We are all aware of the health benefits of the chaga mushroom. They have been discussed, researched and experimented more time that I could count, but there are other hidden ways that this black fungus can help us. From fire to alcohol, this mushroom seem to have many tricks up its sleeve.
While doing my research for this blog post, I must admit that I was surprised at the number of ways we can take advantage of the chaga. It made me like it even more (if that was possible) and made me discover different actions that I will now use my large inventory of chaga.
I documented many ways that we can use this mushroom other than the traditional tea. If you know another way we can profit from this fungus, please leave a comment and I will look into it.
Pssst! you might want to stick until the end because the fifth item on this list is healthy alcohol.
1. Fire Starter
One of the primary uses of the chaga mushroom in North-America before the Europeans came to the new world was to start a fire with them. They would literally set one of the most powerful mushrooms on fire. Why would they do that?
Chaga is a powerful mushroom in the health category, but it’s also as powerful in the survival category. It is one of the most flammable produce you can get out of nature.
How to start a fire with Chaga?
It is recommended to grind the mushroom into small chunks if you want to start a fire with chaga. Once it’s done, you can put it on a birch bark sheet and start one of the easiest fire you will start in your life. The merger of the chaga mushroom and the oil contained in the birch bark make an ultra flammable combination.
You can also simply set the entire mushroom on fire, put it on the ground and cover it with twigs and sticks until the fire gains velocity. You then add logs and you have a fire.
2. Make a Chaga Cream
The Japanese have been making cream with chaga for centuries and we (Americans and Europeans) are just catching up to their secrets. They use the cream in two contexts:
- As a treatment. To soothe scratched or burned skin.
- As prevention. They apply the cream on their skin to keep it young and healthy.
I haven’t read any formal study confirming the benefits of chaga in a cream form, but considering what this fungus can do for the human body, I wouldn’t be surprised a serious study confirms that the Japanese were right about the chaga cream.
3. Give it to your dog
I Have to say that this one caught me off guard. As someone who harvests chaga with Lou, my Labrador, I never thought of giving some chunks to her. Even though it seems weird, dogs are mammals just like us and can benefit greatly from the nutrients found in the chaga.
According to this dog health website, giving chaga to your dogs will have the same benefits as giving it to a human. The real trick is to give it to them, chaga doesn’t exactly taste like bacon.
Their trick? insert the chaga tea into their drinking water. You should do it gradually to a recommended dose of about 1 cup for 50lb of your dog’s weight.
Voila, your hiking partner is healthier now.
4. Coloring clothes
If you are the crafty DIY type of person, you should try coloring your clothes with chaga.
The process is fairly simple. All you have to do is dip your clothes in chaga tea and hang them to let them dry. You now have a dark brown shirt.
I understand that this is not for everyone, but hey it can be nice to know it’s possible. Otherwise, it can be a cool fact that you will discuss to your next chaga lover convention.
5. Healthy Alcohol
It’s more of a healthy liquid based on a spirit, often called a tincture. You shouldn’t party on a chaga tincture. Or maybe you should, I’m not your mother.
What I was trying to say is that to gain the health benefits of the liquid, you shouldn’t consume a large quantity, rather a small quantity consistently.
I know I’m describing alcoholism*, but when I say small quantity, I mean teaspoon small or even smaller. The Russians recommend drinking one drop of the liquid for every year of age. Which means that unless you are 300 years old, you should put the glass back in the cupboard and take a spoon instead.
How Can I Make A Chaga Tincture?
You need a bottle of spirit, like vodka for example, and time. A lot of time
All you have to do is put chaga chunks in the spirit and wait from 8 weeks to 10 months. The longer the better. When the waiting time is over, shake it well and drink it.
Alert: This is the only way to consume the infamous betulin acid. The cancer-fighting composite. This means that a simple tea won’t be enough to help fight or prevent cancer. You also have to drink the tincture to benefit from the healing power of this mushroom. If you are interested in this molecule, you should harvest your chaga in the winter, that’s when the level of betulin is at its highest.
*We do not recommend drinking the chaga tincture if you have problems with alcoholism.
If you want more details on how to make a chaga tincture, you can check out the step-by-step process we made by clicking on this text.
In Conclusion: 5 Ways To Use Chaga
We saw 5 of the multiple uses that this “Jack of all trade” mushroom has to offer. If you have other suggestions that you want to share with us, feel free to email us.
Also, if you enjoyed this list of surprising uses of chaga and want to share it with your friends, we would be more than grateful. If you want to read more articles like this one, you can subscribe to our email list on the right of this text.
We hope you enjoyed and see you next time.
