How to Prepare Chaga

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In case you missed all of the benefits to chaga, be sure to go back and check out the post about “The Mushroom of Immortality”.

For those that are ready to start getting the most out of chaga for yourself it is time to see how to make both a decoction and tincture of this superfood. Doing both will allow you to see what sets this healthy food apart from so many others.

 

Why Two Preparations?

The decoction is a hot water extraction to get all of the water-soluble components out of the chaga mushroom. The two main ones include:

  • Polyphenols: powerful antioxidants that are known for their help in preventing degenerative diseases
  • Beta-Glucans: polysaccharides (sugars) that are paramount in helping to boost the immune system of the body and even show promise in fighting cancer

 

The tincture on the other hand is done by using alcohol to extract different components from the plant. This is how much of the water-insoluble compounds can be extracted including:

  • Betulinic Acid: commonly found in the bark of the white birch, where chaga just happens to grow, it is associated with some pretty amazing benefits:
    • Antiretroviral
    • Antimalarial
    • Anti-inflammatory
    • Anticancer
  • Phytosterols: these can be compared to cholesterol in plants and when ingested can help us regulate our cholesterol levels.

 

As you can see each has benefits to offer and is why I would recommend doing both so that you can get the most benefits out of your chaga mushroom. By looking at the benefits you can see why this goes beyond just a health food and really puts chaga into the category of superfood.

 

The tincture is commonly prepared first and then followed with the decoction and these preparations are not just limited to their use with chaga. They can be employed to use among countless different herbs, spice, plants and just healthy food of all sorts. Each one will need to be prepared a little differently depending on the individual components of the matter being extracted. Just do a little research and you can open up your world to an amazing array of new healthy tricks for yourself

 

Have a Great Day!

Nick Horowski