tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post7792486907722228242..comments2022-05-31T06:04:24.591-04:00Comments on Being Herbalism: Chaga and the Wild Harvesting DilemmaMichael Vertollihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-34517124004846802442018-06-10T09:21:16.735-04:002018-06-10T09:21:16.735-04:00There is no question that Chaga is the ugliest fun...There is no question that Chaga is the ugliest fungus I have ever seen in pictures. I am still looking to see it for real as I look for wild roses. However, I did take a Birch Tinder because I did not know what it was and it was on a Birch Tree. Now I know it is not Chaga. What should I do with it? Return it to that forest area? Discard it in the trash? Thank you for your help and encouraging work. Take time to smell the roses.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-63485151537669631682017-07-15T11:07:50.837-04:002017-07-15T11:07:50.837-04:00I can not say for sure. I have observed another fu...I can not say for sure. I have observed another fungus that looks like chaga growing on poplar trees. The literature also indicates that chaga can grow on other trees besides birch, however, I have only observed this once. There is a possibility that what you observed is chaga but you will need to do some research or ask someone who is knowledgeable about fungi to have a look at it to know for sure.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-50103154252383533462017-07-15T08:23:26.900-04:002017-07-15T08:23:26.900-04:00I have observed something that looks like chaga bu...I have observed something that looks like chaga but is not on birch trees. This is in a very moist area on old, rotting trees in a northern forrest. Is there something that looks just like chaga? It is also on old birches in the area. Thanks for the article!<br /><br />PatChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15502091909675033316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-14907477267490079262017-07-05T09:13:55.278-04:002017-07-05T09:13:55.278-04:00Unfortunately, there is no regulation in Canada. W...Unfortunately, there is no regulation in Canada. We know so little about fungi. There are lists of the status of various plants and animals. I doubt there is an equivalent for fungi. The various regulatory agencies don't even recognize this as a problem — if they are aware of it at all — as they are primarily concerned about logging and see chaga itself as a problem. The official position is that it attacks and accelerates the death of birch trees. In truth, we know almost nothing of it's role in the ecosystem. It is probably only "attacking" weaker trees and it does't grow mycelia deep into the tree. It is therefore unlikely that it is accelerating the death of the trees to any significant extent — certainly a lot less than many of the other fungi that live on birch trees.<br /><br />That being said, chaga is still quite plentiful in the north. It has only become rare in the southern part of it's range where, more recently, I have even heard that people are cutting down birch trees to get at chaga that is too high to reach (I haven't yet seen this myself). Further north in the northern coniferous and boreal forest in Canada and Eurasia it is still very common and that is where the major harvesting is now occurring, especially in Canada, Russia and China. Given the incredible growth in the chaga market, it is only a matter of time before it becomes depleted in the more remote regions as well — not to mention the other environmental consequences of lots of people up there harvesting it. These are very delicate ecosystems.<br /><br />I am aware that there are people trying to develop guidelines for sustainable harvesting of chaga. However, we really don't know enough about it to make those kinds of decisions. I also don't expect the large and growing market to show any restraint. How often to people and companies show restraint when there is lots of money to be made?<br /><br />My position on chaga and wild harvesting in general is still the same. It should not be done on a commercial scale. If a fungus can not be grown commercially, we shouldn't be harvesting and selling it on a large scale.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-89540411263529383552017-07-03T02:29:11.926-04:002017-07-03T02:29:11.926-04:00So glad I came across your page and this post. I ...So glad I came across your page and this post. I was searching the web for information on sustainably harvesting Chaga after seeing an Instagram page from Black Magic Alchemy on their "rootbeer" product that is made with wild harvested Chaga in Canada and marketed as a healthy syrup to pour on ice cream and other non-healthful things. I tried asking the owner what his views are on the long-term sustainability of harvesting wild Chaga since it is blowing up on the healthy living scene (he markets his products in health/trendy shops and restaurants in S. California), but he either didn't see my question or chose to ignore it. <br /><br />It made me sad to see the way the Chaga is being exploited. Like you mentioned, that is far detached from what health is. Here in Hawaii, native Hawaiians and those who have learned to respect the land in the way of the Hawaiian culture will make an offering to the forest to ask permission to enter and to gather plant materials for eating or to make lei. They don't just go in and pick freely because they know that the forest is a part of them and it's health is their health. <br /><br />I was wondering if commercial harvesting of Chaga is regulated in Canada, as it seems people like Black Magic Alchemy are free to gather all they want for their product. <br /><br />Thanks again for this insightful post. Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06081218647670328481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-62238889812576798772016-09-07T09:39:34.150-04:002016-09-07T09:39:34.150-04:00Excellent article, Michael!Excellent article, Michael!Rita di Ghenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04719668283461721265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-91573279024174664742016-08-05T11:17:51.458-04:002016-08-05T11:17:51.458-04:00The over-harvesting of chaga has continued at an i...The over-harvesting of chaga has continued at an increasing rate since I wrote this a few years ago. I no longer recommend it's use. I strongly recommend that you consider using other medicinal fungi as an alternative.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-23078961081859672722016-08-04T22:41:49.833-04:002016-08-04T22:41:49.833-04:00Hello Michael,
Thanks so much for your expertise ...Hello Michael,<br /><br />Thanks so much for your expertise in the field and also educating people on mother earth respect .<br />Only one quick question : once shaga is harvested from the tree, what is the drying process, how long is it good for after and what is the best way to preserve it...macon jar, brown bag, room temperature, fridge ?<br /><br />Merci !<br /><br />Jude from Bromont QuebecAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691969653713801385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-11619468156429227042016-04-10T08:44:04.274-04:002016-04-10T08:44:04.274-04:00Thanks for the info! I was out yesterday pruning s...Thanks for the info! I was out yesterday pruning some Maple and Oak on my property to grow reishi mushrooms on and I found some chaga on a birch tree. I was looking for some advise on how not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg and it looks like I found it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05048939142317884462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-72052152842519302582016-03-02T11:56:25.083-05:002016-03-02T11:56:25.083-05:00A rambling speech, but not without merit.A rambling speech, but not without merit.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199710924503480118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-13176733978601334662016-03-01T12:01:27.172-05:002016-03-01T12:01:27.172-05:00Great educational piece, I learned alot. Great educational piece, I learned alot. Heather Noelle Sagghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115421288789701565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-58690038406587524632014-08-20T12:50:35.841-04:002014-08-20T12:50:35.841-04:00Hi Robert,
Sorry to take this long to reply. I hav...Hi Robert,<br />Sorry to take this long to reply. I have been away teaching or wild harvesting for most of the summer and haven't had time to work on my blog. I can appreciate your challenge, but it would be irresponsible for me to provide information on where to find chaga given the fact that it is being over-harvested. Also, cancers are very serious conditions and difficult to treat. I do not recommend self-treatment. You should seriously consider working with an herbalist or other practitioner who has a lot of experience treating cancer. If this is absolutely not an option, my recommendation is to switch to birch polypore. It has similar anticancer properties. It will probably start fruiting in the next few weeks and is very common on both paper and yellow birch in southern Ontario. You can make a tincture or dry it and use it as a tea.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-49829888565449223242014-06-25T21:42:37.521-04:002014-06-25T21:42:37.521-04:00Hi Michael,
I find your article about chaga very i...Hi Michael,<br />I find your article about chaga very informative and I like your approach to harvesting it in a responsible way.<br />I got interested in chaga because I have cancer. I started to take it in the form of a tincture about a month ago. I realized however that I will not be able to keep going with taking it for to long because I have limited financial means and chaga preparations that are being sold on the internet are not very cheap. I decided to find some on my own but didn't have much luck so far...all birch trees that I checked out are very healthy and have no chaga...:-( Is there a chance that you can provide me with an advise where about in south east Ontario area it can be found? I live in GTA area. I promise I will harvest for my own use only and don't even contemplate to harvest it for a profit. If you can please contact me: rksuerte@hotmail.com I would appreciate.<br />Regards,<br />Robert<br />robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11774033194234619909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-67560376839115774592013-12-17T11:07:20.645-05:002013-12-17T11:07:20.645-05:00Hi Paul,
I am not aware of any studies that have ...Hi Paul,<br /><br />I am not aware of any studies that have compared the potency of chaga harvested at different times. I can only speak from my experience. I have found that it is best to harvest the fungus when it is actively metabolizing. That means any time when the temperature has been at least a few degrees above freezing 24 hours per day for 2-3 days in a row or more. Many fungi can be extremely moist, but this is not one of them. I have not noticed a significant increase in the water content when the sap is running. However, with fungi that do tend to be very moist, I simply increase the potency to compensate for the extra water and find that they work just as well. The way I practice that means making a 1:4 fresh tincture instead of the usual 1:5. It is also necessary to reduce the concentration of water in the menstruum a bit to compensate for the higher water content of the fungus.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-36342790696737780972013-12-17T10:58:28.120-05:002013-12-17T10:58:28.120-05:00Hi Luke,
In my experience it depends on how aggre...Hi Luke,<br /><br />In my experience it depends on how aggressively the fungus is harvested. If too much is dug out of the tree it seems to die - at least there is no evidence of regrowth. If it is dug out fairly deep but not completely, it often seems to begin to regrow a little bit and then stop. In these circumstances it appears that the chaga isn't killed, but it is stressed beyond recovery. It grows for a bit and then it dies. When I harvest it, which is a lot less these days because I have significantly reduced my use of it, at the most I harvest about 50% of the sclerotium (usually more like 33%) and make sure I leave a similar amount of the outer brittle blackish surface. When harvested in this way I have found that it continues to grow at a normal rate, which is still very slow compared to other fungi.Michael Vertollihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06138085112202375433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-84463207064509973202013-12-13T15:45:34.196-05:002013-12-13T15:45:34.196-05:00There are competing ideas on the appropriate time ...There are competing ideas on the appropriate time to harvest Chaga. Some say when the sap is running others state that the Chaga is 80% water when the sap is running and should be harvested in the winter. Is there clinical evidence of the potency of Chaga in both scenarios? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06911096751988615171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-11592383321757420662013-10-24T21:40:52.696-04:002013-10-24T21:40:52.696-04:00Hi Michael,
Thanks for you sharing. I have bee...Hi Michael, <br /><br />Thanks for you sharing. I have been especially concerned about our small and quickly shrinking population of Chaga here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, where it is quite uncommon. I was wondering if/where you've been able to find any records of growth or re-growth rates of Chaga's sclerotium. (The sclerotium is the blackish brown part of the Chaga - the part that is harvested and used for medicine. I believe the mushroom does live on inside the dying tree, but may or may Not produce another sclerotium). I have been searching for far and wide for some sure sounding reports, but have not yet been able to find any definite sources. Thanks for caring and protecting. Please feel free to be in touch. <br />~ Luke Cannon <br />learningdeer@gmail.com Luke Learningdeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16365564130533365452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-83639460047623825452013-10-12T11:58:52.460-04:002013-10-12T11:58:52.460-04:00Fantastic integrity. A man that truly walks the ta...Fantastic integrity. A man that truly walks the talk. A man in true balance with Mother earth. Thank you BrotherAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08201809841052355760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6012089007308287311.post-58827196298819073682013-10-10T23:05:22.803-04:002013-10-10T23:05:22.803-04:00Thank you Michael for sharing your wild harvesting...Thank you Michael for sharing your wild harvesting practices. It is important to teach sustainable harvesting so that we are able to share with others this vital practice. "We live in a society that is way out of balance and as long as we continue to perpetuate the unsustainable paradigm that underlies the status quo we will never really be healthy!" You are so correct in our society is way out of balance. I hope that the selfish ego will turn around. Rhondahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02195980254744934441noreply@blogger.com