Content
- 1 What to do with chaga mushroom after harvesting
- 2 How to grind chaga at home
- 3 How to brew a birch chaga mushroom
- 4 How much to insist on chaga
- 5 How many times can you brew chaga
- 6 Chaga mushroom recipes
- 7 How to drink chaga properly
- 8 Is it possible to drink chaga every day
- 9 How long can you drink chaga
- 10 Conclusion
Correctly brewing chaga is essential in order to get the most out of its use. The birch tinder fungus has numerous medicinal properties and significantly improves well-being when used correctly.
What to do with chaga mushroom after harvesting
The chaga mushroom, or cut 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 nutrients. The polypore is removed from the birch trunk with an ax, cutting off the middle part of the growth.
Freshly harvested chaga must be processed immediately, since the mushroom quickly becomes hard and is difficult to influence in the future. As a rule, chaga mushroom is dried after collection - first, it is cut into cubes or strips with a sharp knife, and then laid out in the air.
You can also use an oven or electric dryer - the temperature should not exceed 40 ° C.
Processed raw materials are laid out in dry cans and removed for long-term storage.
Chaga collected from birch is beneficial for both treatment and prevention.
How to grind chaga at home
It is not necessary to brew birch chaga immediately after collection - 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 material must be pre-crushed:
- Even pre-sliced mushrooms become very tough over time. It is recommended to grind chaga into powder after preliminary soaking, this allows you to spend 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 be properly soaked.
- After the specified time has elapsed, the birch tinder fungus is removed from the water and lightly 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 prepare an infusion of chaga.
How to brew a birch chaga mushroom
There are several main ways to brew chaga mushroom with benefit. The difference lies not only in the duration, but also in the medicinal value of the finished broth - in some teas it is higher, in others it is lower.
How to brew birch chaga for prevention
It is recommended to brew chaga tea not only for existing diseases. Infusions and decoctions of birch tinder fungus are taken as a preventive measure for the general strengthening of the body.
The 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 a standard algorithm;
- the resulting raw material is poured into 1 liter of boiling water and cooked over low heat for 20 minutes;
- after the time has elapsed, the chaga broth is removed from the stove, the drink is allowed to cool slightly and filtered from the remaining raw materials.
It takes a little time to make tea, the finished drink pleases with a pleasant taste and benefits from weakened immunity, inflammation and digestive disorders. However, the healing properties of such tea are reduced. If you brew tinder fungus in a quick way, then some of the nutrients are simply destroyed.
Therefore, brewing quick 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 case of existing diseases.
A weak and fast chaga tea is prepared in preventive measures.
How to brew chaga properly for treatment
If you plan to brew chaga tea not for preventive purposes, but for the treatment of a serious ailment, then you must use a different recipe for preparation. Brewing tinder fungus in this case takes more time, 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 raw materials entirely.
- The birch tinder fungus is left to soak in water for 6-8 hours, then removed and chopped using a grater, meat grinder or blender.
- After grinding the raw materials, the water remaining after soaking is again slightly warmed up to 50 ° C and the crushed 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 mushroom according to a "slow" recipe, it will be beneficial for a wide range of diseases and retain the maximum of valuable substances.
How much to insist on chaga
There are 2 methods of cooking chaga - cold and hot. When boiling a mushroom over a fire, the cooking process takes only about 20 minutes, but chaga loses a significant part of its beneficial properties.
Correctly infuse chaga on water during "cold" brewing 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 raw materials are suitable for repeated use. Phytotherapists 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 uses, 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
Traditional simple infusion based on birch tinder fungus has a beneficial effect on most diseases. But it can be used not only in its pure form, often tinder fungus is combined with other medicinal ingredients, which is why the value of the birch mushroom only increases.
Chaga with medicinal herbs
For 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 to your own taste. Together with tinder fungus, chamomile and plantain, oak bark and rose hips, yarrow and wormwood are brewed. The recipe looks like this:
- ingredients for preparing a healthy drink are taken in equal proportions and mixed with each other;
- measure out 2 large spoons of herbal mixture, mixed with chopped chaga mushroom, and pour the raw materials into a thermos;
- pour tinder fungus and herbs with boiling water in a ratio of 1 to 5, and then close the thermos with a lid.
It takes about 8 hours to insist the remedy. The finished drink is filtered and taken in a volume of 1 glass three times a day, preferably on an empty stomach. If desired, 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, infusion of birch mushroom for inflammation and colds is popular:
- 20 g of chopped birch mushroom is poured with 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.
They use the product in the amount of one glass on an empty stomach, beekeeping products and chaga effectively help fight inflammatory and bacterial processes. Also, the infusion can be brewed to cleanse the body while losing weight, in which case you need to drink it with honey and propolis on an empty stomach in the morning.
Chaga tea with honey has pronounced cleansing and antibacterial properties
Chaga with burdock root
With adenoma in men and other diseases of the reproductive sphere, an infusion of chaga with burdock root is beneficial. You can prepare chaga for treatment as follows:
- 1 large spoonful of dried burdock root is poured with 2 glasses 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 remedy for the treatment of adenoma and other ailments, you need only 2 large spoons three times a day. You need to take the infusion on an empty stomach, and the course of treatment continues for 3 weeks.
How to drink chaga properly
It is customary to distinguish not only different methods of brewing a birch tinder fungus, but also the methods of its use. The frequency and duration of use depends on whether the agent is taken for prophylactic purposes or for targeted treatment.
How to take chaga for prevention
Chaga drink is very beneficial if brewed prophylactically, even before serious ailments appear. It is advised to take it for gastritis and reduced immunity, to prevent ulcers in the stomach and to protect against oncology, with a tendency to persistent colds.
They drink loosely brewed birch chaga usually three times a day - no more than 1 glass per dose. Drinking chaga before or after meals doesn't really matter. The main thing is that the consumption of food is 1.5 hours away from taking the drug.
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
The methods of using chaga decoction for existing diseases differ little from the use of chaga for prophylaxis. The main difference lies in the concentration of the therapeutic agent - for treatment, it is customary to brew a stronger and richer drink from birch tinder fungus.
They also take the healing agent three times a day - 1 glass at a time, preferably on an empty stomach, about an hour before eating.
Simultaneously with the internal intake of chaga broth, you can use the agent externally. Depending on the disease, compresses, rubbing, rinsing and inhalation of chaga medicine are used. With any method of application, birch tinder fungus is beneficial.
The general course of treatment depends on the specific ailment. But on average, chaga mushroom 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 fungus with natural honey and medicinal herbs, additional ingredients increase the benefits of the infusion.
Chaga can be treated for several months in a row without side effects, cleansing and antibacterial properties.
Is it possible to drink chaga every day
Birch tinder tea, prepared in low concentration, is suitable for daily consumption and brings considerable benefits. They can replace ordinary tea, a drink from a tree mushroom will have a pronounced beneficial effect on the body and raise the 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.
A break of 2 weeks is required between individual courses. With long-term constant use, chaga tea can negatively affect the functioning of the nervous system.
Conclusion
Correctly brewing chaga is necessary in order for the drink to bring maximum benefits in the treatment of ailments. Both for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of chaga, it is widely used in home medicine - the preparation of a decoction looks simple, and the effect on the health of chaga is very positive.
