Sometimes on the trunks of birch trees you can see growths of black color, having an irregular shape. Especially often they appear on old trees, the bark of which is covered with cracks. This is a chaga mushroom (see photo below).
Its second name is tinder fungus.
Description
Chaga birch fungus arises, as a rule, in those places of the bark where it is affected by the sun, frost, and insects. Botanists attribute it to the tinder family. This parasitic fungus is an oblique tinder fungus. Chaga parasitizes mainly on birches. But sometimes it can be found on mountain ash, elm and alder. Chaga mushroom (see photo below) can be seen on birches growing throughout Russia. However, most often it is found in the northern regions of the country.
Chaga mushroom can only be found on old birches. On young trees, it does not develop. Sometimes black growths of chaga are found at the very roots of old birches. They cannot be harvested. This mushroom is not suitable for medicinal purposes.
Chaga birch has a round or oval shape. Outside, it is black, and inside the mushroom is dark brown or brown. Chaga is covered with many cracks and has yellowish veins at the base. In diameter, birch chaga mushroom can reach half a meter, gaining weight up to two kilograms. Under favorable conditions, the growth develops ten to fifteen years or more. If artificially instilled chaga spores on the birch trunk, the fungus on the bark can be seen four years later. Until this time, the chaga develops inside.
This tinder funnel is a hoof-shaped semicircle with a wide base. On the underside, this growth is flat. The surface of the fungus is covered with a hard crust, having a grayish or brownish color. This is the birch chaga. The healing properties and contraindications (see photo below) of such growths have been known since ancient times. This tinder fungus is easily removed from the tree.
On birches, you can also find a false mushroom. It has a hoof-like shape. This tinder is convex above, and flat below. His bark is grayish or brown, and the surface is velvety. For medicinal purposes, this growth is not used.
Composition
Chaga mushroom birch folk healers used since the XVI century. To get rid of various pathologies, it is used not only inside, but also externally. Ancient healers knew what the chaga had healing properties and contraindications, successfully using this mushroom to get rid of various ailments.
The versatile medicinal properties of tinder fungus are manifested due to its unusual and complex chemical composition. Chaga birch contains a large number of healing compounds and nutrients, which, combined into a complex, allow you to produce a unique therapeutic effect.
Organic acid and polysaccharides, pterin and steroid compounds, various macro- and microelements, resins and coloring substances, alkaloids, etc. were found in the tinderbox. Scientists believe that the main healing quality of the chaga is due to the chromogenic polyphenol carbonate complex, which is a very strong biogenic a stimulator with significant biological activity. This combination of elements is unique. In other panties it is not found. It should be borne in mind that thanks to this complex, the chaga has a rich brown color. That is why for medicinal purposes it is not worth using very light pieces of growth. There will be much less benefit from them than from the dark.
Chaga, the medicinal properties and contraindications to the use of which are due to its unique composition, serves as a raw material for the manufacture of therapeutic agents - the strongest biogenic stimulants. This is worth remembering. In addition, it is best to consult a doctor before taking such drugs.
Harvesting raw materials
Chaga mushroom , whose beneficial properties and contraindications for use have been known to doctors since ancient times, is harvested year-round. But it is more convenient and better to do this in those periods when there are no leaves on the trees and their trunks are clearly visible (in early spring, winter and autumn). In addition, in these seasons, the fungus contains the maximum number of biologically active components. Those growths that are found on still alive, not fallen trees are chopped with an ax near the trunk. After that, the internal loose part is cleaned (it is simply thrown away). All pieces of wood and bark are also removed. Medicinal growths have a dense structure. Three layers are visible on their cut. Outside is black. It is hilly and covered in cracks.
The brown layer (middle) is very dense. At its fracture, a granular structure is visible. The inner layer extending deep into the trunk is loose. The collected chaga mushroom is chopped into small pieces, the length of which is from three to six centimeters. Harvested raw materials are laid out under a canopy or in well-ventilated places. You can use the dryer, the temperature of which should not be above fifty degrees. Storage of raw materials is carried out in a dry place, as it can become damp and moldy. It should be borne in mind that for therapeutic purposes, the chaga is only suitable for three to four months.
Mushrooms from elm, mountain ash, alder and ash should not be collected. Do not possess healing qualities and growths located at the very bases of old birches.
Application area
Chaga mushroom, the medicinal properties and contraindications of which should be known, is widely used by folk doctors. It is used for gastritis, accompanied by a decrease in secretory function, to get rid of ulcerative processes in the duodenum and stomach, as well as with polyps present in the digestive tract. Use tinder fungus in some other cases.
So, this herbal remedy is recommended for cancer of the lungs, stomach and other internal organs, which are well supplied with blood. This is especially important in cases where there are contraindications to the use of radiation therapy and surgery. Reception of preparations from chaga at the initial stages of oncology allows to suspend the development of the tumor.
Act
Before applying the healing gift of nature, it is worth exploring which chaga has healing properties and contraindications. Testimonials of patients indicate that drugs based on the medicinal mushroom soothe pain of various origins and improve well-being. The beneficial substances contained in the birch growth enhance immunity.
Using
In traditional medicine, drugs based on chaga mushroom are used. They are prescribed to enhance metabolic processes, relieve painful symptoms, as well as to get rid of various serious ailments.
Birch chaga is able to improve blood circulation in the brain, strengthen the work of enzymes, improve conductivity in nerve fibers and normalize the functioning of the bronchi and lungs, as well as the cardiovascular system. Tinder fungus gives a person strength and heals his skin for psoriasis.
Cooking features
How to take into account the medicinal properties and contraindications available in the chaga mushroom? Raw materials should not be prepared at high temperatures. Otherwise, the birch growth loses its useful properties. In order to prepare the chaga for use, you can apply a temperature liquid of about 90 degrees. This is the maximum value. Otherwise, chaga should not be used as a biogenic stimulant. However, sometimes the mushroom is still poured with boiling water. They even make a decoction from it.
Cooking infusion
For therapeutic use, a piece of chaga is thoroughly washed and poured with water at room temperature, which can be either purified or boiled. The mushroom should soften completely. To do this, it should be left in the water for six to seven hours. Dishes in which the chaga will be located should not be wooden or metal. It is better to choose containers made of ceramic or glass.
After soaking, the mushroom is taken out, squeezed and crushed by grating or passing through a meat grinder. Then the water in which the chaga was softened is heated to a temperature of 40-50 degrees. She poured crushed mushroom in a ratio of 5: 1. The resulting solution is insisted for 2 days. It is better if the infusion will stand in a cool place. In this case, the mushroom will not ferment. Filter the finished infusion and store it under a lid in a cool dark place. The shelf life of such a tool does not exceed four days.
Application of infusion
An amazing in its healing power remedy from chaga is recommended for cancer. The infusion is recommended for adults in the amount of three glasses per day. In this case, the drug is used in small portions either thirty minutes before a meal, or two hours after a meal. The course of therapy can be carried out for 3-5 months. Every month you need to take ten-day breaks.
Chaga infusion is used for peptic ulcer of the duodenum and stomach. This tool perfectly heals ulcers, which helps to eliminate pathology.
When tumors are located in the small pelvis (in the rectum, genitals, prostate or bladder), the infusion is used in the form of microclysters. The procedure should be performed twice during the day. For each of them you will need no more than fifty grams of solution.
During the therapeutic course, you should eat dairy and vegetable foods, exclude fatty foods, meat, white bread, as well as spicy, canned and smoked components from the daily diet. This is necessary due to the fact that the fungus has a strong fastening effect, and constipation can occur during the procedures.
If the patient has cancer of the oral cavity, larynx or throat, then infusion from the healing fungus can be irrigated and inhaled.
Birch ointment
For the treatment of tumors, not only infusions prepared from chaga mushroom are used. Recipes of ointments from healing natural material are also offered by traditional medicine. This tool is applied to those places where tumors are located close to the surface of the skin.
Prepare an ointment based on the infusion. It is mixed with fresh interior pig fat in a ratio of 1: 1. The resulting composition is melted in a water bath and brought to a boil, put on fire. Further, the ointment must be insisted during the day. To do this, it is placed in a thermobag or a thermos. The finished product is stored in the refrigerator. If there is no pork fat, then butter can be the basis of the ointment (fatty vegetable solid oils). Chaga ointments are used for cancer of the uterus or skin, prostate or breast, as well as in the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes.
Alcohol tincture
Prepare it on vodka. Alcohol is not used in this case. But it is worth keeping in mind that the chaga tincture should be prepared only on high-quality vodka. If it is not, then it is better to dilute moonshine or alcohol with water. To prepare the tincture, one hundred grams of dry raw material is poured with a liter of vodka. After this, the chaga is insisted for two weeks in a cool dark place, and then filtered. It is recommended to take tincture three times during the day before meals in the amount of one dessert spoon. The course should last two weeks. It is worth remembering that treatment with this agent must necessarily take place under the supervision of a doctor.
Medical preparations
The pharmaceutical industry produces the drug "Befungin". This is a thick extract of chaga. This tool in the amount of two or three teaspoons is diluted in one hundred and fifty milliliters of boiled slightly heated water. The drug is taken 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals, one tablespoon each. In the pharmacy you can buy pills, the main active ingredient of which is chaga. They are taken in 30 minutes. before meals four times a day. A single dosage is one tablet.
Application area
The drug "Befungin" is recommended for getting rid of malignant neoplasms at different stages.
Scientific studies have proven that this drug is able to stop the growth of cancer cells, their division, as well as the formation of metastases. The medication "Befungin" improves the well-being of patients with cancer, eliminates pain symptoms. Apply this drug even in cases where it is no longer meaningful to remove the tumor and carry out radiation therapy.
Contraindications
Preparations from chaga have no special restrictions on admission. With a long course of treatment with this fungus, people with shaky nerves may have excessive excitability. It disappears after drug withdrawal. Also, chaga should not be used for certain bowel diseases.