The arrival of a new baby is a joyous time! It’s also a huge adjustment. Especially if it’s your first child. And with the constant demands of an infant and the sleep deprivation, it’s a time your health is often tested.
Breastfeeding can also be very challenging for new mothers. As if the mechanics of the process aren’t difficult enough, you also need to consider your diet. Obviously, proper nutrition crucial to fortifying your physical strength. But what you eat also gets passed on to your baby, which can be good and bad.
Given the considerable strain that accompanies caring for a newborn, many mothers wonder if natural supplements can help safeguard their health. And Chaga medicinal mushrooms a very popular all-natural supplement.
Many mothers, however, are concerned that taking supplements like Chaga while breastfeeding could harm their baby.
And this fear gives many mothers pause when considering taking supplements like Chaga mushrooms.
But before addressing when it’s safe to use Chaga’s, let’s begin by explaining what Chaga is and why it’s such a highly renowned health and wellness supplement.
What is Chaga?
A tree fungus that grows mainly birch trees, Chaga is typically found in northern Canada, northern areas of Europe and Asia, and Russia’s Siberian tundra.
Unlike the stem and cap mushrooms you usually see growing wild, Chaga mushrooms take the form of a black crust and look similar to large charcoal bricks.
What Are the Health + Wellness Benefits of Chaga?
Celebrated for its natural restorative powers, Chaga has been used for centuries by cultures native to the regions where these marvelous medicinal mushrooms grow wild. Chaga mushrooms are widely reported by legions of dedicated users to positively impact immunity, energy levels, stress relief, digestion, vital organ function, balanced blood sugar levels, and more. In turn, the mainstream medical community has begun to take note of Chaga’s therapeutic potential, further legitimizing its wellness benefits. Here’s a closer look and some of Chaga’s key health and wellness benefits.
Immune Support
Chaga mushrooms are believed to help regulate the production of cytokine, which are an immune system protein. Cytokines are instrumental in helping your immune system identify and eliminate damaged and infected cells. Research has proven Chaga regulates cytokine production in mice. No corresponding research on humans exists. But many homeopathic advocates contend Chaga has a similar effect on humans.
Additionally, Chaga is a rich source of polysaccharides, particularly beta-glucans, that help balance your immune system and support its overall function.
Increased Energy Levels
Chaga is packed with vitamins and minerals crucial to your body’s peak function. Additionally, Chaga is brimming with polysaccharides, which are the key energy-producing component of carbohydrates. And Chaga also helps support vital organ function, which helps your body function more efficiently. In combination, these factors deliver an energetic jolt similar to caffeine, without the assort drawbacks that accompany coffee.
Stress Relief
Chaga is a noted adaptogen, which is a class of plant life that can help your body adapt to environmental stress. And Chaga users report that adaptogenic properties have a centering effect that can help you feel calmer and more grounded.
Improved Digestion
Chaga helps to stimulate the liver to increase bile production. This, in turn, helps your body break down food more quickly, particularly fats, which are more difficult to digest. Chaga also helps you retain a greater share of vital nutrients. Also, Chaga is a natural source of fiber and contains minerals and digestive enzymes, including manganese and thiamin, that directly contribute to healthy digestion.
Aids Healthy Liver Function
Chaga’s bounty of essential vitamins and minerals promotes healthy organ function, helping your liver operate at peak efficiency. Also, Chaga contains high Superoxide Dismutase levels (SOD), an incredibly powerful antioxidant that helps detoxify your liver.
Contributes to Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Chaga contains plant-borne polysaccharides and betulin (a compound found in birch tree bark), which have both shown to help support healthy blood sugar levels. This reduces the workload on your pancreas and liver, and in turn, helps these vital organs regain their natural balance and operate more efficiently.
Promotes Healthier Skin And Hair
With a stunningly high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity – which measures the antioxidant content of food) score, Chaga is one of the most potent natural sources of antioxidants. And antioxidants counter the oxidative stress that can make your skin and hair look old and tired. Chaga also contains an abundance of melanin, which not only nourishes your skin and hair, but also protects both from the sun’s damaging UV rays.
Is Chaga Safe For Breastfeeding
The short answer is: No one can say for sure.
Ultimately, this uncertainty is due to a lack of scientific research that defines, one way or another, whether taking Chaga while breastfeeding is safe. But there’s always an element of the unknown when dealing with any natural supplement.
Pharmaceuticals are synthesized using an exact chemical compound. Thus, the ingredients of a particular medication, and its potential effects, are well defined.
With natural compounds, however, there are always trace elements of unknown substances. And while these trance elements are typically harmless to the average adult, infants have entirely different and largely undeveloped body chemistry. As such, even trace amounts of unknown elements could cause great harm.
Mushrooms, in particular, are tough to qualify for several reasons. To begin with, they’re harvested wild, so it can be difficult to judge the conditions of the growth environment. Mushrooms are also porous and thus prone to collecting environmental pollutants. And while most microorganisms are killed in processing processed – whether the Chaga is freeze-dried or steeped in tea – there is no certification process guaranteeing this. In fact, the FDA has not endorsed Chaga tea and has not been rated by an official agency for pregnancy or nursing safety.
With these considerations in mind, we encourage pregnant women and nursing mothers to contact their doctor before drinking Chaga tea or beginning a course of any Chaga products. It’s important to discuss the facts and weigh risks with a qualified healthcare professional.
But all of this said, if you choose to drink Chaga tea or use other Chaga products while breastfeeding, the vitamins and minerals it provides will help fortify your strength and restore the nutrients depleted while breastfeeding.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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If you want to order high-quality Siberian Wild Chaga in bulk or you have questions about wholesale price, please give us a call or email us with questions, we will be happy to answer them all.
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If you want to order high-quality Siberian Wild Chaga in bulk or you have questions about wholesale price, please give us a call or email us with questions, we will be happy to answer them all.
8 responses to “Chaga Mushrooms and Breastfeeding: Is It Safe?*”
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Walter –
What are Chaga Mushrooms’ biggest health and wellness benefits, especially for new mothers?
David Vartanian –
Hello Walter,
This response assumes you’ve consulted your doctor, and they endorseyour choice to use Chaga.
If that’s the case, Chaga’s biggest benefit to new mothers is its extraordinary vitamin and mineral content.
Going through a pregnancy and giving birth are and emotionally exhausting experiences. Add breastfeeding to this equation, which requires you to physicallynourish your child, and you body is destined to be taxed to its limits.
Chaga is packed with essential vitamins and minerals that replace thenutrients you’re passing along to child. This both bolsters your own nutrition and ensures you’re passing along proper nourishment to your child.
Additionally, Chaga’s energy-boosting potential provides the fuel you need to handle the sleepless nights and constant demands of a wailing newborn.
Chaga also provides immune system support, improves digestion, increases mental clarity, and diminishes stress response – all pf which are all huge benefits to new mothers!
David Vartanian –
Dear Polina,
Thank you for contacting Sayan. It really depends on your personal preference.
If you want Chaga in its purest form, go with the Chunks.
If you want to make a large quantity of Chaga tea, but don’t have time to deal with the chunks, Chaga powder is good option.
If you want to drink Chaga tea, but need something quick and easy, pre-packaged tea bags are great.
And if convenience is a must, Chaga capsules are your best choice.