When you hear or read the word ‘mushrooms’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
Is it about the Michelin star culinary and its health benefits cream mushroom soup? Some ‘junkies consumption’ perhaps? Or, the Mario? Nope, it is not all of them.
This type of mushrooms is more likely for medical purposes, but its utilization need to be followed by some extra cautions.
Thus, what is exactly this chaga mushrooms thing? In what caution is this mushroom consumption supposed to?
Thus, don’t you ask about what are the benefits of Lions Mane Mushrooms, since, here are five health benefits of chaga mushrooms:
Chaga (which derived from a Russian word ‘чага’) mushroom is an international trade-name signature for a specific mushroom with Binomial name: Inonotus obliquus.
It is a parasite fungus which usually ‘infects’ the birch or any other trees. This mushroom has a unique charcoal-burn shape, mostly in black color, and consumed as medicine within some parts of the world where it grows.
This mushroom commonly found within the Circumboreal Region – North Anatolia (the southernmost part) and some northern parts like New England, Michigan, Minnesota, Alaska, Canada, Europe, Caucasus and Russia. So, it is not always the Matsutake Mushroom health benefits only, right?
The chaga mushrooms mostly contains Melanin and Oxalate. It is estimated as much as 2800-11200mg/100g sclerotium (the part which is ‘harvested’).
But moreover, it also consists of some others beneficial nutrition like: Vitamin D, Magnesium, Calcium, B-Complex Vitamins, Potassium, Cesium, Rubidium, Fiber, etc.
But the most specifically significant property of these mushrooms is the existence of substances called as: β-glucans polysaccharides – based on an analytical study upon the mushroom.
Thus, from those contents, what are the benefits and the side effects of chaga mushrooms? And here are the benefits:
1. Rich nutrition food.
Like already mentioned above, that this mushroom has many nutritional content within it.
Some of them have its own unique attribute which cannot be found in other organism, even in other kind of mushroom.
From that thing we can say that it has a lot benefits if we consume it. Also consider the health benefits of mushroom during pregnancy!
But before we go much further, the thing that we need to underline is: It needs to be prepared in the right way, otherwise…
2. It will delay the aging process.
I am not saying that this mushroom is some organic form of ‘fountain of youth’ or something, but I must admit that, with the attribution of the β-glucans polysaccharides, it acts as an antioxidant.
Thus, within some cases, it may slow down the aging process of your cell, even it may ‘reverse visible signs of aging’ or known as “rejuvenescence effect”! Even better than the fountain of youth!
3. It may avoid you from cholesterol.
It was already discussed within the point above that Chaga has lot of antioxidant.
And not just the antioxidant can make your body ‘organically’ younger but also: can reduce the “low-density lipoprotein” or also known as LPL.
This kind of protein is the ‘bad’ one which may cause the cholesterol disease. So, by reducing the LPL, the cholesterol may be avoided.
4. It can also bring you away from heart diseases.
Another ‘chain reaction’ from the existence of antioxidant is that: it can set you apart from any heart diseases such as heart attack or arterial syndrome.
It was already conversed within the point number 3 (three) that the mushrooms may reduce the LPL – the protein which commonly caused cholesterol.
Thus, since cholesterol is highly related with many heart diseases, automatically, when you got low of it, you are one step away from any awful heart disease. Simple!
5. The most important thing, it has many medicinal benefits.
From the recent studies of the mushroom, it can be seen that the β-glucans polysaccharides actually have many others medical benefits.
Those benefits are immuno-modulating, cardiovascular, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, and other medical effects of any culinary-medicinal purpose mushroom species, like some health benefits of straw mushrooms.
But the most favored by its consumer is: the anti-tumor and cancer. This ‘golden’ effect is the one which make this mushrooms traded in the first place – to prevent and fight cancer.
And here are the side-effects of the chaga mushrooms:
- Since the Chaga contains high concentration of Oxalates (it may harm the body), like already mentioned within “Chaga Benefits – Point number 1”, it needs to be prepared in the right way to distill and to reduce the vast amount of the Oxalates.
- Chaga also has an ability to lower the concentration of sugar concentration within blood, so, further caution may be necessary for those who taking insulin or such medication.
- The Chaga is a strong compound, thus, one cannot using other kind of herbal while still consuming it. At least you need doctor prescription for further utilization.
- Chaga is primer-supplementary medicinal. It means that it cannot be combined with other supplementary medicine (primer), but it can’t change the role of doctor-prescribed medicine.
- Chaga has protein which may avert blood clotting. Hence, people who taking some blood-thinning medication, preparing for surgery, or bleeding disorder need further advice from doctor.
Those are five health benefits of chaga mushrooms which can add some insight for you.
Source:
Kalac, P. (2019). Mineral Composition and Radioactivity of Edible Mushrooms. Academic Press.
Siwulski, M., Rzymski, P., Budka, A., Kalač, P., Budzyńska, S., Dawidowicz, L., … & Niedzielski, P. (2019). The effect of different substrates on the growth of six cultivated mushroom species and composition of macro and trace elements in their fruiting bodies. European Food Research and Technology, 245(2), 419-431.