests of Russian Siberia, where it grows abundantly. Ideal conditions exist in the pre-polar, northern, central and Arctic Urals as well as the Caucasus Mountains. This Chaga is referred to as "Siberian Chaga."
Chaga is comprised of two visually distinguishable parts: a black part (outside) and an orange part (inside). These are generally classified as the fruiting body and sclerotium, respectively. Chaga does not produce an extended "fruiting body" ("mushroom") like that of Reishi mushroom. Typically Chaga is a blackish irregular shape, or "sclerotial conk." The "black" (very dark brown) skin (or "fruiting body") is rich in melanin. It takes about 10—15 years of parasitism to become large enough to be called "Chaga." From this age on, the fungus can be used for tonic and medicinal preparations. Some commercial growers of Chaga in Myanmar can "grow" Chaga to a pretty large size in just a few years, but it has weak biological activity. Chaga is a "slow growth fungus" and requires the years of growth to attain a certain maturity and biological complexity. Recently, many reports have been published concerning the health promoting functions of Chaga, including protection of DNA damage from oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory activity throughout the body.
Dragon Herbs Chaga is collected wild, from remote, pristine black birch forests in the Kama River Basin of arctic Siberia, considered the premier source in the world for Chaga (Di Tao), and all Chaga mushrooms used to produce Dragon Herbs Wild Siberian Chaga are at least 20 years old at the time of collection. It has been well established that Chaga older than 20 years has both superior chemistry and superior benefit to human consumers. Siberian Chaga has been used for at least six hundred years in Russia, according to records, and probably much longer. It is considered to be a virtually miraculous herb by indigenous Siberians. There have been attempts at cultivating Chaga, but the results have so far been disappointing to pharmaceutical companies. Attempts for culturing this fungus axenically (under sterile conditions) have all resulted in a reduced production of bioactive metabolites. Wild Chaga is the way to go at this time.
Recently, many research groups have begun identification of active small (low-molecular weight) compounds in medicinal mushrooms, with a focus on the yellow polyphenol pigments, which are composed of a styrylpyrone class of compounds. Chaga has been shown to produce a large amount of these styrylpyrone-type polyphenol pigments that exhibit various biological activities, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-diabetic, anti-dementia and anti-viral effects. Styrylpyrone pigments in mushrooms are thought to have a role similar to that of flavonoids in plants. The inner part of the Chaga mushroom is orange due to the large quantity of these styrylpyrone-type polyphenol pigments. These styrylpyrone-type polyphenols contribute very significantly to Chaga's extremely potent antioxidant activity.
The compounds with the most potent antiviral activities in Chaga have been determined to be the phenolic compounds. The phenolic compounds are among the most potent antioxidants in Chaga as well.
Many of you already know about the transcription factor known as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB), a molecule in all human cells that mediates virtually ALL disease, inflammation and death in humans. The suppression of this chemical is generally regarded as a means of reducing chronic and acute inflammation, degenerative and other kinds of disease, and to prolonging life. A Chaga-component known as DBL (3,4-dihydroxybenzalacetone) is a polyphenol derived Chaga. Chaga is used in Russian folk medicine to treat tumors, so investigators are exploring its mechanism of action. Because most genes involved in inflammation, anti-apoptosis (the blocking of natural cell death), and in cell proliferation -- all of which are hallmarks cancer -- are regulated by NF-kB, researchers postulated that DBL activity is mediated via modulation of the NF-kappaB activation pathway. They investigated the effects of DBL on NF-kB activation. They found that DBL suppressed NF-kB activation by a wide variety of inflammatory agents, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1beta, epidermal growth factor, lipopolysaccharide and others. The suppression was cell type independent and inhibited both inducible and constitutive NF-kappaB activation. DBL inhibits I-kappa-B-alpha-kinase activity, I-kappa-B-alpha phosphorylation and degradation, p65 phosphorylation, and translocation, all of which are involved in NF-kB activation. DBL also suppressed the expression of TNF-induced and NF-kappaB-regulated proliferative, antiapoptotic, and metastatic gene products. These effects correlated with suppression of TNF-induced invasion. Together, these results indicate that DBL inhibits NF-kB activation and NF-kB-regulated gene expression. That's a good thing!
Researchers have recently reported in an international research journal (2011) at least one mechanism by which Chaga modulates immune responses is through secretion of Th1/Th2 cytokines (bioactive chemicals) in immune cells, and that Chaga regulates antigen-specific antibody production. This modulatory effect is responsible for Chaga's "double-direction" adaptogenic effect on the immune response. This activity is very similar to the same activities long noted in Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma).
The Chinese variety of Chaga has been studied for its impact on influenza, and though it is not the same species as Siberian Chaga, it is VERY similar compositionally and is considered interchangeable (though perhaps slightly less potent than the Siberian variety). It has been shown that this herb has a potent impact on how the body reacts to the influenza virus. In China, it is listed as one of the five primary "anti-influenza virus mushrooms." The influenza virus infection is recognized by the human innate immune system through the two genetic pathways (toll-like receptor and retinoic acid inducible gene I).These two recognition pathways both lead to the activation of type I interferons and resistance to infection. Chaga (and Reishi mushroom) contain selenium, iron and zinc in large concentrations while chromium, manganese, copper and magnesium were found in lower concentrations. Analysis of serum trace element composition in lab animals showed that these anti-influenza virus mushrooms increase serum trace mineral content significantly -- but only when consuming the whole mushroom extract (obtaining all active constituents simultaneously as opposed to consuming the trace elements as independent nutrients). The trace elements, and in particular selenium (which is greatly increased in the serum of the test animals - more than doubling that of control levels), present in these mushrooms play a direct or indirect role in their influenza fighting nature. They appear to provide prophylactic protection against influenza infection via stimulation of host innate immune response.
Chaga, like several other important tonic herbs, is a rich source of the trace element zinc. Zinc is an essential nutrient required for cell growth, differentiation and survival. Its deficiency causes immunodeficiency and many other health problems. Zinc is a critically important constituent of SOD, our most important innate antioxidant.
Chaga has apparent antimutagenic actions.
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