If you’ve been keeping up with the Tamim Teas blog, then you might’ve noticed that we’ve been doing a mini series breaking down the benefits of the various mushrooms we use in our all organic and delicious tea blends.
Next up on the list is chaga mushroom benefits. Like many of the other mushrooms we’ve discussed, this mushroom has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments [1].
Let’s look at the chaga mushroom in a bit more detail along with some modern scientific studies that back up the years of traditional anecdotal evidence of the power of this natural medicine.
What Are Chaga Mushrooms?
As we mentioned in our chaga and reishi blog post, the chaga mushroom is widely known as the king of all of the functional mushrooms.
Chaga takes the biggest crown because of its widespread use both traditionally and in the modern day.
From indigenous Siberians using it thousands of years ago to the chaga mushroom tea of today, this mushroom is known for helping to aid digestion, boost your energy, and even potentially fight against tumor growth [1 and 2].
These mushrooms grow mainly on birch trees in forests in cold climates. Appearance-wise, chaga isn’t the prettiest mushroom out there. However, it’s what’s on the inside that counts; chaga is packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and adaptogens that make it a powerhouse of a functional mushroom [3].
Traditionally, chaga mushrooms were mainly used to treat digestive issues and to improve users’ immune health. Chaga mushroom tea is one of the best ways to reap the benefits since the hot water helps to break down its cell walls to give your body access to all of the nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidant capacities.
Want to experience the benefits of chaga tea? We offer a few varieties of chaga mushroom tea including our spicy & flavorful Chaga Chai and our soothing & rich Reishi-Chaga Boost that combines the forces of reishi and chaga mushrooms.
Reported Chaga Mushroom Benefits
Now we know what chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is, what it looks like, and how it’s been used throughout history. But how do people use it today, and why is chaga mushroom tea so beneficial?
Chaga Tea Benefits: Energy Boost
If you want an energy boost to get you up in the morning or get you ready to focus for a long day at work without risking the crash and caffeine-addiction that comes with drinking coffee, then chaga mushroom tea could be your best bet! In fact, the energy boost you can get from a chaga mushroom tea is perhaps what it's most well-known for.
In one study performed on mice, scientists saw that the animals given chaga mushroom had longer physical endurance and fatigued less quickly compared to mice not given any of the mushroom [4].
Another study showed that a chaga mushroom benefit may help boost the concentration of a molecule called AMPK, which is a critical part of energy pathways in the body. They hypothesize that this could be a factor in chaga’s awesome energy boosting capabilities [5].
Chaga Tea Benefits: Nutrient Density
Chaga mushrooms are packed with vitamins, minerals, and other healthful compounds that can bring a number of benefits, including:
- B vitamins
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
- Iron
- Zinc
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Fiber
- Selenium
- Copper
All of these compounds are essential parts of your everyday diet that you can now get from a delicious cup of Chaga Chai!
Chaga Tea Benefits: Immunity
All of those amazing nutrients and components found within the chaga mushroom can come together to provide some amazing benefits to your immune system.
Vitamin D and all of the different B vitamins are essential parts of your immune system. Studies show that increasing these vitamins can give you an immunity boost [6 and 7].
There are also two more compounds we didn’t mention that can influence your immunity: antioxidants and adaptogens.
Chaga mushrooms have a large antioxidant concentration [8]. High levels of antioxidants have been linked to lower risk of certain chronic diseases and can give your immune system a boost.
Chaga mushroom is also known as an adaptogenic mushroom. Adaptogens are plants or mushrooms that contain compounds that can help the body resist physical, chemical, and biological stress [9]. Stress can lower your immune system and make you more susceptible to cellular damage, disease, and more [10].
Adding antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, and adaptogenic compounds to your system via chaga mushrooms can boost your immunity and may help you fight off stressors.
What Will It Be: Chaga Chai or Reishi Chaga Boost?
Ready to see how chaga tea benefits you and your body? Head over to our products page to check out all of the delicious mushroom teas we have available. Alongside chaga, we have other functional mushroom powerhouses like reishi, maitake, and lion’s mane!
