I’m just getting acquainted with the little rascals. Seems like promising stuff.

Doc

Big fan of Chaga mushroom and have been taking it on and off for years, along with other medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, Shiitake, Maitake, Turkey Tail etc.

Chaga has potent anti-viral properties due to the betulinic acid content and is traditionally said to be good for cancer, most likely for that reason. Studies have found about 10-30% of human cancers are viral induced.

I have been harvesting chaga and making chaga tea for several years – only when it’s cool outside, because I only have a wood stove and I don’t keep it going in the summer.

There is a couple in my area who have been teaching about mushrooms for many, many years. (I met them because her 40-year old mushroom pack basket, to which she is very attached and which takes a beating, has needed to be repaired three times in the past several years, so a friend and I have had the honor of keeping it going.) When talking with her about mushrooms, she asked how I prepare my chaga. When I told her, she approved and said I was doing it the right way.

I put some chaga in a pot of water and just leave it on the stove, drinking as I wish and adding water as needed. When the water no longer has much color, I start over. She did specify that she thinks it SHOULDN’T be ground up.

My winter tea started out with my cousin’s daughter. She made tea with allspice, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and anise stars. Initially, I didn’t have allspice so I put in cloves. Eventually I have added more and more ingredients until it now has whatever I have of the following: anise stars, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, chaga, chicory, birch polypore, pau d’arco, sassafras, ashwagandha.

Another thing is I should mention is that I don’t put the pot directly on the wood stove. It is raised up about 2” on some soapstone pieces so it stays warm most of the time (late fall/winter/early spring) but is more likely to only simmer when the fire gets going great guns than to boil. I don’t know if this method is good for the rest of my ingredients, but it is, according to my local expert 😉 good for chaga. It tastes good too. 🙂 Chaga itself doesn’t really have much flavor (at least according to MY taste buds…)

I’m sure there are other ingredients that would be good to add. After listening to several of the HGH modules, I think dandelion, licorice, and probably a scad more might eventually join my 11 current ingredients. Input or advice on whether or not I’m ruining any medicinal benefit of the other ingredients by using this method is welcome. 🙂

Does anybody know how to make a Chaga tincture? I’ve read it’s meant to be done in an involved double extraction. I’d love a tutorial so I can make my own. Any tips Doc?

I have a couple of books that talk about a double extraction.

Christopher Hobbs: Medicinal Mushrooms – The Essential Guide

and

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies : Nicole Apelian

I am going to try Reishi this weekend. It doesn’t seem hard but takes a few steps.

Hope this helps

Cindy Lou

I tincture it like I tincture everything else.

https://homegrownherbalist.net/product/chaga-tincture/

Doc Jones

https://homegrownherbalist.net/about-the-school/