Chaga is known as THE medicinal mushroom go-to, and for good reason. While working for a public relations firm in 2016, I first learned of this powerful antioxidant while coordinating in their media room. There was a journalist who had been coming down with a cold, and ultimately visited a booth which only sold Chaga in various forms. She was getting so sick that she mentioned, “at this point, I’m willing to try anything”. Although her cold wasn’t cured per se, she admitted that there was no way she could have returned the next day to work had it not been for her many cups of Chaga tea. Since then, it seems as though everyone and their grandparents have heard of or tried Chaga in one form or another - because it works.
HAVNLife is a new Canadian company which has taken their expertise of biopharma and wellness to create a range of medicinal mushroom products. Chaga Immunity is one such supplement, honing in on the anti-inflammatory benefits of the mushroom.
Found primarily on the birch trees of Canada, Alaska and Siberia, Chaga has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. Their extremely high levels of antioxidants are known to prevent both free radical damage as well as damage on a cellular level. This is possible because of the high antioxidant levels supporting cellular regeneration.
Recently while on a liver cleanse, I decided to add Chaga as part of my regiment as it is known to offer liver support. Up and down like the rest of the world, Covid has grabbed on to my stress levels in a big way. I felt that since Chaga has adaptogenic qualities, helping to balance my stress responders was a good addition to the cleanse. It’s too early to tell, but while on my cleanse I noticed that I was more calm overall and the tinnitus which I have been trying to combat for the past few years was also slightly reduced (chaga has been recommended as one of many supplements to take when dealing with tinnitus). Chaga can also be beneficial for cleanses as it is used as a digestive aid in stimulating bile flow and reducing inflammation in the digestive tract.
In short, when it comes to reducing inflammation, supporting digestion as well as increasing antioxidants and immunity, Chaga is definitely worth a try.
Jennifer Shaw, Whitby, ON, Canada