How to Make Chaga Mushroom Tincture?

Numerous fungi are growing worldwide at this very moment. On birch trees of Asia, Europe, North America, and different parts of the northern hemisphere, growing right now is a special fungus called Inonotus obliquus. Mycophagists or mushroom hunters identify it by its burnt charcoal look lumping on birch trees. They call it by its Russian name – Chaga.

Chaga is different from most mushrooms. In others, filaments of mycelium grow hidden in soil or behind bark before blooming into mushroom shapes you may be familiar with. Chaga is a mass of mycelium called sclerotium. Its rich melanin content gives it a blackish color.

Chaga generally grows between 2 and 10 meters above ground. If you come across a tree with a broken branch and notice something that looks like an infection, you may be looking at the origin of Chaga.

Chaga typically comes from a parasitic infection on the tree, when fungal spores infect the wound of a tree whose branch or bark has fallen. It grows slowly and may last for almost eight decades—in the meantime, reaching deep and eventually killing the tree.

How to Harvest Chaga?

Its slow growth means you should not take over half of the existing amount from a particular spot. Foraging it is not too hard. Place a ladder against a tree, climb up with a small pruning saw, and cut off a small grapefruit-sized piece from one spot. Leave about half of it to ensure the mycelium content remains and fosters further growth.

We recommend harvesting Chaga during winter or late fall, as that is when birch trees are dormant, and the fungus is filled with nutrients.

Preparing Chaga

Once you have moved past the first step, grate the larger pieces to remove most of the black crust. Chop the bigger chunks into small golf ball-sized pieces before processing.

Process the smaller chunks into granules of 2 to 5 mm diameter. These are called nuggets, which can be ground into a powder, which you can use to make tea or fill capsules. However, Chaga needs further processing to make effective Chaga mushroom supplements.

Note: Making Chaga tea takes time due to its toughness. Its cell walls contain chitin, the same material that makes fingernails and horns. Some of its nutrients like betulin are not water-soluble.

3 Ways to Extract Chaga’s Nutrients

Making decoctions using hot or boiling water
Making tinctures using ethanol
Adding fermentation agents

Fermentation methods use different agents and processes, and the yields can be unpredictable. They may also become contaminated.

Double Extraction to Prepare Chaga Tincture

Making tinctures is relatively easy and uses a fusion of hot water and ethanol extraction processes. The first phase involves keeping the mushrooms dipped in alcohol for 8 weeks, and, in the second phase, three daily hot water decoctions.

Phase 1: Alcohol Extraction

Break the Chaga into small granules.
Put them in a clamp seal jar and fill it, leaving about 5 cm of the top vacant.
Pour alcohol (even vodka works) to the brim, leaving enough space to seal the jar.
Place it in a dark and cool space.
Shake the jar vigorously daily for 8 weeks to prevent the Chaga from settling.
In the last week, prepare a container twice the alcohol volume.
Use a large metal sieve with a fine mesh to strain the alcohol into the container.
Keep the alcohol separate for the 3 days of hot water extraction.

Phase 2: Hot Water Extraction

Move the Chaga to a stainless steel pot more than twice the volume of the Chaga.
In the pot, add water equal to the alcohol volume you kept separate in Phase 1.
Use a wooden/bamboo stick and a knife to mark the water depth in the pot. Keep the stick safe.
Add the same amount of water again.
Let the Chaga and water in the pot reach a boiling point, reduce the flame, and let it simmer. Keep the container uncovered.
Check the water level during evaporation using the marked stick. Once the water level drops to the original level, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let it cool for one day.
For the next two days, repeat steps 4, 5, and 6.
Keep the granules in the pot and carefully pour the cooled water into the container with the alcohol from Phase 1.
Use cheesecloth to strain the water from the granules into the container. Strain about a grapefruit-level amount at one time and squeeze to let out most of the water.
What you should have left is the tincture—a mix of alcohol and water from the two phases.

The Takeaway

It isn’t hard to remember nature’s magic. It’s all around us. Chaga is a part of the wholesomeness of the world we live in. We hope you had fun reading our blog and have a clear idea of making the tincture. If you think it is overwhelming and want to buy Chaga mushroom drops online, you can order from Essential Mushrooms. All our products are natural and designed to elevate your lifestyle.

Also Read: 5 Chaga Mushroom Skin Benefits: Natural Skincare Support