Chaga ?

[peakbagger]

While on a walk in the woods recently, some of the members of the group flipped out over some large Chaga "blooms" on birch trees. This is hard black mushroom that grows at defects on white and yellow birches I have seen the hype on the internet over this product but when I look up legit sources it has little or no clinical studies to establish any health benefits. I have run into other folks over recent years who also seem to flip out on finding this stuff. I have heard some personal trainers are plugging this product to their clients (of course they will gladly sell it in neat little packages for an extra fee). My suspicion is that most of the Chaga removed from trees end up in the trash when folks get home. I noticed that any Chaga along popular trails is long gone but again I dont think its an organized group of collectors and rather private folks who think they have found "gold". Given that I find it frequently in old white birch stands I dont think its as rare as represented on the Internet but expect that if there was real or imagined market, folks would rush to find it like ginseng collectors who apparently are a major problem down in more southern forests.

So anyone care to comment on Chaga and/or Chaga collectors?.

 

[drewski]

Just 6 more...

 

[KV]

http://www.collective-evolution.com...ungus-hold-the-key-to-health-longevity-cures/

I found this info interesting. I think the allure is greater than the desire to make it beneficial. The tea is minimally beneficial, depending on your take on the information. The tincture is purported to be the more effective and beneficial way to ingest, but is a considerable amount of work. I have a small batch I was given by a chance meeting this past winter with some generous young hikers I ran into on Hale. They harvested quite a bit and were knowledgeable about the stuff - along with some information about the medicinal properties of old man's beard.

At any rate - I personally have only tried the tea. Some find it offensive - I found it to be earthy. Will get back to it and if I notice anything remarkable I will report back.