How To Get The Most Out Of Your Chaga! Chaga Double Extraction

A simple Chaga tea (hot water extraction) releases water-soluble compounds like antioxidants and polysaccharides. But tea alone misses other key compounds—betulinic acid, triterpenes, sterols, and lignin. Read more about the differences between teas and tinctures. But in short, to access both sets of compounds, you need a dual extraction: To get the full spectrum of what Chaga has to offer, you need a double extraction: first with alcohol, then with hot water.

This isn’t a quick project—it takes about a month—but the result is a potent Chaga tincture you can make right at home. I make a lot of tinctures myself, and this is one of my favorites. If you’d rather skip the DIY, you can always grab a bottle of our ready-to-use dual-extracted Chaga Tincture or any of our other best selling Chaga products.

• Birch Boys Loose Chaga Tea (1–2 packages, depending on jar size)

• Mason jar with lid

• 100-proof (or stronger) clear alcohol

• Cheesecloth, muslin or thin fabric for straining

• A pot (ceramic, stainless, or Pyrex)

• A wooden dowel or chopstick

1. Fill your mason jar halfway with Birch Boys Loose Chaga Tea or bulk ground chaga.

2. Top it off with alcohol, then stir/shake to release air bubbles.

3. Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark place for at least 4 weeks (8+ is even better). Shake daily, or as often as possible.

1. After a month or more, strain the alcohol through cheesecloth or muslin into a clean jar. Squeeze the Chaga pulp firmly to press out as much alcohol as possible before setting the liquid aside. Save the pulp for the next step.

2. Transfer the pulp to a pot and add the same amount of water as the alcohol you strained off.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer until the liquid volume is reduced by half. This is your first decoction. (Never heat high-proof alcohol—this step is only for the Chaga pulp.)

4. Add fresh water and repeat the simmer-and-reduce process three times in total.

5. After the third decoction, let the tea cool. Combine it with your reserved alcohol extract.

That’s it—you’ve made your own DIY dual-extracted Chaga tincture. I like to store mine in glass dropper bottles. 1-3 dropperfuls is plenty to add to tea, coffee, or to take straight.

Making tinctures at home is one of my favorite ways to connect with mushrooms and herbs and get the most out of it. Enjoy the process—you’ll be glad you did.