Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is an esteemed medicinal fungi, parasitizing birch trees in boreal forests around the globe. Chaga tea boasts an earthy and woodsy flavor with each sip!

Stimulates collagen production to reduce fine lines, promote skin elasticity and hydration, prevent acne breakouts, and protect against inflammation. Also contains betulinic acid which provides additional defense.

Antioxidants

Chaga is one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants and boasts essential fatty acids, vitamins (B2, B6, D and E), minerals and enzymes. This potency of antioxidants allows chaga to aid detoxification, boost immunity and support normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels while alleviating stress, balancing hormones, encouraging sleep and supporting energy increases as well as healthy digestion. It has natural adaptogenic qualities which ease tension while simultaneously supporting energy increases and healthy digestion.

We conducted five different antioxidant assays (ORAC, DPPH radical scavenging, NanoCerac and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP)) to assess the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of commercially available hydro-alcoholic mushroom extracts obtained from Ganoderma lucidum (reishi), Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane), Trametes versicolor (turkey tail), Lentinula edodes (shiitake), Lentinula edodes (shiitake), Inonotus obliquus (chaga). Each species was obtained from various vendors before being compared with its own lab-prepared counterpart.

Aqueous extracts produced significantly greater antioxidant activity than their alcohol-based counterparts due to shorter preparation time, using water instead of ethanol and higher total phenolic content in these aqueous extracts. They were also stable over time retaining their AOX activity for one month at room temperature before storage in a freezer restored 85% or more of its initial value.

The AOX assay measures antioxidant capacity by using the FRAP reagent to convert gallic acid solution into its indigo-colored analogue and measuring absorbance change at 760nm. Concentrations are calculated based on standard curves formed from gallic acid equivalent concentration versus mushroom sample concentration; results are presented in milligrams of gallic acid per gram dry weight of mushroom extract sample.

Alcohol-based extracts were shown to be more stable than their alcohol-based counterparts and demonstrated similarity with hydro-alcoholic reishi AOX assay. By comparison, hydro-alcoholic samples reached peak AOX concentration after one day of maceration and showed no significant change over four weeks of soaking, suggesting that aqueous extraction provides an easier and longer lasting source of AOX from reishi.

Anti-Inflammatory

Mushrooms contain phytochemical compounds with powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help the human body protect cells from inflammation, reduce pain and enhance immunity. Many drugs used to treat acute and chronic health conditions come from mushroom extracts derived from mushrooms’ potency as anti-inflammatories.

Chaga, Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps medicinal mushrooms have proven their worth when it comes to alleviating inflammation within the body – particularly within lungs. Furthermore, recent research indicates that Chaga may help slow aging by protecting from UV-induced damage as well as helping repair existing sun damage.

Chaga tea offers many other health benefits besides anti-inflammatory benefits, including being an excellent source of antioxidants that support liver and digestive detoxification processes as well as help balance hormones and reduce stress. Furthermore, its nutrients such as Vitamin D, magnesium and potassium also make for great nutritional sources.

When selecting a chaga tea, be sure to find a reliable brand offering high-quality organic and fair trade products. A quality chaga tea should contain chunks of fungus or ground powder decocted in hot water for 20 minutes for decocting (allowing all useful components from the fungus to be extracted from it) for decocting process to extract its beneficial components.

Good chaga tea should have a dark brown, rich and thick consistency that indicates its unique polyphenols and melanin content from the fungus, providing more flavorful and nutritious broth than its thinner, weaker counterpart.

Are you in search of an innovative chaga tea recipe? Check out Madeline Appel’s tasty offering at Fare and Flora for one that features Reishi, Lion’s Mane and Chaga mushrooms as well as turmeric root and orange peel for maximum health benefits. The end result makes for an exceptional anti-inflammation drink which may ease autoimmune disorders like Psoriasis Lupus IBS while relaxing and meditating! It makes an ideal tea to sip while unwinding after work or studying an unfamiliar subject matter.

Detoxification

Mushrooms contain various primary and secondary metabolites that provide multiple health benefits, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, terpenes, triterpenes saponins flavanones glycoproteins steroids ergosterol b-glucan melanin (Table 1) among many others (see table for list of compounds found in mushrooms). These substances are linked with cholesterol reduction, fighting cancer treatment cardiovascular diseases detoxification preventing neurodegeneration as well as lengthening longevity among other benefits (Table 1).

Mushroom metabolites found in our tea can help to combat free radical damage while supporting detoxification processes in both liver and intestine. Furthermore, they promote immune health while increasing energy levels – something mushrooms provide us with easily. Eating raw, cooked or blended into tea blends such as our Chaga and Cordyceps tea blends is one of the best ways of accessing their bioactive properties.

Mushroom tea is an easy and effective way to reap their many nutritional benefits in liquid form. Our mushroom teas are processed to soften their chitin structure for easier absorption and digestion by your body and are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals – not to mention taste!

Chaga tea is an excellent source of antioxidants, phenolic acid and melanin as well as vitamins A, C and D. It can be used as an anti-inflammatory, immune stimulant or for cell repair; superoxide dismutase helps detoxify free radicals while manganese, thiamin and essential digestive enzymes add even further health benefits.

Our Cordyceps blend boasts earthy tones from Cordyceps mushroom combined with citrus peel, turmeric root, rose hips and sage leaves – designed to increase energy, endurance and athletic performance while simultaneously supporting respiratory health, oxygen utilization and kidney health. It has also been shown to help support respiratory health, improve oxygen utilization and support kidney health.

Traditional mushroom tea preparation involves steeping mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes to extract flavor, nutrients and other compounds from them into the water, then straining and drinking as tea. This method is known as decoction and it makes use of tough woody or rubbery fungi such as Reishi, Many-zoned polypore, Chaga or Birch Polypore that may not otherwise be useful – adding additional water and simmering again can even result in multiple batches being created from one piece.

Immune Support

Mushrooms provide an immune system boost with beta-glucans. These glucose molecules stimulate innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells and natural killer cells to better identify and destroy invading pathogens. Their adaptogenic properties also aid in keeping an optimal gut microbiome balanced – offering further resistance against infections and diseases.

Chaga mushroom is an impressively beneficial superfood with multiple health advantages. Chaga extracts have been found to regulate cholesterol and blood pressure levels, protect against UV radiation damage by decreasing production of melanin, and help promote skin health with anti-ageing benefits (35). Furthermore, its antioxidant properties promote cardiovascular and immune system health as a whole due to high concentrations of polysaccharides, triterpenes, vitamins D & E content; additionally it has also been found to reduce oxidative stress while improving sleep quality while increasing energy and endurance (36).

Turkey tail (Trametes sericea) mushroom tea has been one of the most extensively researched medicinal mushrooms, having been shown to increase cellular immunity and help treat tumors (37). Packed with immunomodulatory compounds like PSK that support our natural defense system and increase natural killer cell activity, integrative nutritionist Janet Zarowitz MS RD CDN recommends it for recovering cancer patients as well as managing or preventing autoimmune conditions.

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an incredible brain boosting herb with proven cognitive health benefits, especially its powerful bioactive ingredients such as hericenones and erinacines, believed to help protect against neurodegeneration while simultaneously increasing memory function (38).

Reishi mushroom has long been recognized for its medicinal uses in traditional Chinese medicine as “the mushroom of immortality”. Packed full of triterpenes, polysaccharides, and antioxidants – including liver protection benefits, reduced anxiety levels, improved immune functioning and more (39), Reishi is often touted as the mushroom that ensures longevity.

Madeline Appel of Fare and Flora provides us with a deliciously warm mushroom broth as the ideal winter beverage. Packed full of Shiitake, Maitake, and Reishi mushrooms that have all been shown to reduce inflammation, enhance immune function, and offer other adaptogenic properties, this hearty soup makes for the ideal winter beverage!