Chaga: why the Chinese are actively buying the Siberian mushroom

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The chaga mushroom growing in our country is considered a treasure created by nature itself. The fact is that it has many healing properties. Its second name is "Siberian mushroom of immortality." Every year the mushroom becomes more and more popular and not only in Russia.

In China, for example, this popularity is off the charts. During the year, the supply of the mushroom to the Celestial Empire amounted to more than one billion rubles.

With the emergence of the EAEU, cooperation between our country and China began to develop in areas such as industry and trade. Accordingly, a large assortment of Russian products began to appear on the Chinese market. It should be noted that among the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, it is quite in demand.

Of particular interest and demand is chaga, a parasite on birches and also called a birch fungus. Its scientific name sounds like "mown tinder fungus". The medicinal mushroom grows in Siberia. Over the past several years, Russia has sold mushrooms to China for an amount that has exceeded 100 million yuan, which is more than one billion rubles.

Treasure from Russia

If we talk about all the countries of the world, then this mushroom cannot be called super-known, but for Russians it is a treasure due to its qualities. For about five hundred years, it has been actively used both for medicinal purposes and for prophylactic purposes.

According to the results of a number of studies, it became known that chaga was used in alternative medicine in many countries, including Russia, the states that are part of the USSR, Japan, Poland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The local population soaked chaga mushroom spores, after which tea was prepared, which was a prophylactic agent against serious and complex diseases - diabetes mellitus, heart pathologies. The mushroom was also used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, tuberculosis, viral diseases and ascariasis.

According to those who live in areas where mown tinder fungus grows, including near Lake Baikal, it follows that local residents almost regularly brew this healing tea, drink it themselves and treat their guests. However, they have no idea what substances are contained in chaga. They only know that information is transmitted from generation to generation that such a drink has a strengthening effect on the human body.

For hunters and forestry workers, it is chaga that has remained the main medicine for many years. In case of an accidental injury, scratches, you need to take chaga, crumble it and sprinkle the wound with this crumb. Thanks to her, bacteria will not multiply in the wound, the inflammatory process will decrease, and an analgesic effect will be provided.

If you plan to go to the forest with an overnight stay, a birch mushroom will be an excellent tool for repelling mosquitoes - you just need to set it on fire. You can also satisfy your hunger and replenish your physical strength with chaga. It is no secret that there are many long-livers in Siberia. And this is also due to chaga, or rather its regular use.

If you believe the people competent in this field, the composition of the birch mushroom is similar to the mushroom from China, which is called ganoderma. There it is called "the mushroom of immortality." Many people diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer or diabetes buy the Russian miracle cure for fabulous money, since our mushroom is more effective than its foreign relative.

In the course of research, it was revealed that chaga contains over 215 types of active substances, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, fuscoporin, inoidiol, superoxide dismutase, polypeptides.

One gram of mown tinder fungus contains 35,000 active components, which is 55 times higher than their number in ganoderma. The most interesting thing is that no one has yet succeeded in cultivating this mushroom, which is due to the severity of the conditions for its growth in the natural environment. Therefore, humanity has no choice but to be content with what nature gives.

It takes an average of 5 years and 20,000 birches to grow one strain of the fungus. In addition, it takes at least 10 years for a mushroom to really become healing. Chaga is a parasitic fungus that grows on birches.

Chaga's journey to the Celestial Empire

First, you need to understand how chaga became famous. They learned about the mushroom with the light hand of A. Solzhenitsyn, who wrote the book "Cancer Ward".

It was published in 1968, and in 1970 the author received the Nobel Prize for it. The book attracted the interest of residents of many countries. The 11th chapter, which was called "Birch Cancer", became especially interesting. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, based on his experience, described a story that tells the story of a village in Russia where people have been brewing a special tea for years, reminiscent of coffee in its appearance and even aroma.

Thanks to this unusual drink, no one from the village knows any problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and no one gets cancer.

The book, or rather a specific chapter, interested scientists and doctors. Japanese, American scientists, as well as researchers from a number of other states began to study the properties of the mushroom. After the interaction between China and Russia intensified, this mushroom also entered the Chinese market.

For a long time Russia limited the export of the mushroom, as well as its derivatives, and used them exclusively for the needs of its country. But gradually foreign investors were allowed to invest in the production of these products. Over time, the Beijing-based company became one of the first Chinese firms to invest in the manufacture of products from this natural wonder.

For five years, the Celestial Empire and Russia have been closely cooperating in this direction. Products are exported not only to China, but also to many other countries of the world. Beverages, various teas, all kinds of extracts made from the mushroom are becoming popular. Work is underway to apply chaga in medicine.

In European countries, the mushroom began to be added to various food supplements. The Japanese prepare a special tea based on chaga. In Korea, mushroom powder is added to flour for baking bread, used in the production of sweets.