Chaga

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is also known as Cinder Conk or Black Mass, which accurately describe its appearance. This mushroom, which feeds on birch trees, is native to the forests of Europe, Russia, North America and cold northern climates in general, where birch is the primary tree species. For hundreds of years, Chaga has been wild-crafted and utilized by the people of northern Europe and Russia, often consumed as a tea. The growing cycle of Chaga begins when a fruiting body of a higher fungi species enters a wound of a mature tree, forming a large hardened mycelial mass (the conk) that will continue to grow until it is harvested or falls to the forest floor. Chaga is unique among mushrooms as it is rare to see the fruiting body in nature, with the hardened mycelial mass holding the herbal value. A mushroom goes through many stages during its life cycle, just like any plant or animal. Each part of a mushroom has unique attributes that support wellness and serve a different purpose for the organism, but the fruiting bodies receive the most attention and are the most familiar. Fruiting bodies emerge from the substrate on which they grow — such as trees or fallen logs — to become the part of the mushroom we recognize. They are the above-ground part that we can see when we walk through the woods, and they are also what have been traditionally foraged and consumed in food and supplements.