Chaga (Inonotus obliquus L.)
Chaga – A sterile (sterile) form of a fungus belonging to the slanted tinder fungus (Inonotus obliquus) Other names: birch fungus, birch cancer
Description:
Chaga has the appearance of growths of an irregularly zhelvakoobrazny form, up to 0.5 m in diameter and 2 kg in weight. The surface of the growths is very uneven, fissured, black. The inner fabric is dark brown, so hard that it does not leave a mark when scratched with a fingernail. Towards the base of the growth, the tissue becomes somewhat lighter and softer; at the point of attachment, small yellowish streaks are visible in it. Fruiting bodies are sometimes found near the chaga – Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pil. in the form of thick dense cakes of brown-brown color, on which tubules with spores develop. destroys the tree.
Procurement of raw materials:
Chaga is harvested throughout the year, but only from living birches, moreover, it is not necessary to collect the mushroom at the base of the trunks of old birches. Mushroom growths are knocked down from the tree with an ax, cleaned of birch bark, the inner loose part and dried in the air.
Contains active substances:
The wide popularity of chaga made it necessary to study it comprehensively. Studies have shown that the chemical composition of chaga is distinguished by a complex of water-soluble pigments with pronounced restorative properties, which, obviously, is the basis of the therapeutic effect.
Medicinal use:
Chaga preparations (BIN-chaga), used in the form of tablets and solutions, are non-toxic, in many cases significantly improve the condition of patients with peptic ulcer, gastritis and cancer, slow down tumor growth and the development of metastases. Chaga is widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of organ diseases digestion and malignant tumors – with stomach cancer, stomach ulcers, diseases of the liver and spleen. In folk medicine, a decoction of chaga is used, for the preparation of which the mushroom is crushed, poured with water and placed in a well-heated Russian oven, “in a light spirit”