Chaga, King of Plants, the Cancer Polypore
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a parasitic bracket fungus which grows on living Birch trees (it slowly kills them like a cancerous growth) across the entire northern hemisphere. It is used in traditional folk medicine by native peoples throughout northern Eurasia and North America. In Russian and Baltic folk medicine it is used specifically for treating cancers and tumours.
The name Chaga which is used in Russia is from the Komi-Permyak native peoples of the Kama basin west of the Ural mountains in Russia.
It is known as Kabanoanatake the ‘Mushroom of Immortality’ in Japan, ‘ Diamond of the Forest’ and ‘King of Plants’ in China, ‘Cancer Polypore’ in Norway, Tikkatee ‘Woodpecker Tea’ in Finland, malalon mushroom in Canada and clinker polypore, cinder conk or birch canker in England.
The oldest evidence of human usage of Chaga comes from ‘Otzi the Iceman’ who had been frozen in the Alps between Italy and Austria for over 5,000 years. He was found to have chunks of Chaga in his bag, possibly for fire starting, as dry bracket funguses have often been used as tinder.
Chaga first appears recorded as a medicine in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (the Divine Farmers Classic of Materia Medica), the oldest surviving pharmacopeia in China attributed to the physician Shen Nong and dated to the Han dynasty (206-220 BC) where it is described as the ‘King of Plants’. In Chinese it is called Song Rong which means Pine Mushroom, not because it grows on pine trees, but because pine trees are symbolic of longevity. It is said to strengthen the Qi (vitality) of the body, specifically the Kidney, Stomach and Spleen, to calm the Shen (Spirit/Mind) and detoxify the Liver and blood.
The name Chaga itself comes from a Russian First Nation language and much of what we know of its medicinal use comes from Russia. The Khanty people of Western Siberia have been using Chaga medicinally at least as far back as the 12th century.
The native peoples of Russia who were known for their robust health and absence of diseases such as cancer, would make tea from Chaga which they would drink daily for maintenance of health and energy.
In 12th century Russia it is recorded that Tsar Vladimir Monomakh, the Grand Duke of Kievan Rus, used Chaga to heal his lip tumors.
The chemical constituents of Chaga were first analysed by German-born chemist and pharmacist Johann Georg Noel Dragendorff in 1864.(6)
The first clinical trials of Chaga began in Russia in the 1950’s and its immunostimulant and adaptogenic properties were identified.
Chaga has been shown to possess anti inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticancer properties.(5)
In 1955 it was recommended and approved for public use against cancer by the Medical Academy of Science in Moscow.
In 1960 it was successfully used to treat cancer in Australia and was widely used in Poland to treat cancer in 1961.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn mentions the use of Chaga in Russian hospitals in his book ‘Cancer Ward’ which was published in 1968.
Native North American tribes especially in Alaska and Canada, such as the Cree and Ojibway, used Chaga medicinally for treating rheumatic joint pains, infections and toothache. One tribe, the Metis used it to treat cancers of the breast, liver, colon, skin, cervix and lungs.(5)
The anticancer or antitumoral properties of Chaga have been confirmed by multiple clinical studies on both animals and humans.
Chaga contains polysaccharides, betulinic acid, triterpenes and melanin. It’s anticancer properties are primarily linked to its content of polysaccharides and betulinic acid.
One of the primary anticancer constituents of Chaga is betulinic acid, a major constituent of birch bark which is actually extracted by the fungus and concentrated in its fruiting body. For this reason, although Chaga grows on different tree species, only that which grows on Birch trees is considered of medicinal value.
Chaga also contains polysaccharides called B-glucans. These are found in nearly all medicinal mushrooms and have immunostimulant and immunomodulatory properties.
The Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Centre in the US states Chaga has been shown to have growth inhibitory effects and induce selective apoptosis (cell suicide) in colon, lung and liver cancer cells without impacting healthy cells. (3) Chaga has also been shown to inhibit melanoma growth in mice and one of its active constituents called inotodiol showed antitumor activity against cervical cancer cells.(3) Another study published in Nature showed Chaga inhibited oral cancer cell growth.(4)
Medicinal mushrooms are often used in China, Korea and Japan in combination with conventional cancer therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy to enhance their effectiveness and support the immune system. Many clinical studies of medicinal mushrooms study their impact in combination with conventional cancer therapies and have been found to reduce side effects from these therapies, improve quality of life and survival outcomes for patients.
Medicinal mushrooms are widely available nowadays in capsules, powders or liquid extracts. Healthzone health food store in Wimbledon carries a wide range of medicinal mushroom products including Chaga.
(1) Continuous intake of the Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) aqueous extract suppresses cancer progression and maintains body temperature in mice
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
(2) ‘Medicinal Mushrooms’ by Christopher Hobbs LAc
(3) Chaga Mushroom
Purported Benefits, Side Effects & More
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-
(4) Chaga mushroom extract suppresses oral cancer cell growth via inhibition of energy metabolism
https://www.nature.com/
(5)Chaga mushroom: a super-fungus with countless facets and untapped potential
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
(6) Chaga Mushroom Benefits: A Science, Health, & Supplement Guide
https://www.realmushrooms.com/
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inonotus_obliquus.jpg
To book an appointment or to arrange a consultation with Richard at Wimbledon Acupuncture & Herbs, see contact details below:
Richard Collisson
LicAc MBAcC DipPhyt MNIMH
0208 946 1342 or 07766 734370
info@wimbledonacupunctureandherbs.co.uk
4 Spencer Road,
Raynes Park,
SW20 0QP