Chaga Tincture: How to Make, Consume & Dose*

Author: David Vartanian

Chaga tincture is the ethanol extraction of Chaga mushrooms, which is a tree fungus that typically grows on birch trees in cold weather regions. Celebrated for centuries as a natural curative, Chaga mushrooms are packed with over 200 essential vitamins and minerals. And this nutrient-rich “superfood” is known to help improve immune response, lower stress, support blood sugar levels, and aid in digestion and digestive tract function.

Also noted as a powerful antioxidant, Chaga can help slow, and in some cases, reverse the aging process, increase mental clarity. In short, this phenomenal fungus offers a vast array of incredible benefits that contribute to human health and wellness inside and out.

 

What is Chaga Tincture Good For?

Often referred to as “King Mushrooms” and a “Super Food,” Chaga mushrooms are a potent natural supplement that offer a wide variety of extraordinary health and wellness benefits. Chaga boasts an impressive nutrient profile, including polysaccharides, phytonutrients, melanin, potassium, and betulinic acid along with a host of other minerals and vitamins that are vital to maintaining your body’s peak performance. These vital ingredients are instrumental in supporting your nervous and immune systems, in addition to providing natural detoxification, while increasing your energy level, and enhancing the overall function of your vital bodily organs. Chaga mushroom tincture in particular intensifies the effects, as the concentrated extract is more readily absorbed into your bloodstream, due to the ethanol (ethyl alcohol) infusion.

 

Key Health & Wellness Chaga Tinctures Provide:

  • Improved immune system function (great for cold + flu season, Chaga tincture in rich in antioxidants that battle illness -inducing free radicals)
  • Lowered stress response
  • Anti-aging revitalization
  • Optimal heart rate maintenance
  • Stimulation of enzyme production and metabolism
  • Increased mental clarity and function
  • Optimal blood sugar levels
  • Enhanced digestion and digestive tract function
  • Better and more youthful looking skin and hair (with external applications)

The most effective and convenient means to consume and store Chaga mushrooms is in tincture form. This method also allows you to combine additional ingredients into your tincture, adding further health and wellness benefits to this already potent compound.

How Do You Make a Chaga Tincture?

Chaga tinctures can be prepared to serve specific purposes, including body detoxification, improved immune response, lowered stress levels, and the like.  In addition to buying ready-made Chaga tinctures, you can also prepare your own compounds at home. Here’s a brief outline of how to prepare a Chaga tincture using traditional homeopathic method.

Ingredients:

  • 3-5 good sized Chaga chunks or 3oz of Chaga powder
  • 1Ltr of ethanol (ethyl alcohol)*

*Vodka or rum with at least 40% alcohol can be substituted for ethanol.

Instructions:

1. Place the Chaga into a clean, dry glass jar or similar container
2. Add ethanol
3. Close the jar or container tightly
4. Place the container in a cool, dark place for 14 days
5. Strain the jar’s contents through a cheesecloth
6. Shake well before ingesting the tincture to ensure sediment doesn’t collect at the container bottom

Is Adding Alcohol to Wellness Supplement REALLY Healthy?

Alcohol is not a substance typically associated with good health. As such, adding alcohol to a natural supplement might seem strange. In this case, however, alcohol is not meant to be an additive, but rather serves a purely functional purpose. In a tincture compound, alcohol acts as a solvent, which extracts non-water soluble active ingredients — capturing the essential oils, alkaloids, and resins — from Chaga mushrooms. Additionally, alcohol is the only effective solvent that’s also safe for human consumption.

This said, it’s possible to reduce your alcohol intake when consuming a tincture. Here are couple strategies that can help:

1) Heat up, but don’t boil, a small amount of water.

2) Add the heated water to your Chaga tincture and let it rest for 5 minutes.

3) The alcohol evaporates, leaving behind the pure chaga liquid.

Though concerns over alcohol consumption are certainly valid, alcohol is never-the-less the best means to extract Chaga’s potent nutrients.

Moreover, don’t let this issue dissuade you from becoming a regular Chaga user. If tinctures aren’t for you, powder extractions, capsules, and pre-packaged Chaga teas are all reasonable alternatives. The key here is to improve your overall health and wellness by adding a regular Chaga mushrooms dosage to your routine, in whatever form you prefer.

Chaga Tincture Dosage: How Often & How Much?

How Often Should You Take a Chaga Tincture?

The recommended frequency is once per week. And it should be taken on an empty stomach to ensure maximum potency. The typical course for a Chaga tincture is 1 to 5 months, the overall length depending on your particular needs. If you feel an additional course is warranted, you can repeat the process after a 10-14 day break. 

How Much Chaga Tincture Should You Take?

Even if you’re only consuming a weak Chaga tincture, the compound still has a relatively high alcohol content. As such, you shouldn’t ingest more than 3 tablespoons of the compound per week.

General Instruction for Chaga Tincture Consumption:

1) Maximum weekly tincture dose: 3 tablespoons (particularly if using vodka or rum as a solvent). 

2) Consume tincture on an empty stomach (though you should eat soon after ingestion to avoid stomach irritation).

3) Consume weekly tinctures for no more than a month at a time (after four consecutive weeks of consumption, pause for 10-14 days before taking any additional doses).

Smart Advice to Follow While on a Tincture Course:

  • Reduce alcohol consumption
  • Avoid spicy, salty, smoked, and high fat foods
  • Increase dairy consumption
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables

Who Can Not Safely Take Chaga Tincture?

Chaga tincture prepared with vodka or rum solvents is not recommended for:

  • Children or teenagers under the age of 18
  • Pregnant women
  • Women who are breastfeeding
  • People who suffer from food and environmental allergies
  • Individuals receiving intramuscular glucose injections
  • Individuals prone to developing edema

IMPORTANT NOTE! Do not take a Chaga tincture for longer than the recommended time (no more than four consecutive weeks). Excessive consumption may result in the following:

  • The development of itch
  • Stomach upset
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation and the disruption of other normal bowel functions

Сhaga Tincture Uses

Chaga Tinctures can be consumed and used in a variety of ways. But internal consumption isn’t your only option. Chaga tinctures can also be prepared to use externally as topical skin cream. Here are instructions and recipes on how to prepare Chaga tinctures for various uses…

Chaga Tincture Immune Boost Recipe

Ingredients:

Approx. 100 grams of chopped Chaga mushrooms
1 ltr of ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted)
1 lemon wedge

Preparation Instructions:

1) Put chopped Chaga in a glass jar or similar sealable container
2) Add a liter of ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted)
3) Seal up the compound and place in cool, dry, dark space for 14 days
4) After fermentation is complete, pour the solution through a wire strainer (or similar filtration device) into a fresh glass container
5) Squeeze the lemon wedge into the finished compound*

*Adding lemon improves the tinctures taste, while also infusing the mixture with additional immunity enhancing vitamin C.

Chaga Tincture Skin Revajeration Recipe

Ingredients:

10 teaspoons of Chaga Powder

500 ml of ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted)

Preparation Instructions:

1) Put Chaga powder in a glass jar or similar sealable container

2) Add 500 ml of ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted) 

3) Place the sealed compound in a cool, dry space for 14 days

4) After fermentation is complete, filter the mixture through a piece of gauze into a fresh container

Use Instructions:

Dip a cotton swab into the Chaga compound, soaking up a good amount of the mixture, and spread it on your skin in the areas in need of attention. Leave the mixture on your skin for 15 minutes.Repeat this application twice a day.

Chaga Tincture Body Detox Recipe

Ingredients:

100 grams of Chopped chaga mushrooms or Chaga powder

100 grams of honey

1 Ltr of ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted) 

Preparation Instructions:

1) Put Chaga mushrooms or powder into a glass jar or similar sealable container

2) Pour in ethanol (vodka or rum can be substituted)  

3) Add honey to the mixture*

4) Seal the container and place in a cool, dry space for 14 days

5) After fermentation is complete, filter the resulting compound through a piece of gauze into a fresh container

*Honey is a substance that’s naturally produced by bees, and incorporating it into the compound enhances Chaga’s detoxifying capabilities. 

Use Instructions:

Take the Chaga tincture three a day, 20 mls per dose, immediately before meals. This course should last on longer than a month. Wait 10-14 days before initiating an additional course. DO NOT EXCEED THE RECOMMENDED DAILY DOSAGE. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in debilitating side-effects.

Does Chaga Really Work?

Historical evidence dating back to the 12th century suggests folk herbalists used Chaga mushrooms for a variety of common ailments. Similar historical records reaching back to the 16th + 17th centuries also indicate Chaga was used as curative by the “medical practitioners” of the time in Eastern and Northern Europe. Avicenna, a famed physician and inventor active in ancient Persia in the 9th century, references Chaga in his ‘herbal prescriptions.” There is also evidence that ancient Romans used Chaga mushrooms, a belief supported sales records indicating regular purchases from Northern European spice traders. And perhaps the most acclaimed example in “traditional medicine” is the use of Chaga extract by Slavic peoples for various issues.

The first “official scientific studies” on Chaga mushrooms were conducted in the mid-19th century. Subsequently, the USSR’s Ministry of Health approved mushrooms, including Chaga,since 1955. As a result, several mushroom-based medicines were developed and used by medical practitioners on a widespread basis at the time.

As this lengthy timeline demonstrates, Chaga has a long and storied history as a natural curative celebrated for its health and wellness properties. All of this said, however, there is very little data validating Chaga’s impact on human health in live subjects. Conversely, over 50 research studies have been conducted on both human cells and animal subjects, mostly in China, Japan, and Korea, which support the notion that Chaga likely benefits human health.

In light of these factors, it’s fair to say that Chaga’s acceptance as a credible dietary supplement comes down to the need for additional validating scientific research.

Effects of Chaga Tincture

It’s important to note that you should talk to your doctor before consuming chaga mushroom.

Chaga Tincture vs Chaga Tea

The preference for Chaga tincture Vs. Chaga tea really comes down to a matter of individual taste, and the choice varies from person-to-person.

Your selection may also depend on preparation time. Including fermentation, a Chaga tincture takes weeks to prepare. Whereas Chaga tea can be ready in a matter of minutes.

On the other hand, a sizable Chaga tincture preparation produces a supply that can last for years. While a cup of tea is good for one dose. And even a pot of tea will last no more than a couple of weeks.

Of course, a Chaga tincture preparation lasts longer because it’s consumed in far smaller amounts than Chaga tea.

Ultimately, there are pros and cons associated with both Chaga tea and premade Chaga tinctures.

And in the end, however you choose to consume Chaga, the health and wellness benefits are the same.

Conclusion

Traditional and homeopathic healers have used Chaga Mushrooms as a herbal tea for improve wellness for centuries. And in the modern era, Chaga has become recognized as a potent natural supplement, packed with a myriad of powerful health and wellness benefits.

While there are several ways to take Chaga supplements, a Chaga tincture delivers a lot of welness benefits. Chaga tincture does require a bit of time and expertise to prepare. But the simple recipes outlined above make preparing a Chaga tincture a snap. The alcohol in the tincture compound, along with special considerations for those facing surgery and individuals with diabetes are important issues to keep in mind. But for most considering making Chaga tincture a part of your wellness routine, its truly exceptional benefits will have you feeling and looking great for years to come!

*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.

5 responses to “Chaga Tincture: How to Make, Consume & Dose*”

    • It depends on the product. Please specify which product you are referring to Chaga Extract powder or Chaga Raw powder?

  1. The coarse powder would be a better option since smaller particles will allow deeper and faster penetration.

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