This is usually caused by oxidative stress which can also fuel chronic liver diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Chaga’s antioxidant properties help combat oxidative stress.
It also has an anti-inflammatory effect on the colon and rectum.
But more than that, Chaga can help reduce the risk of chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases.
These types of illnesses are usually the result of excessive inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism to illness.
But too much too often can lead to chronic conditions like the ones mentioned.
According to a study on chaga mushrooms and cytokines, chaga extract can help prevent the production of harmful cytokines which results in reduced inflammation in the body.
Chaga is actually a superfood in terms of its antioxidant properties.
In a test by the USDA and Tufts University in Boston, MA, Chaga has the highest ORAC score for natural foods or supplements.
Let me explain what that means.
The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale - which is designed by the USDA - measures the amount of free oxygen radicals that a food, or supplement can absorb in your body.
These ORAC values are associated with the ability of a food to neutralize free radicals which contribute to age-related degeneration and disease, inflammation, and even some cancers.
Foods with high ORAC values are considered antioxidants and protect against the effects of free radicals.
Turns out Chaga has one of the highest scores. Higher than some of the more well known foods like acai and goji berries, blueberries, kale, garlic, broccoli and spinach.
In fact,
1 gram of Chaga is equal to roughly 3 pounds of blueberries or 4 ounces of goji berries.
The antioxidants in chaga mushrooms may also reduce oxidative stress, which fuels chronic liver diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Chaga mushrooms also contain naturally occurring carbohydrates called beta-glucans, which can boost your immune defense.
Other early research shows that chaga extract may also help strengthen the immune system and even prevent cancer or slow its growth.
In one study, it was shown that chaga extract could slow the growth of lung, breast, and cervical cancer cells in a petri dish and can also slow the growth of tumors in mice.