How Chaga Became Famed in Russia

Dating back to 3300 BC, Chaga mushrooms were a household name for different tribes and civilizations due to their excellent medicinal qualities. Remains of The ancient Egyptians,  Mesopotamians, Native Americans of the Boreal forests, and the Khanty Siberian Tribe may not have had too much in common, but one thing that united them all was their common use of Chaga mushrooms.

This is the story of how the knowledge of Chaga, and its secret medicinal benefits, spread from a Khantys' traditional secret, to became famed as the King of Mushrooms in Russia.  

In Russia, around the year 1100, there lived a Russian Tsar Vladimir II Monomakh who was famed for the golden age ancient of Rus. But Vladimirbegan developing tumours on his lips, likely for the harsh lifestyle of his conquests, and as you can imagine, despite his many this was no easy battle. With medical science being virtually non-existent during his time, developing tumours was seen as a death sentence. 

But, he was a lifelong fighter who had fought many battles.  He would at least try to get treatment, even if the prognosis was discouraging, and his chances of survival weren’t on his side.

This is where Chaga comes in…

Throughout Russian pre-written history, the Khanty Siberian Tribe brewed a dark liquid from the fungus growing on the birch tree. They drank the Chaga tea because of its ability to treat infections, cure digestive disorders (such as ulcers),  growths of the skin, and illnesses of the heart.  

So, logically, the Tsar began to use Chaga tea to try and see if it would help treat his tumours. If it’s shown to help other diseases, maybe it can help his.

Remarkably, after regular use, the Chaga treatment seemed to have worked on his tumours! His tumours reportedly shrunk. This meant the time spent worrying about his illness could now shift back to focusing on his rule. 

Now how could this even be possible?

Because Chaga has the powerful ability to trigger the production of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights against tumour cells - If that’s not a superfood, then I don’t know what is!

Throughout history, Chaga had proven itself to be a potent remedy to a variety of illnesses. But in the more recent history when Vladimir Monomakh's experience with Chaga further proved this claim. While his fame especially after the Orthodox Church declared him a Saint, lead to the widespread knowledge of the secret medicine of this amazing mushrooms. 

Hopefully, this blog deepened your knowledge of the Russian history with regards to the fame of Chaga mushrooms, and the positive effects they can have on our bodies.

If you want to learn even more about Chaga mushrooms, click below:

https://canadianpinepollen.com/pages/chaga-mushrooms

Sources:

​​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6142110/#bibr10-1534735418757912

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lydia-Perevedentseva/publication/286383930_Use_of_Wild-Growing_Mushrooms_for_Therapeutic_Purposes_in_the_Perm_Territory_Russia/links/5fd88b80a6fdccdcb8c9e9d1/Use-of-Wild-Growing-Mushrooms-for-Therapeutic-Purposes-in-the-Perm-Territory-Russia.pdf#page=39

https://www.google.ca/books/edition/My_Pinewood_Kitchen_A_Southern_Culinary/mLMhEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

https://www.hekastouch.com/blog/2018/12/30/chaga-a-short-history

http://www.ethnoherbalist.com/chaga-extract-mushroom-tea-benefits/