Chaga is an amazing fungus that grows wild on birch trees in northern latitudes including Siberia. It is believed to be one of the most powerful healing fungi found on earth,.. Chaga mushrooms absorb nutrients from the birch trees which are then supplied to those who consume them.

One of the healing constituents Chaga supplies is melanin. This got me thinking. People living in northerly latitudes traditionally had paler skin and less melanin. This reinforces the notion of our archaic symbiotic chemical connection with the forest. The supply of melanin can actually come from the forest itself. I started an experimental journey with raw and wild foods many years ago and a significant turning point for me was when I accepted the significance of living in a northerly latitude and that I would need to devise a raw food diet that was substantially different to that which could be eaten in a tropical or Mediterranean climate. Recently I’ve been considering how I might similarly adjust the use of my imagination and tune into those northern forests. Shilajit, Chaga, and Rhodiola are all daily blessings that I have welcomed into my life that lift mood and sustain health. I’ve been diffusing Siberian fir, black spruce, cedar and other wood oils to create an ambience I feel at home with.

More facts to know about Chaga:

• The best Chaga products are ‘dual-extracted i.e.e the active constituents are extracted using both alcohol and water in order to obtain them all.
• Wild Chaga is far more powerful in its healing properties than cultivated Chaga
• Chaga has been used as an ancient folk remedy in Eastern Europe for thousands of years to treat a variety of illnesses and is traditionally consumed as a tea to promote health and well-being.
• It was made famous in Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel “The Cancer Ward”, where he claimed Chaga had potential as a cancer treatment.
• Chaga mushrooms are believed to be one of the richest sources of antioxidants found in nature, and the ORAC scale reveals that they contain even higher antioxidant levels than blueberries.
• .Chaga mushrooms are also rich in polysaccharides, enzymes, melanin, trace minerals and vitamins B and D.