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Chaga

45 capsules

Medicinal mushroom enriched with Vitamin C to support immune function and with a tonic effect

  • Normal function of the immune system
  • Adaptogenic tonic action
  • High concentration of nutrients
-45%
Special Price £10.37 Regular Price £18.87 -45%
The product expires on 31/03/2026
Immediate availability Express delivery 1-3 days
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Chaga is a food supplement containing 500 mg chaga extract and 80 mg vitamin C per daily dose.
Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

 

Chaga, whose botanical name is Inonotus obliquo, is a parasitic fungus that grows on the trunk of birch, beech or related trees in North America, northern Europe, Siberia and is well established in various parts of Asia. Its growth results from contamination of the heartwood of trees by its spores, through unhealed lesions in the trunk. It is edible and grows abundantly to a considerable size, and is characterised by its brownish-black colour due to its melanin content.

 

As with all medicinal mushrooms, it carries with it an aura of mystery in its fame and peculiarities that have come to modern times after centuries of use in the traditional medicines of the two worlds. In Russia and Siberia in particular, it has been used for more than 400 years, and has been considered a kind of "elixir of life", but we find it mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine texts going back as far as 2000 years, where it is described as "The King of Plants" or "Gift of God", also called "Diamond of the Forest" by the Japanese. In these Oriental medicines it has been used to treat heart disease, diabetes, parasites and intestinal worms, for stomach aches, diabetes, and to treat certain types of cancer.

 

In the 1950s, during the time of the USSR, a major research project was carried out with some 1200 scientists involved who conducted more than 3,000 experiments on samples of more than 500,000 subjects to study the effects of 'adaptogens' (substances that modulate the body's response to stress) on the human body, where along with Rhodiola, Chaga was included. From this 'secret' research, the Soviet government ordered all athletic, astronaut and military personnel to take adaptogens every day to improve psychophysical performance.

 

According to current scientific literature, chemical analysis of the Chaga mushroom has revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds typical of medicinal mushrooms, such as sterols (lanosterol, betulin, lupeol, inotidiol, etc.), polysaccharides (alpha- and beta-glucans), triterpenes, a high concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants (SOD-superoxide dismutase, melanin). Among the latter, the best known is undoubtedly SOD, which is present in Chaga in the highest concentration of all the nutrients discovered so far (up to fifty times more than other medicinal mushrooms), whose action is now defined as 'anti-aging', counteracting cellular ageing, demonstrated in vitro and in vivo, thanks to the effect of this highly potent enzymatic antioxidant system on the elasticity and efficiency of cell membranes and thus on tissue deterioration. Thanks to the presence of polysaccharides and various steroids such as betulin (or betulinol) and betulinic acid, it has been well demonstrated to be able to boost the body's natural defences by increasing the production of certain infection-specific immune cells, activating macrophages, T-Helper, NK and Beta cells in increasing antibody production.

 

Chaga deserves great consideration and respect throughout the 'modern' world for its remarkable nutraceutical value, its tonic-adaptogenic, immunostimulant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, as well as several others that deserve further investigation (see oncology). Along with these health benefits, it is also considered a true 'supefood' due to its high concentration of important nutrients, providing group vitamins, a significant concentration of vitamin D, and all the essential amino acids.

  SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES

Shashkina MY, Shashkin PN, Sergeev AV. Chemical and medicobiological properties of chaga (review). Pharmaceut Chem J. 2006;40:560-568.

Rastogi S, Pandey MM, Rawat KSA. Medicinal plants of the genus Betula—traditional uses and a phytochemical-pharmacological review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;159:62-83.

Kahlos K, Hiltunen R. Identification of some lanostane type triterpenes from Inonotus obliquus. Acta Pharma Fennica. 1983;92:220.

Balandaykin ME, Zmitrovich IV. Review on Chaga Medicinal Mushroom, Inonotus obliquus (Higher Basidiomycetes): Realm of Medicinal Applications and Approaches on Estimating its Resource Potential. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2015;17(2):95-104. doi: 10.1615/intjmedmushrooms.v17.i2.10. PMID: 25746615.

Duru KC, Kovaleva EG, Danilova IG, van der Bijl P. The pharmacological potential and possible molecular mechanisms of action of Inonotus obliquus from preclinical studies. Phytother Res. 2019 Aug;33(8):1966-1980. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6384. Epub 2019 Jun 17. PMID: 31209936.

Nikitina SA, Khabibrakhmanova VR, Sysoeva MA. Khimicheskiĭ sostav i biologicheskaia aktivnost' triterpenovykh i steroidnykh soedineniĭ chagi [Composition and biological activity of triterpenes and steroids from Inonotus obliquus (chaga)]. Biomed Khim. 2016 May;62(4):369-75. Russian. doi: 10.18097/PBMC20166204369. PMID: 27562990.

Li Z, Mei J, Jiang L, Geng C, Li Q, Yao X, Cao J. Chaga Medicinal Mushroom, Inonotus obliquus (Agaricomycetes) Polysaccharides Suppress Tacrine-induced Apoptosis by ROS-scavenging and Mitochondrial Pathway in HepG2 Cells. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2019;21(6):583-593. doi: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2019030857. PMID: 31679230.

Najafzadeh M, Reynolds PD, Baumgartner A, Jerwood D, Anderson D. Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in lymphocytes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Biofactors. 2007;31(3-4):191-200. doi: 10.1002/biof.5520310306. PMID: 18997282.

Park YK, Lee HB, Jeon EJ, Jung HS, Kang MH. Chaga mushroom extract inhibits oxidative DNA damage in human lymphocytes as assessed by comet assay. Biofactors. 2004;21(1-4):109-12. doi: 10.1002/biof.552210120. PMID: 15630179.

Kou RW, Han R, Gao YQ, Li D, Yin X, Gao JM. Anti-neuroinflammatory polyoxygenated lanostanoids from Chaga mushroom Inonotus obliquus. Phytochemistry. 2021 Jan 9;184:112647. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112647.Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33434790.

Xin X, Qu J, Veeraraghavan VP, Mohan SK, Gu K. Assessment of the Gastroprotective Effect of the Chaga Medicinal Mushroom, Inonotus obliquus (Agaricomycetes), Against the Gastric Mucosal Ulceration Induced by Ethanol in Experimental Rats. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2019;21(8):805-816. doi: 10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2019031154. PMID: 31679287.

In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects of the methanol extract of Inonotus obliquus. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3; 101(1-3):120-8.

Kahlos K, Kangas L, Hiltunen R, Schantz MV. The antitumor activity of some extracts and compound isolated from Inonotus obliquus. Farmaceutish tudschrift voor Belgie. 1984;61:305-306.

In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects of the methanol extract of Inonotus obliquus. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3; 101(1-3):120-8.

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Nutritional information
Nutrition information
  Per daily dose (1 capsule)
Chaga
500 mg
of which beta-glucans 150 mg
Vitamin C 80 mg (100% RI*)
   
*RI: Reference Intake
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Ingredients

dry extract of chaga (Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilàt) sclerotium 30% beta-glucan, capsule (coating agent: hydroxy-propyl-methylcellulose), L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), anti-caking agents: silicon dioxide, salts of magnesium of fatty acids.

Warnings
Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Food supplements are not intended as a substitute for a varied diet. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important. Keep out of the reach of children under three years of age.
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Directions and intake
Take 1 capsule a day with water.
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Chaga - Sticky
Chaga
Special Price £10.37 Regular Price £18.87 -45%