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Chaga: A Powerful Medicinal Mushroom to Support Immunity

6 min read time Jan 06, 2025

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Congratulations! You made it to week two of our five-part New Year’s series, which discusses foods and herbs that nourish the immune system.

As we get started, we invite you to review our year-end article reviewing excellent topics on setting your natural food and wellness goals for the new year:

How to set your natural food and wellness goals for the new year

Also, to review the first article in this series about supporting a healthy immune system, go here:

Elderberry: A Tonic Food for Cold and Flu Season

Today, we have a very exciting article, as part two in our series.

This article discusses the Chaga mushroom’s

nourishing properties,
potential mechanisms of action, and
how it affects the immune system.

We also discuss the best way to use this miraculous food, known as the “King of Mushrooms”.

So, let's begin.

A Brief Review of the Medicinal Qualities of Herbs and Food

As a fast review, here is some crucial information regarding the medicinal qualities of herbs and food;

The part of the plant used is vital when determining the action we seek from that plant.
Many medicinal plants have parts that can be used as individual entities for acute and chronic illness stages, especially when combined with other supportive herbs.
When both parts are combined and used as a whole herb, the same herb can take on a tonic role.
Sometimes, determining whether a substance is used as a medicinal or tonic is as simple as selecting the dosage and frequency.

The incredible parts of the Chaga mushroom

Now, as we dig deeper into the wonderful benefits of Chaga mushroom, let's review the parts and properties of medicinal mushrooms.

A mushroom's life cycle varies depending on the mushroom and its growing environment; it can be as short as a day or as long as a month.

While 20-year-old Chaga is considered to be fully mature with the greatest concentration of potent healing compounds, the Chaga mushroom can live as long as 80 years before it dies and repeats the cycle.

Spores (released from the gills of a mushroom cap) are in the surrounding air that, under favorable conditions, will land on a substrate they can use as a food source. Once they begin germination, they start growing filament branches called hyphae (their primary mission is to find spores of the opposite sex to bond with). When hyphae continue to grow, a fusing process occurs to create mycelium.
Mycelium is an underground network that expands and feeds off organic plant matter. It produces enzymes that break down the plant material to recycle it into beneficial compounds that return to the soil. This portion of the life phase is also known as the organism's vegetative body and the mushroom’s immune system. In nature, mycelium forms large networks of fungal matter by breaking down wood, logs, and other plant matter (also known as substrate), becoming intertwined and creating an inseparable mass.
Mushroom, aka fruiting body: If the environmental conditions are appropriate, the mycelium will produce a mushroom, aka fruiting body, which is the organism's reproductive structure. At its fully mature stage, it produces spores that redistribute across plant matter, creating a new mycelium network and allowing the fungus to spread. Fruiting bodies often exist for a few days before disappearing, representing about 5% of the process.

The Healing Power Behind Chaga Mushrooms

Mushrooms contain a wide range of non-starch polysaccharides (carbohydrate fractions excluding starch and free sugar) like;

chitin,
beta-glucans,
alpha-glucans,
hemicellulose,
mannans,
xylans, and
galactan's.

Non-starch polysaccharides are distinguished into soluble and insoluble fractions, with up to 90% being insoluble fractions. Most (around 80%) of insoluble polysaccharides are chitin, including beta-glucans bound onto chitin or protein.

Polysaccharides have the ability to support a wide range of actions in the human body.

Polysaccharides have been shown to have;

immunological,
neurogenic,
cardiovascular, and
microbiome effects and
a host of other nourishing qualities.

It is believed that the primary polysaccharides found in fungi are beta-D-glucans, which come in various forms (beta 1-3 and 1-6) and are specific to fungi and yeast.

Other polysaccharides found in mushrooms are Alpha-glucans like glycogen, dextran, pullulan, and starch, which are not thought to provide the same nourishing qualities as beta-glucans.

This belief tells you only part of the story and may be based on flawed science.

You may have noticed that most medicinal mushroom product labels focus on only beta-glucan levels; therefore, some important points must be clarified.

Facts about beta-glucans
- And why not all medicinal mushrooms are the same

Beta-glucans are a classification of compounds known as polymers.
There are hundreds of beta-glucan shapes and sizes, and while some are biologically active, others are not. Furthermore, not all are immunologically active.
Each species of fungi may contain a different beta-glucan.
Beta-glucans can differ in function, solubility, and interaction with other molecules.
While beta-glucans are potent compounds, they are just one variable of a wide range of compounds responsible for a mushroom's many nourishing qualities.
Ultimately, Beta-glucan levels are not necessarily the telltale sign of a product's effectiveness.

Chaga Mushroom; What is it?
- And why it’s known as the King of Mushrooms

Chaga’s large black charcoal-like hard mass presents as a collection of mycelium called the sclerotium while the fruiting body is inside the tree.

Chaga’s outer layer is tough and dark black (due to large amounts of melanin), and the inner layer is a lighter brown with a cork-like consistency.

Because Chaga is primarily found on birch trees, it is a highly nourishing source of the pentacyclic triterpene sterol called betulinic acid, converted from betulin.

Pentacyclic triterpenoids are active phytochemicals with

many potential supportive activities for liver and gut health and a healthy inflammation response.

Chaga is revered for its traditional ability to preserve youthfulness.

It is categorized as a Qi tonic and considered a tremendous kidney and Shen tonic.

Chaga has the most potent antioxidant activity

Compared to other powerful mushrooms like Reishi, Agaricus, and Phellinus linteus, research shows that Chaga has the most potent antioxidant activity regarding SOD and free radical scavenging abilities.

In 2011, we learned from preliminary animal and cell culture studies that one of Chaga’s mechanisms of action is to modulate immune responses through the secretion of Th1/Th2 cytokines in immune cells. Chaga also regulates antigen-specific antibody production.
Chaga's surface contains a high-molecular-weight phenolic pigment known as melanin. These melanins are potent antioxidants present throughout the body. Preliminary in vivo and in vitro studies show the potential for strong DNA-protective effects of the melanins found in Chaga.

The Science Behind How Chaga Mushroom Works in the Body

According to preliminary studies, chaga’s mechanisms of action show great potential for supporting a healthy immune system. The following was stated in a report looking at the anti-inflammatory effects of Chaga Mushrooms.

Chaga inhibited NO production and downregulated TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in RAW 264.7 macrophages.
ASE1 (novel, optimized ethanol/water extraction) and P6 (six-minute steeping of powder in 100 °C water) extracts showed the highest inhibitory activity on NO production and the expression of the inflammatory cytokines compared to extracts obtained by conventional extraction methods.

Furthermore, according to the Slone Kettering Center, the immunomodulating effects are attributed to Th1/Th2 cytokine secretion in immune cells and regulation of antigen-specific antibody production.

Chaga affects immunity through long-term inflammatory changes

In simple terms, Chaga seems to help regulate the production of cytokines that stimulate blood cells and strengthen the immune system’s communication, which is essential for fighting harmful bacteria and viruses.

Chaga’s positive effects on immunity are directly linked to its long-term down-regulating effects on inflammation.

Furthermore, Chaga’s positive effects on immunity are directly linked to its long-term down-regulating effects on inflammation.

In conclusion, chaga is a very versatile medicinal mushroom with many powerful and effective attributes when used as a simple or individual tonic based on its various mechanisms of action.

Its versatility lends to its ability to create limitless options for use.

Therefore, using our wildcrafted Chaga is a perfect option. Creating a strong decoction tea and making it the base of your coffee, tea, or any other drink makes consuming nourishing amounts of Chaga mushroom very easy.

Because of its ability to potentially down-regulate the inflammation response and regulate the production of cytokines, chaga can and should be used as a daily tonic to support and nourish a healthy immune system response.

However, using chaga within a blend of other mushroom extracts will support its broad-spectrum effects for general good health.

For more information about our Chaga Mushroom Powder (Wildcrafted), go here:

Chaga Mushroom Powder (Wildcrafted)

For more information about our Organic Chaga Mushroom Extract Powder, go here:

Organic Chaga Mushroom Extract Powder

To review all of our Mushroom Powders, go here:

Mushroom Powder Collection

The Author’s Bio

Michael Stuchiner is a Master Herbalist and proud graduate of The School of Natural Healing and has worked in different areas of this field for over 25 years. He is a retired elite-level powerlifter who competed for 27 years. As an avid international traveler, he is passionate about the use of medicinal and tonic herbs, as well as foods traditionally found in local markets in the 35 countries he has visited. Michael brings you his years of experience as a Master Herbalist, traveler, and athlete through the hundreds of articles he has written and his YouTube channel (A Master Herbalist Perspective). He is considered a true educator in this field. For more articles written by MIke, go here: Master Herbalist.