A delicious and useful substitute for regular tea is chaga tea

A nondescript black outgrowth on birches, for sure, was met by many, but very few people paid attention to it. And in vain, because it is not just a damaged tree bark, but a birch chaga mushroom, which has a wide range of medicinal possibilities. Tea from chaga, for example, was prepared in ancient times for the treatment of digestive problems, liver and reproductive system.

Rusty chaga can be on different trees, including rowan, elm and alder. For medicinal purposes only birch is used. It has a beneficial effect on the body as a whole, increasing immunity and helping to fight diseases.

What is a choke

A birch fungus, also known as chaga, is a parasitic form of a trumpet that lives on trees. As a rule, he settles in places where the bark is damaged: on frostbitten or burnt areas. After infection with spores of the fungus, an irregular uneven black outgrowth, covered with cracks, begins to form on the cortex. Chaga can reach 5 kg of weight and half a meter in radius. However, this is the maximum, usually its weight varies between 0.5-2 kg and 30-40 cm.

Chaga is a kind of disease of the tree, it can be compared to a cancerous tumor. Birch actively fights against the fungus, releasing many different substances to suppress it. All these immunostimulating, active medicinal substances accumulate in the chaga, as in a sponge, and in the future can be used to combat pathologies in the human body.

The composition of the chaga has long been studied by physicians, but it has not yet been fully deciphered. It is known that birch fungus contains a fairly large amount of manganese, calcium, potassium, various organic acids( including acetic, formic, oxalic, etc.).Also, polysaccharides, fiber, lignin and free phenols were found. Another about 12% in the chemical composition of the chaga are assigned to the ash. The antitumor properties of chaga are attached to the pterins contained in it.

Important! Chaga refers to the Ternopus, which also grows on trees, but do not have medicinal properties. The ability to distinguish a birch mushroom from a real and false tinder will help to avoid unpleasant consequences. After all, the attempt to prepare tea from other mushrooms not only will not give the desired effect, but also harm the health.

A real mushroom tinder is quite easy to break off from the tree on which it grows. It is a light, smooth semicircle that is not used for treatment. A fake trumpet in shape resembles a hoof and grows, as a rule, on fallen dry trees. It is much softer than chaga to the touch, and color - closer to gray with dark circles. It is also not used for medicinal purposes.

Use of birch fungus for medicinal purposes

Deep study of the medicinal properties of chaga began in the 60s of the XX century. Russian scientists from the Leningrad Medical Institute found out that the birch fungus has the ability:

• to normalize the redox processes in the body;
• tonic, strengthen, restore the activity of the nervous system;
• normalize the work of the digestive tract, relieving exacerbations;
• reduce blood pressure, slow heart rate;
• to reduce the amount of sugar in the blood.

Chaga was studied in other countries. Studies conducted in Kiev have shown that the use of birch fungus contributes to an increase in the activity of the cerebral cortex, and also removes common or local inflammation. At the same time it was found that chaga can slow down the growth of tumors and reduce the harmful effects of radiation on the body.

Israeli and Japanese studies have confirmed the high antiviral and immunostimulating capabilities of birch fungus, as well as its ability to withstand cancer.

Benefits and medicinal properties of

Thanks to the abundance of substances and trace elements useful for the body, the birch fungus is an excellent medicine for dealing with a rather large range of problems. Tea from chaga can be considered an obligatory drink for everyone who seriously cares about their health, because birch mushroom is a natural biogenic stimulant for the whole organism.

Like any other medicine, tea from chaga has a set of useful properties and, of course, contraindications. The first include:

• spasmolytic effect;
• stabilization of metabolism;
• anti-inflammatory, antiviral, diuretic effect;
• normalization of pressure, work of the stomach, duodenum;
• strengthening of immunity;
• restoration of gums;
• restorative effect on the body as a whole.

Decoction of chaga in combination with broths of herbs and plants is a good tool for the treatment of joints and removal of boils. Birch mushroom has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the neurohumoral system, which is responsible, among other things, for the body's ability to adapt to changes in the surrounding world. Fiber contained in the chaga promotes active cleansing of the body from accumulated toxins, toxic compounds, cholesterol.

When used in conjunction with anti-cancer drugs, tea from chaga can enhance their action, restoring the protective barriers of the body and slowing the growth of cancerous tumors.

Use in pharmacology

Birch fungus is used not only in traditional medicine recipes, but also in modern pharmacology. It is based on the creation of various drugs for the treatment and prevention of cancer and gastrointestinal tract diseases.

The following are common medicinal preparations based on chaga:

• Beefungin. Chaga extract with addition of cobalt salt. Prescribed for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, malignant tumors, sleep disturbance. It is also used as a restorative drug that increases immunity;
• Chagovit, Chagolux. Drugs for the control of chronic forms of disease;
• Syrup "Chaga".Preparation based on birch mushroom extract;
• Ointments based on chaga extract, used for radiculitis, arthritis, varicose, skin diseases.

Most drugs based on chaga can be used by both adults and children. But you can not choose them yourself, an experienced specialist should prescribe a suitable medicine after carrying out the appropriate tests and diagnosing.

Indications for use

Due to a wide range of action, chag tea is used to treat quite different diseases and problems in the body. The useful substances, vitamins, microelements accumulated by the fungus can compensate for their deficiency in the human body and eliminate the problems caused by this deficiency.

Cha tea is taken with:

• stomach ulcers and 12 duodenal ulcers;
• gastritis;
• formation of tumors( benign or malignant);
• diabetes;
• is diarrhea or constipation;
• diseases of the heart, nervous system;
• increased pressure;
• anemia;
• skin diseases;
• infectious diseases.

Despite the fact that chag tea is a folk remedy, it is still a medicine, it can carry both benefit and harm. Therefore, it should be used carefully, observing dosages.

Contraindications

Before deciding to use infusion, decoction or tea from chaga, be sure to consult a doctor. Despite the abundance of useful properties, there are several categories of people who use chagi contraindicated.

You can not use tea tea when:

• increased nervous excitability;
• the presence of chronic colitis;
• of dysentery.

Important! Chaga preparations can not be combined with certain procedures and medications, including intravenous glucose and antibiotics. Also, during the treatment with chaga it is necessary to give up smoking, alcohol, meat and spicy food, canned food.

In addition, chugging tea is not recommended for use during the period of bearing a child. Another contraindication, standard for most drugs, is an individual intolerance or allergy to substances contained in the chaga.

The side effects of chaga include nervous system excitation. It does not harm the body, but it can be quite unpleasant. Reduce this effect can reduce the dosage of the drug.

Secrets of use

Birch fungus, with all its capabilities, is not a fast-acting magic pill that can cure all diseases in no time. To get the effect of using chaga, you need to take a long course, from 3 to 5 months. If necessary, the course can be retried by taking a break for 10-12 days.

Chagu can be purchased as a dry extract in pharmacies, and you can prepare it yourself. To do this, it is better to rely on a few proven tips:

• it is not worth looking for a birch mushroom in dead woods or windmills. If the tree is dead, the chaga is destroyed, and in its place grow other fungi that do not have medicinal properties;
• is not suitable for harvesting chaga, growing at the base of the tree. It crumbles and is painted black to the full depth;
• is the best time to collect chaga - the period from late autumn to early spring. At this time, a maximum of useful substances accumulate in the fungus;
• remove the mushroom from the birch with an ax, at the very bottom. The loose interior and pieces of wood are scraped off.

After collection, the bowl is cleaned, cut into pieces and dried in a shady, ventilated room. From dried raw materials, you can prepare infusions, decoctions or tea. They differ in the concentration of the active components and in the preparation method. In order to prepare the infusion, the milled mushroom is poured hot, but not boiling water( up to 60 degrees), insisted for several hours, then filtered. Decoction does not insist, but boil over low heat or warm in a water bath for at least half an hour. And infusion, and decoction before consumption is usually diluted with water.

Recipes of chagrin tea

Tea made from chaga is very delicious if you know how to cook it properly. There are some general recommendations for its brewing and consumption:

• water should not be hotter than 50 degrees;
• tea does not use tea with fatty, salty, spicy dishes, tea, coffee, pickles, smoked products;
• instead of sugar in the tea from the birch mushroom is better to add honey.

There are several recipes of tea pot, differing in the duration of infusion and, as a result, efficiency. You can make tea from fresh or dried mushrooms. In the first case, it is crushed and poured with water, in the second it is necessary to pre-soak the raw materials.

The most popular recipes of tea from chaga:

1. The chopped mushroom is poured with hot water in a proportion of 1: 5 and brewed from 1.5 hours to a day. It is better to use a thermos bottle. Drink like regular tea half an hour before meals, no more than half a glass at a time. You can add honey or lemon.
2. Approximately 20 g of chaga pour a glass of hot water( 50 degrees), insist about 2 hours. Then add 2 teaspoons of honey and pour a glass of tea with a bead of propolis. Such tea promotes weight loss, it is taken on an empty stomach in the morning, supplemented with a plant diet.
3. In the tank, mix the chaga, kelp and carotene in equal proportions( about 1 tablespoon each), pour a liter of not too hot water( about 45 degrees), brew for about 4 hours. Before drinking tea strain, add honey and mint. The course of this tea is two months.

Chag tea can be mixed with herbal infusions to achieve the desired therapeutic effect in solving a particular problem. Also in the tea add honey or lemon to taste. In Siberia, tea is prepared according to the simplest recipe - throwing pieces of mushroom into boiling water and boiling them for several minutes. Such a broth replaced their usual black tea.

Chaga and cooked from her infusions, teas - an excellent healing remedy, capable of gently heal, restore and strengthen the body, using the forces of nature. However, it is worth remembering that chag tea is still a medicine, therefore it has contraindications and requires preliminary consultation with a doctor.