Far, far away, north of the Arctic Circle, harvesters collect a mushroom unlike any other from the wild forests of the Finnish Lapland.
Not only is the chaga mushroom unique in its beneficial qualities, but its habitat is also an anomaly. The wild forests in which it grows are sustainably managed and “Certified Organic.”
The Finnish version of organic, these “Certified Organic” designated wild areas exclude the use of pesticides. And because of the areas’ remoteness and sparse population, levels of pollutants, heavy metals and other impurities are so low, they’re under detection levels.
Many say the Finnish soul has always been linked with the forest and the locals are very proud of this relationship. Those who gather chaga know the forest well and take pride in both their harvest and maintaining the ecology of their precious forests.
While Finnish law allows all its citizens to collect chaga mushrooms from the forests, “prequalified harvesters” follow strict, established procedures when gathering chagas from the approved Certified Organic designated areas.
And through a unique agreement with the U.S., they’re able to apply for USDA Organic Certification for their mushrooms.
Recently, I was lucky enough to meet a group who collects these organically certified, wild-crafted chagas from the Finnish Lapland and learned first-hand what makes them so special…
Why Chaga Has Been Valued Throughout History
The highest quality chagas are found in these wild forests, where humans have been consuming them for thousands of years.
Historically, chaga has been used for many benefits, from helping to balance immune health to supporting healthy cholesterol levels and already normal inflammatory responses.*
Chaga mushrooms only grow in colder climates, primarily on older birch trees. And they can grow high in the trees, making their collection challenging as well as time- and energy-consuming.
When a birch tree loses a branch in a bad storm, chaga mushrooms sometimes grow over the wound creating a protective type of scar.
The scar serves a dual, symbiotic purpose – it helps the tree survive and the chaga mushrooms live off the nutrients from the birch tree.
The black-gold mushroom can grow for up to 20 years as it develops into a hard, woody mass. It resembles a dark clump of dirt or a burnt loaf of bread more than it does a mushroom.
Because of how the mushrooms grow, they must often be loosened first with an axe or saw. Gatherers leave a little of the black mushroom around the edges, as the chaga will grow out again and cover the cut surface. This allows the gatherers to collect mushrooms year after year from the same trees.
Appearance and source aren’t the only things that make chaga mushrooms so unique. It’s what’s inside them that is finally catching the attention of researchers…
What Sets Chagas Apart from Other Mushrooms
Over the years, the chaga creates a host of compounds to fight for its survival, and this is why chaga is sometimes called the “King of the Mushrooms.”
Unlike other mushrooms, chaga isn’t edible in its whole form due to its woody texture so it must be extracted or ground into a powder before use.
Extracts are made from the sclerotium – the fungal mycelium outgrowth – that occurs on the birch tree before the fruiting body occurs, something that doesn’t happen often with chaga.
Similar to other mushrooms, chaga is rich in polysaccharides like beta glucan, which supports a healthy, balanced immune system and helps optimize your immune defenses.*
The Arctic chaga mushroom possesses the highest antioxidant activity in nature. In fact, it’s 40 times stronger than blueberries. This high antioxidant level helps protect your cells, tissues and organs against the effects of oxidative stress.*
In addition to its valuable polysaccharides and polyphenols, Chaga also contains other unique biologically active compounds that may not even be present or present in the same quantities in other mushroom varieties:
- Betulinic acid – The chaga mushroom converts betulin from its birch tree host into biologically active betulinic acid, an important triterpene sterol that supports healthy immune function, healthy cell division and an already healthy inflammatory response.*
- Ergosterol peroxide – This chaga component has been shown in studies to offer value for supporting optimal colon health and healthy cell division.*
- Triterpenoids (and Inotodiol) – Molecules that are concentrated in the outer black portion of the fungus, they’re produced in abundance by chaga from a precursor found in the birch tree and are associated with chaga’s many potential health benefits, especially cell health.*
This diverse array of beneficial compounds is unique to chaga grown on birch trees, as the mushroom absorbs many of these compounds from the tree’s bark.
Chaga Mushrooms: Medieval Finland’s Equivalent of “An Apple a Day” for Health
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Its earliest documented use dates from the 15th century. Today, studies show these extraordinary mushrooms are filled with compounds and nutrients that support health.
Some of the documented potential health-supporting qualities attributed to chaga mushrooms include:
- Supports an already healthy inflammatory response*
- Supports a healthy balanced immune system*
- Supports healthy, normal cell health and cell division*
- Supports gastrointestinal health*
- Support healthy energy production*
- Support cognitive health*
- Supports a healthy, normal adaptogenic response to stressors*
- Help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.*
- Help maintain cholesterols levels already in the normal range*
- May help maintain healthy blood pressure levels already in the normal range*
From this long list of potential benefits, it’s easy to see why chaga may be beneficial for everyday use – and why it’s been so highly valued over the years.
Watch Out for These False Chaga Claims
Not all chaga mushrooms come from the Finnish Lapland or other Arctic or sub-arctic regions. Some chaga, known as “Mycellium on Grain,” or MoG, are grown indoors on grain in cultivator rooms.
Here’s the problem… MoG chaga contains only a fraction of the active compounds and bioactivity of wild-crafted chaga. Instead of plentiful healthy polysaccharides, MoG chaga contains high levels of starch.
Yet, MoG chaga is often inaccurately promoted as being superior to natural, wild-harvested chaga mushroom extracts, which have greater digestibility and bioavailability – and higher levels of beneficial compounds.
Proponents for MoG chaga claim wild-growing chaga collects pollutants from air and soil. However, when the chaga is harvested from pristine regions, testing doesn’t support that claim.
What makes wild-crafted chaga unique is that it possesses benefits related to the live birch tree itself, the preferred source for high-quality chaga mushrooms.
Wild chaga has a hard outer shell, called the sclerotium, which contains the highest concentration of polyphenolic fractions with very high antioxidant properties. Chaga from the wild contains both the sclerotium and the mycelium of the mushroom.
MoG chaga doesn’t have the sclerotium – it contains just the mycelium – so it lacks much of wild chaga’s remarkable antioxidant properties.
When compared to whole wild-crafted chaga powder or whole chaga extract, MoG chaga contains much higher levels of starch and significantly less beta-glucans and other health-supporting polysaccharides.
Our Certified USDA Organic Chaga Mushroom – Straight from the Sustainable Finnish Lapland Forests
Many people are surprised to learn that a full 25% of the planet’s certified organic forests are located in Finland. So, it only makes sense we would obtain the chaga for our Organic Chaga Mushroom supplement from this region.
The raw material for our Chaga is harvested from living birch trees in the approved Certified Organic designated areas, within the wild forests of the Finnish Lapland north of the Arctic Circle.
These are forever-wild mushrooms, too. The chaga of this region has never been farmed or ‘produced’ in any way – it has always grown wild.
Prequalified harvesters collect the mushrooms by hand, following strict, established procedures. This assures the finest quality chaga from the high-antioxidant sclerotium and mycelium of the mushroom.
Organic Chaga Mushroom is a 50/50 blend of Organic Chaga Extract and Organic Chaga Powder that is standardized to polyphenols, polysaccharides and beta glucans.
Each one-serving capsule provides 25 mg of polyphenols and 40 mg of polysaccharides with 25 mg of beta glucans.
Our Organic Chaga Mushroom is carefully prepared to preserve its important compounds, using a gentle hot water extraction process to pull out the active ingredients to provide you with the most benefits per serving.
Committed to Sustainability, Our Supplier Delivers a ‘Win-Win’ for All
The company that supplies our Chaga Mushroom believes in using wild organic raw materials from underutilized yet abundant resources.
They’re dedicated to following the Sustainable Development Goals as set by the United Nations, including:
- Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.
- Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
- Protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
- Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Most importantly, they don’t exploit the local community. Rather, the collection of chaga provides extra income for the gatherers and forest owners of the community, in combination with the opportunity for individuals to spend time in nature.
Supporting this company is supporting sustainability and doing the right thing for our planet and its people. We end up with chaga that is second to none, so it’s truly a win-win for all.
Take Control of Your Health® with Organic Chaga Mushroom
From your immune health to the health of your cells, Organic Chaga Mushroom supports your everyday well-being.* That’s why I believe in taking it daily.
As you’ve seen, the source of your chaga supplement matters.
Chaga produced on grain indoors doesn’t provide the same health-supporting benefits as wild-crafted chaga grown in the Arctic regions on birch trees.
It’s this special symbiotic relationship between the fungus and the birch tree that allows the important compounds to be created.
To summarize, our Organic Chaga Mushroom…
- Is Certified Organic, right down to the organic capsule.
- Comes from the premiere chaga-growing region in the world – the Finnish Lapland Forest which is sustainably managed and “Certified Organic.”
- Contains standardized amounts of beta glucans and other valuable polysaccharides and polyphenols from both the sclerotium and the mycelium.
- Is hand harvested to preserve the integrity of the living birch trees (no trees are destroyed).
- Doesn’t contain any grain fillers or high levels of starch like chaga grown indoors on grain.
- Tested for impurities, quality and potency.
Why not try our Organic Chaga Mushroom today and see how it can benefit you?
Enjoy the many potential benefits that only sustainably grown Organic Chaga Mushroom can offer, and order today.