Benefits of Chaga Mushroom

A Little History: The Chaga Mushroom is known as "The King of Herbs" and "The Gift from God". Chaga has been used for thousands of years as a traditional medicine. It’s even rumored that the use of chaga as a beneficial mushroom goes all the way back to Roman times, with Romans importing birch from Europe. It was traditionally prepared by grating the mushroom down to a fine powder and then brewing that chaga mushroom powder as an herbal tea. Chaga likes to grow in cold climates like Siberia, Alaska, Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, and some parts of the United States. They grow mainly on birch trees and can stick around for 10 to 20 years until they become a hard mass attached to the tree. Chaga is considered a parasite to the trees it grows on because it needs its host to survive. These mushrooms don't have an easy life, can you imagine being stuck to a tree in freezing cold weather for years on end just trying to survive? Just like you need a healthy immune system, plants need the same thing to ensure their own survival. They become loaded with biological chemicals that can enhance not only their lives but ours as well! The Health Benefits of Chaga Mushroom: 1. Powerful anti-tumor properties and immuno-stimulant, immuno-stimulating phytochemicals and SOD enzyme (up to 50 times more abundant than CoQ10, and vitamin C) 2. Powerful anti-oxidant (support cellular regeneration and protect against cellular damage and genetic mutation) 3. Anti-Inflammatory and detoxifier (due to their high levels of antioxidants, which combat free radicals and prevent cellular damage). 4. Regulates healthy blood pressure, glucose levels. cardiovascular and respiratory functions (heart health) 5. Combats digestive problems, gastritis, ulcers, gout, hypertension and blood clots 6. Full of B Vitamins and Melanin, (promotes youthful, vibrant skin) 7. Reduces fatigue, aids in mental clarity, and improves sleep 8. Anti-aging and anti-viral properties 9. Improves metabolism, especially metabolic function in cerebral tissue 10. Stimulates and strengthens the sympathetic and central nervous system Chaga has the ability to improve the immune response, lower high blood sugar and combat abnormal and mutagenic cell growth. Chaga also has the capacity to stimulate the immune response reduce inflammation and to multitask on so many levels making it a very powerful adaptogen for the body. The Chaga Mushroom and the Digestive Symptom: Over 2500 years ago, the father of modern medicine Hippocrates stated;“All disease begins in the gut.” – and it feels as though this statement is more relevant today than ever before. Chaga helps the body adapt and respond to stressors by having a normalizing effect on the body. Chaga stimulates bile flow, which is important for fat digestion. It also reduces inflammation in the digestive tract. The Gut Microbiome, what is it? The gut microbiome is made up of the epithelial cells that line our GI tract. These chemical messengers, digestive enzymes and bacteria colonies create a barrier from the outside world and us, and when everything we ingest passes through, it is determined whether the molecules are friend or foe. Supporting our gut-barrier function ensures we don’t experience “leaky gut” or intestinal permeability – where gaps form inside our mucosal lining, between the cells tight junctions, where molecules, pathogens, toxins and bacteria are able to “leak” through this gap, instigating an inflammatory and immune response. It’s integral that we also recognize, our gut lining is only one cell thick. So nourishing and strengthening our gut is even more important, because we’ve only got a wall of singular cells protecting and nourishing us. Additionally, with the “gut-brain-axis” or vagus nerve linking the communication between our gut to our brain and central nervous system, the state of our gut determines the state of our brains and cognitive function. Anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer’s, PMS, mood disorders, cravings, brain fog, diabetes, obesity, allergies, hay fever, asthma, IBS, IBD, adrenal fatigue, CFS, autoimmune, arthritis, and so much more, are all directly linked to this intestinal permeability. Undoubtedly, prioritizing our gut health and this symbiotic ecosystem is a no-brainer. Mushrooms for Gut Health: Strengthening our gut lining and microbial diversity is therefore crucial to living in abundance, and luckily for us, medicinal mushrooms have the ability to help us do this. Mushrooms act primarily through their pre-biotic components.The prebiotic effects of mushrooms contribute to their protective and immunomodulating components, as an astonishing 75% of the immune system is housed in our gut! This in itself is super powerful as mushrooms not only encourage beneficial and friendly bacteria to flourish, and help the die-off of unwanted bacteria (such as Candida) but also, in their ability to communicate with the bacteria in our gut. Such a connection conveys in action the powerful and mystical mycelial network that exists throughout the world’s surface – this also exists within our bodies. The relationship between the mushrooms and our bacteria, the state and strength of our microbiome, and in turn, the strength of our immune system (75% of our immune system is located in our gut, along with 80% of our neurotransmitters (NT), including 90% of serotonin our “feel good” NT) really does convey the beneficial role medicinal mushrooms play in improving our well-being and lives. With mushroom polysaccharides acting as prebiotics, they feed the beneficial microbes in our gut, which in turn create nutrients, such as Vitamin K and SCFA (short chain fatty acids) that repair our enterocytes (intestinal wall cells) and fuel our cellular energy production. It’s a savage world in the microbiome. Not only is it important to consume prebiotics to feed the beneficial bacteria but also, through consuming a rich diet in polyphenols (plant compounds) and whole foods. Chaga Mushroom is a superfood mushroom that helps us achieve a happy, healthy microbiome -the mother of antioxidants. It helps us sustain natural energy. Being a potent antioxidant, Chaga helps to scavenge free radicals and harmful oxidized molecules that can damage our DNA and cause inflammation – which is linked to IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) / Crohn’s and UC (ulcerative colitis) – both of which are autoimmune conditions. Chaga's immunomodulatory properties can help downregulate the inflammatory cascade that exists with leaky gut, making it a potent gut-friendly tonic. Chaga also calms down the immune system to aid in reversing any excess, such as in the case of autoimmune conditions.

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Source: Health&Guts