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Chaga mushroom for lyme? Not seen this here.

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Posted 1/7/2015 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone try it? What did it do?
Posted 1/21/2015 7:38 AM (GMT 0)
I live in an area where i understand that i have a chance at finding a chaga fungus in the wild. While trecking through the forest several hundred metres into the woods, i have found 2 chagas growing on a half dead birch tree. They are quite accessible, and intend to go harvest one of them in the next few days if the rains stop doing their thing. Anyone have any hints as to how to harvest and process these healthy fungi?
Posted 1/21/2015 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
I take HostDefense medicinal mushroom capsules from Fungi Perfecti (Paul Stamet's company if there are any ametuer mycologists here). They include Chaga in them. As far as I know Chaga is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Probably very good for Lyme.

When I was up in the northwoods this summer I found a nice chunk of chaga on a dead birch and I climbed on my friends shoulders to grab it. It's been sitting in the freezer for a couple of months but I made iced tea with it this last summer and it was really good. Super tasty and very medicinal. I don't know how to process the rest. If I can just throw the whole thing into tea that's cool but I think I read somewhere that you are only susposed to use the black part? Or the orange part? I can't remember and that's why I haven't done anything with it, haha.

Here are the mushroom pills that I take:
www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/host-defense-mycommunity-capsules-30ct.html - they definitely help and they will have you herx so I believe that they can heal lyme.
They also have chaga capsules only if you wanted those (but I think the other mushrooms are good too) - www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/host-defense-chaga-capsules-60ct.html

"Embraced by Eurasians for centuries and found throughout boreal forests, Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) grows primarily on birch trees. Studied and treasured worldwide for its health-enhancing, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties,* Chaga is a unique species, and the focus of recent and ongoing scientific research. Each capsule contains 500 mg of freeze-dried Chaga mycelium. Available in bottles of 60 capsules.
- See more at: http://www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/host-defense-chaga-capsules-60ct.html#sthash.J3zTXo6a.dpuf"

I'm not affiliated with that company by the way, I'm just a big fan of the founder, Paul Stamets and I've been buying medicinal mushroom supplements from them for years, very good quality.

Here is a video of him talking about the medicinal properties of mushrooms: www.fungi.net/blog/mushrooms-as-medicine-from-helping-treat-cancer-to-bees-biosecurity - I think this one is good but I might have fallen asleep during it so I don't really remember, but there is a lot of really good science behind medicinal mushrooms (as well as myco-remediation and other cool fungal things) and Paul Stamets knows quite a bit about it all. Definitely check it out!
Posted 1/21/2015 8:32 PM (GMT 0)
I take a mushroom blend 2 weeks on 1 week off called myImmune. It's a powder and I capsule it myself. It has 10 different mushrooms in it, chaga is one of them. No idea if it makes a difference!
Posted 1/22/2015 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Now I know what those growths are on Birch trees. I still dont think I'd bust one off and somehow consume it though!
Posted 1/22/2015 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
I just love to drink it. Never thought about it for the lyme.

Chaga sun-tea......takes it to a whole new level. YUM-O!!!!!
Posted 1/22/2015 4:14 AM (GMT 0)
That chaga mushroom in the forest is in the same forest where i got my tick bite 10 years ago and that produced my bull's eye rash which was dismissed by my gp at the time. The mushroom and the tick bite were about 1 mile apart so i think that the forest should also contribute to my healing. Also in this forest along the creek edge, there are so many japanese knotweed plants. Once the shoots of those start sprouting out of the ground within a month (spring here) i will also be harvesting these as these fresh shoots are reputed to be as tasty as asparagus and also so beneficial. The forest got me to this state, and the forest should cure me. The weather forecast for tomorrow is cloudy with a trace of rain, no wind whatsoever, and a temp of 7C which is 45F. After 2 pm, i will take my trusty dog and we will go into the forest for that chaga and just enjoy a lovely day (and the dog can do his business in the forest). xfmlg
Posted 1/22/2015 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
xf:

I cracked up when I read what you wrote! yeah, maybe your dog will do his business on the tick that bit you! You guys are brave! No more forest for me! No more grass! The only time I go on grass is when my 3 yr old runs on it, to go get him. My 5 yrs old was bit by a tick in the school park last year, my son was bit in the woods the year before that, and I was bit a few years earlier. I've had it with ticks! And grass! And forests! I won't even get a dog for my kids because I don't want the dog to pick a tick somewhere!

I hope the mother nature--mother forest heals you! I wish I would know of a place where I can get some stuff to heal us, but I want a forest with NO ticks! LOL
Posted 1/24/2015 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
We use cordyceps as recommended by Buhner, but there are so many. This guy thinks they are all good, and not just for humans:

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/01/23/how-mushrooms-can-save-bees-our-food-supply/
Posted 1/24/2015 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I have to wait for the rainy season to pass here. I had planned to do my chaga harvesting yesterday and it would have been a good day for it. As it was, the day was an awfull day for me personally. I tripped and fell again in my house just after getting up. This was a lyme trip and my emotions went up into the stratosphere after this fall. I was so upset with myself that this morning fall wiped out any plans i had for the day. I ended up going to the village hot mineral pool for a couple of hours to soak out some of the stress in me. It helped but it was then night time. Today it has been raining all day as it does near Canada's west coast this time of year. The weather network says that it will rain a lot but sunday and monday will have some non-rain periods, and then the rains come back full force. So i will be watching for that sunday/monday window of opportunity to go harvest my first chaga. Wife has lectured me regarding picking up any more ticks in the forest when i am doing that chore. I will have a rain coat on and rubber boots on knee high. I will roll the jeans over the boots so that any ticks would find it very difficult to get into my boots. I know, 10 years ago roughly in this same spot is where i picked up that first lyme tick. xfmlg
Posted 1/24/2015 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
this doc is talking about the benefits of chaga and how to make a tea with it somewhere in the video and he is using the product for his lyme patients and for himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACOan6pO6gg
Posted 1/24/2015 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
I just found it!! LOL! Dr. K is talking about it at the 2:14:00 point in the video! He says that to optimize it, use creamer with it to make it into more of a liposomal thingy!
Posted 1/24/2015 8:47 PM (GMT 0)
Lots of harvest / prep info- good to know.

BUT- my question, what does chaga do for you?
Posted 1/24/2015 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Yet another great thread that is now bookmarked :)

I would imagine chaga is like many of the other medicinal mushrooms: a nutrient-rich adaptogen.

Some Googling revealed this:

http://www.chagaknowledge.com/chagabenefits.htm


http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/chaga-potent-immune-enhancing-fungus/


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-stamets/chaga-mushroom_b_1974571.html

Post Edited (cd3764) : 1/24/2015 1:55:30 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/24/2015 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Astro:
Please see what Trav said in her last post and watch the video I posted the link for (chaga is mentioned in it with it's amazing benefits). Trav posted the exact time the dr is talking about chaga. So you don't have to watch the whole video. Get me some chaga, too :)
Posted 1/24/2015 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
So Trav, do u believe me now? Lol. How many reputable sources you need? I truly believe that if you would to your potions liposomal, u will have amazing results. That's why I am pushing it on you lol.
Posted 1/26/2015 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
I went into the forest to what i thought was a chaga. I was going to harvest it. Instead it was some kind of burl on the birch tree. There was very hard wood where i thought i could remove the chaga. Maybe the chaga was growing on top of the wood burl. I will go there again another day with better tools and see if it is a chaga growing on top of this wood burl. sigh. I had such high hopes. xfmlg
Posted 11/1/2015 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
Several days ago I started using Chaga mushrooms made into a tea based on a friend's recommendation. I have been herxing with it.....depression and chest pressure. I usually have joint pain/inflammation when I herx but not too much with this. I think it's because of it's anti-inflammatory effects. A friend who is taking it didn't herx at all and said she can now think clearly and has more energy. She feels normal for the first time in years. Apparently a herbalist in the area is getting all the people with Lyme to try it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24380885
Posted 11/1/2015 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Mister Mike, did you herx when you started using it? I tend to herx with anything that modulates the immune system. How are you doing? Have you improved since you started using it? Did you notice an increase in energy? It is supposed to make you more balanced but so far I am just depressed. Once the herxing stops I hope I feel more balanced. I watched the video on Dr K....interesting.
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