Chaga mushie has been an ally for me for so many years...
10 years ago, my love affair with medicinal mushrooms began with the vital inclusion of chaga mushroom into my life. It was a glorious day when this happened. At the time, I was dealing with some pretty intense fungal issues along with adrenal exhaustion (I was in a pretty sorry state actually).
It was from taking mega doses of chaga mushroom (I'm talking 1 - 2 tablespoons daily) that I was able to completely restore my immune functioning to the extent where I felt safe in my body for the first time as an adult.
Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a medicinal mushroom that grows on birch trees in the temperate regions of the Earth. I am so stoked to be able to deliver the highest quality, most potent and fully wild Chaga to the SuperFeast community (as well as myself and my family). The wild Chaga I source is from Changbai Mountain, a traditional homeland of this wild herb. You can see vision of me when I went to forage wild chaga in China, from the most magical region of Changbai Mountain here. You'll be blown away by the beauty and the robust ecology of the place.
It's been used for thousands of years and chaga is revered for being one of the most adaptogenic substance on the earth. Literally used for centuries by tribes in the Arctic regions to assist the body's natural capacity to resist stress. Chaga is well-regarded in Scandinavia, Russia, China, Japan, Canada and, of course, here too in the Byron Shire ;P! We're got a 101 article on the magic of chaga, so head over here and check out Chaga Mushroom and Its Amazing Benefits to get the full download on why this herb is a must have.
The incredible antioxidant matrix, the immune-modulating magic that it gifts to immune cells and the overarching protection it provides to my body are a handful of reasons why I will always revere Chaga and it has remained firmly in my top three mushies (my other 2 are reishi and cordyceps). I'll always be keeping a jar super handy for a quick miso or a hot choccie. Every apothecary needs the grandfather of the medicinal mushrooms close by!
Bonus recipe time. Chaga goes hand in hand with a deliciously nourishing miso (honestly, any of the mushies do). So today I share with you a magical miso recipe. We have a more simple one over here on the blog, so feel free to check out this version if you are more on the go or just need a quick miso-to-go!
Mushie Miso Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbs miso paste, ideally unpasteurized and organic
- 1/2tsp - 1tsp Chaga (or any medicinal mushie you like)
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 cake organic rice noodle vermicelli, soaked in boiling water, rinsed in cool water and drained
- 1 sheet nori seaweed, raw or lightly toasted, torn or cut into strips
- 1 1/2 cups broth, bone or vegetable
- Tamari, optional
- Gomasio or sesame seeds, optional
Method
1. In a saucepan, heat broth until simmering
2. Turn off heat, stir in miso and mushrooms, whisk until dissolved
3. Add spring onions, noodles and seaweed strips
4. Taste for saltiness and add extra tamari, if desired. Sprinkle with gomasio or sesame seeds and VOILA
Join us on the SuperFeast podcast, I've spoken to loads of really thought-provoking, health sovereign beings. We've got a great episode on this very herb, chaga. Check it out here.
