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Properly brewing chaga is necessary in order to get the maximum benefit from its use. Birch fungus tinder fungus has numerous medicinal properties and significantly improves well-being with proper use.
What to do with chaga mushroom after picking
Chaga fungus, or tinder fungus, grows on many deciduous trees. However, in folk medicine only birch chaga is used, it is she who has the most useful composition and valuable medicinal properties.
Chaga mushroom is usually harvested in early spring, in March, or in autumn in October. During these periods, it contains the greatest amount of useful substances. The tinder fungus is removed from the birch trunk with an ax, cutting off the middle part of the growth.
Freshly picked chaga must be processed immediately, since the fungus quickly becomes hard and is difficult to influence in the future. As a rule, the chaga mushroom is dried after harvesting – first cut into cubes or strips with a sharp knife, and then laid out in the air.
You can also use an oven or an electric dryer – the temperature should not exceed 40 ° C.
The processed raw materials are laid out in dry jars and removed for long-term storage.
Chaga collected from birch is beneficial both in treatment and prevention
How to grind chaga at home
It is not necessary to brew birch chaga immediately after harvesting – it retains its medicinal properties for 2 years. However, sooner or later it becomes necessary to brew a decoction or tincture based on the mushroom, and for this, the raw materials must first be crushed:
- Even pre-sliced mushroom becomes very tough over time. Grinding chaga into powder is recommended after pre-soaking, this allows you to expend much less effort.
- A small amount of dried tinder fungus is washed in cool water, and then poured with warm clean water so that it completely covers the dry raw material. The mushroom is left in water for 6-8 hours, during which time it should get soaked properly.
- After the specified time, the birch tinder fungus is removed from the water and slightly squeezed by hand – its structure becomes quite soft. The soaked mushroom is passed through a meat grinder, loaded into a blender or simply grated by hand, and then used to make an infusion of chaga.
How to brew birch chaga mushroom
There are several basic ways to benefit from brewing chaga mushroom. The difference lies not only in the duration, but also in the medicinal value of the finished broth – for some teas it is higher, for others it is lower.
How to brew birch chaga for prevention
Brewing chaga tea is recommended not only for existing diseases. Infusions and decoctions of birch tinder are taken as a preventive measure for general strengthening of the body.
A video on how to make chaga at home offers an easy and quick way to create a drink for such cases. The recipe looks like this:
- about 200 g of dried tinder fungus is soaked and crushed according to the standard algorithm;
- the resulting raw material is poured into 1 liter of boiling water and simmered for 20 minutes;
- after the time has elapsed, the chaga broth is removed from the stove, the drink is allowed to cool slightly and it is filtered from the remnants of raw materials.
It takes a little time to make tea, the finished drink pleases with a pleasant taste and is beneficial for weakened immunity, inflammation and digestive disorders. However, the healing properties of such tea are reduced. If you brew a tinder fungus in a fast way, then some of the nutrients are simply destroyed.
Therefore, brewing fast chaga tea is recommended only for preventive purposes. The drink raises the tone of the body, strengthens the defenses, prevents the development of bacterial ailments, but cannot give a serious effect in existing diseases.
In prophylactic preparations, weak and fast chaga tea is prepared.
How to brew chaga for healing
If it is planned to brew chaga tea not for preventive purposes, but for the treatment of a serious illness, then a different recipe must be used. In this case, tinder brewing takes longer, however, the medicinal value of the finished infusion is much higher.
Recipe:
- Dried raw materials are placed in a glass or ceramic container and filled with water in a ratio of 1 to 5. Water should be taken warm, about 50 ° C, it should cover the entire raw material.
- Birch tinder is left to soak in water for 6-8 hours, then removed and crushed with a grater, meat grinder or blender.
- After grinding the raw material, the water remaining after soaking is again slightly heated to 50 ° C and the chopped mushroom is again immersed in it for 5 hours.
You can also brew birch chaga in a thermos, in which case the water will cool more slowly, and the medicinal value of the infusion will be higher.
After a long infusion, the raw material can be used for medicinal purposes, it must first be filtered. If you brew a drink from a birch fungus according to a “slow” recipe, it will be beneficial for a wide range of diseases and retain a maximum of valuable substances.
How much to insist on chaga
There are 2 ways to cook chaga – cold and hot. When boiling the mushroom on fire, the cooking process takes only about 20 minutes, but at the same time, chaga loses a significant part of its beneficial properties.
Correctly infuse chaga on water during “cold” brewing should be done using a liquid with a temperature of no more than 50-60 ° C. In order for the product to fully give its valuable properties, it must be brewed for at least 2 hours, and preferably from 5 to 8 hours, for the infusion to acquire a high concentration.
How many times can you brew chaga
Unlike ordinary tea, chaga tea is reusable. Herbalists agree that it is possible to make a drink from chaga using the same raw material up to 5 times in a row. Each time the chaga infusion will have the same value.
Chaga is convenient because it is suitable for repeated brewing.
However, after 5 applications, it is better to dispose of the used chaga and brew new raw materials. Otherwise, a fresh infusion will no longer bring much benefit.
Chaga Mushroom Recipes
A traditional simple infusion based on birch tinder brings a beneficial effect in most diseases. But it can be used not only in its pure form, often the tinder fungus is combined with other medicinal ingredients, which is why the value of the birch fungus only increases.
Chaga with medicinal herbs
In inflammatory processes, digestive disorders and nervous disorders, it is useful to brew chaga mushroom in combination with medicinal herbs. You can prepare a medicine from chaga with the addition of herbal collection according to your own taste. Chamomile and plantain, oak bark and wild rose, yarrow and wormwood are brewed together with the tinder fungus. The recipe looks like this:
- the ingredients for making a healthy drink are taken in equal proportions and mixed together;
- measure out 2 large spoons of herbal collection, mixed with chopped chaga fungus, and pour the raw materials into a thermos;
- pour the tinder fungus and herbs with boiling water in a ratio of 1 to 5, and then close the thermos with a lid.
You need to insist the remedy for about 8 hours. The finished drink is filtered and taken in the amount of 1 glass three times a day, preferably on an empty stomach. If you wish, you can brew chaga tea with honey, this will make the drink even healthier.
Chaga with honey and propolis
Among the recipes and methods for preparing chaga, birch fungus infusion for inflammation and colds is popular:
- 20 g of crushed birch fungus is poured into a glass of warm water at about 50 ° C;
- add 2 small spoons of natural honey and 1 ball of propolis to the composition;
- insist for 30-40 minutes.
Use the remedy in the amount of one glass on an empty stomach, bee products and chaga effectively help fight inflammatory and bacterial processes. Also, the infusion can be brewed to cleanse the body when losing weight, in which case you need to drink it with honey and propolis in the morning on an empty stomach.
Chaga tea with honey has pronounced cleansing and antibacterial properties.
As a child, my ears will burst
With adenoma in men and other diseases of the reproductive sphere, infusion of chaga with burdock root benefits. You can prepare chaga for treatment as follows:
- 1 large spoonful of dried burdock root is poured into 2 cups of water and boiled for 3 minutes;
- the broth is insisted for another 4 hours;
- after the expiration date, 50 ml of classic chaga infusion is added to the burdock-based product.
To brew and drink a healing agent for the treatment of adenoma and other ailments, you only need 2 large spoons three times a day. You need to take the infusion on an empty stomach, and the course of treatment is continued for 3 weeks.
How to drink chaga
It is customary to distinguish not only different ways of brewing birch tinder fungus, but also the methods of its use. The frequency and duration of use depends on whether the remedy is taken for preventive purposes or for targeted treatment.
How to take chaga for prevention
The chaga drink is of great benefit if it is brewed prophylactically, even before serious illnesses appear. It is advised to take it for gastritis and reduced immunity, to prevent ulcerative formations in the stomach and to protect against oncology, with a tendency to constant colds.
They drink weakly brewed birch chaga usually three times a day – no more than 1 glass per dose. Drinking chaga before or after meals does not really matter. The main thing is that eating should be separated from taking the drug for 1,5 hours.
In total, the preventive course should take a month. Then they take a break in use for the same period, and then, if necessary, take the course again.
How to take a decoction of chaga for treatment
Methods of using chaga decoction for existing diseases differ little from the use of chaga for prevention. The main difference is in the concentration of the remedy – for treatment it is customary to brew a stronger and richer drink from birch tinder.
The healing agent is also taken mainly three times a day – 1 glass at a time, preferably on an empty stomach, about an hour before eating.
Simultaneously with the internal reception of chaga decoction, you can use the product externally. Depending on the disease, compresses, rubbing, rinsing and inhalation with chaga medicine are used. With any method of application, birch tinder is beneficial.
The general course of treatment depends on the specific ailment. But on average, chaga fungus for the treatment of existing diseases is taken for about 5 months, after which you need to take a break for at least a week.
For medicinal purposes, chaga tea is often used in combination with other medicinal products. For example, you can mix a decoction of birch tinder with natural honey and medicinal herbs, additional ingredients increase the benefits of the infusion.
You can be treated with chaga for several months in a row without side effects with cleansing and antibacterial properties.
Is it possible to drink chaga every day
Tea based on birch tinder, prepared in a low concentration, is suitable for daily use and brings considerable benefits. They can replace ordinary tea, a drink from a tree fungus will have a pronounced beneficial effect on the body and raise defenses.
How long can you drink chaga
Usually, for medicinal purposes, chaga drinks are consumed in long courses. Their duration is 5-7 months, sometimes more depending on the disease.
Between individual courses, you need to take a break of 2 weeks. With prolonged constant use, chaga tea can adversely affect the functioning of the nervous system.
Conclusion
Properly brewing chaga is necessary in order for the drink to bring maximum benefit in the treatment of ailments. Both for therapeutic purposes and for prevention, chaga is widely used in home medicine – preparing a decoction looks simple, and chaga has a very positive effect on health.