Siberian Chaga Used in Russia as Cancer Drug

If you discover a black, cancerous mass on a birch, you may be looking at a Siberian chaga mushroom. It can also, less commonly, be found growing ash, beech, elm or hornbeam.

In Europe and Asia, chaga has been used for centuries to treat cancers of the heart and liver, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis. [121]

The traditional use was to peel the black skin of the mushroom and then boil it into a tea. Being a compact and easily portable medicinal made it very valuable to healers throughout history.

Modern research on chaga has mainly focused on its potential application as an anti-cancer remedy. In Russia, this usage was already approved as early as 1955 to treat lung, stomach, breast and cervical cancers. [122]

One modern study from 1998 showed that chaga extract did in fact inhibit growth of cervical cancer cell lines under lab conditions. [123] Another study from 1995 reported that an isolate of the active compound betulin first inhibited growth of melanoma cells in a lab, and then killed them. [124, 25]

Other research papers also confirm that some of the active compounds of chaga help retard the growth of cancer cells. [125, 126]

Although traditional healers used to peel off the black outside (probably because it looked unappetizing), the skin actually contains 30% betulin, a highly prized medicinal compound, [127] while the inside is rich in fungal lanostanes. So both parts would be valuable in preparing the tea.

Even better are chaga extracts that are made with not only the whole mushroom but also the mycelium, because the mycelium contains higher levels of medicinal proteins than the fruit body of the mushroom.

Other researchers have found chaga extract to be potently anti-viral. Two studies in 1996 found it to have an inhibitory effect on both influenza [127] and HIV. [128] Perhaps it does so by helping to stimulate the body’s natural immune functions, something that was first confirmed in 2002 and then again in 2005, [25, 129] and which may also help explain the historical use of chaga mushroom as an anti-inflammatory. [130]

Furthermore, alcohol extract of chaga mushroom has been found to lower blood sugar levels. [131] Chaga also demonstrates significant antioxidant properties that help protect the genetic integrity of the cells. [132, 133]

As an interesting aside unrelated to human health, a Quebec arborist uses a chaga poultice to cure chestnut blight. The trees later even become immune to the blight and resistant to future infections. [134]

Note: The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Never use any medicinal mushroom or herb without prior approval by medical doctor.

Credit to Paul Stamets for research and source material.

Dr. Markho Rafael has worked in the natural health field since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently specializes in medicinal fungi in partnership with Cordyceps Reishi Extracts, LLC, a U.S. business offering Siberian Chaga Mushroom Extract and much more. For the scientific references to this article, go to the Chaga Extract page and click on any number indicating a reference.