Humans are naturally drawn to mystery. We love to watch mystery TV shows, be a part of them, and share folklore and stories involving mysterious tales of age old
Much of the knowledge about the history of Chaga remains a mystery. There are many facts you may come across on the internet about medicinal fungi in general- some are true and some are not. Here we will try to sort out the fact from the fiction so one may be able to better understand just how far back the use of Chaga goes! Click here to view a detailed historical timeline on Chaga's medicinal use and cultural history.
There is speculation that Otzi the Iceman, who was a well-preserved mummy found in an ice sheet, lived around 3400 BC and actually carried Chaga in his pouch for fire transportation purposes. Although Otzi has not been identified as part of a specific group of indigenous peoples, the Khanty people of Western Siberia are historically known as the first known users of the Chaga for this purpose.
The Khanty people used Chaga in a variety of ways. They drank it to aid in digestion, and recorded it made them feel fuller and helped during detox periods. The Khanty people also interestingly smoked ground Chaga believing that it improved lung health, which is not scientifically supported (we do not suggest inhalation of charred Chaga!) They also used Chaga as a natural soap combined with lard and ash; they recorded that it helped soothe the skin.
Chaga soon spread around what is known as modern day Russia, being utilized by hunters and foragers to increase their capacity to work, and promote endurance.
In the 12th century, Czar Vladmir Monamakh attributed the disappearance of his lip tumors to a decoction of Chaga... this is one of the more shocking historical examples!
Fast forward to the 26th century, when Chaga was dubbed the 'King of the Herbs' in the Shen Nung Pen Tsao Ching, the earliest Chinese pharmacopoeia. Chaga has been historically widely used throughout Asia for hundreds of years.
In the 1950’s the Moscow Medical Institute began conducting clinical trials of Chaga Mushroom. It was soon accepted for use in medical clinics all around Russia, and it was agreed upon by researchers that Chaga helped support immune function.
In 1955, Chaga was recognized as a medical treatment in Russia by the Russian Medical Academy of Science.
In 1968, The Cancer Ward by Russian novelist, A. Solzhenitsyn made the historically hidden and inaccessible knowledge of the benefits of Chaga available to the Western world.
In modern times, Chaga is used widely throughout Europe, drank as a tea and used in skincare. Chaga is also experiencing a boom in use in the United States and Canada. California was integral in spearheading the mushroom tea/ mushroom coffee trend.
Birch Boys is the largest provider of American Chaga in the US, Click here to check out our products, including skincare, tea, coffee and more!
It's apparent that Chaga is a treasure and a gift to the world; please try it to enhance your wellness today!
About The Author
Garrett Kopp is the 25 year old Chaga visionary and founder of Birch Boys, Inc., a company well-known for its assortment of teas, tinctures, and extracts from healing wild fungi. Kopp grew up in the Adirondack Mountains, where he naturally developed a broad passion for the wild northern forests of New York. He began to specialize and narrow this passion toward Chaga after a freak accident where he helped himself to a cup of what appeared to be iced tea in his Grandmother’s refrigerator, who had started harvesting Chaga and brewing it on her own amidst a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Soon thereafter, Kopp and his grandmother expanded their Chaga harvesting activities to local farmer's markets, where they discovered significant demand for the fungus and its powerful ability to help everyday people.
These entrepreneurial efforts landed Kopp acceptance into Clarkson University’s early entrance program, the Clarkson School, where he studied Engineering & Management and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Several years and hundreds of research hours later, Kopp returned to his hometown. Having shipped to over 20,0000 individuals throughout all 50 states, Birch Boys has organically grown into a nationally recognized online brand . Kopp is proud to have built a vertically integrated supply chain, sustainably sourcing the fruits of tree-borne fungi from over 220,000 leased acres of leased private land in the Adirondack park, where it is carefully harvested by hand before being dried, processed, and extracted with love, at his fungi factory in none other than Tupper Lake, NY.
Recommended Reading
Chaga: Benefits, History, Warnings and More!
Why Buy Wild Adirondack Chaga?
Comparing the Benefits of Chaga Tea VS Chaga Tincture
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