Chaga mushroom is a fungus that grows on birch trees. Sounds appetizing, huh?
My parents introduced me to chaga a few years back. They had friends that discovered chaga and started consuming it for the amazing health benefits it offers. They knew this was something that would likely interest me so they gave me some to try out.
It has some pretty impressive health benefits. Here are my favourites:
- Slows down the aging process.
- Prevents and fights cancer.
- Supports the immune system.
My favourite way to prepare this is in the slow cooker, as a perpetual brew – similar to what you can do with bone broth. I put a large chunk of chaga (like the one pictured) in the slow cooker, add boiling water to fill and set it on low. I drink a cup each morning and replace what I take with more boiling water. This lasts me about a week.
I got this idea from one of my natural health heroes, Ange Peters from HOL:FIT.
These friends of theirs also added lemon peel to their chaga tea cup. Back then, I didn’t quite understand why they would do this and my parents simply said it had added benefits. Now, as an essential oils educator, I totally get why you would add lemon peel: d-limonene.
“d-Limonene, a monoterpene, is widely distributed as a natural nonnutritive constituent of a variety of foods and volatile oils, particularly citrusoils. d-Limonene and its derived metabolites have been shown to possess cancer chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive efficacy in various preclinical model systems.” (Source)
I encourage you to replace your cup of Joe one morning and try it out 😉 (or do half and half). Don’t worry, it provides you with a great energy boost!
M.
