CHAGA - SUPERFOOD! How to find, harvest and prepare chaga mushroom in the Norwegian nature

I have always been fascinated by the magical, sacred world of wild: herbs, plants, berries and mushrooms.

In this video, my husband and I will show you how to locate, harvest and prepare a good cup of chaga tea. Surprisingly enough, chaga has a coffee like taste and is delicious teamed up with the benefits of honey.

According to Rolv Hjelmstad, a Norwegian botanist,
Chaga is said to have been a part of folk medicine of the indigenous people of North America. They smoked pieces of chaga together with dried herbs in a pipe and burned chaga as an inscence.

In Eastern Europe chaga was used as a treatment for upset stomach, cancer, tuberculosis, and sore healing, in the form of tea or tinctures in the the 1500s.

Chaga can be found in birch forests in Scandanivia, Eastern Europe, Russia, Korea and the northern parts of USA.


It is sad that most of of the knowledge of wild foods and medicinal herbs were lost over time. Our ancestors knew exactly what to harvest from from our beloved forest, mountain landscapes and shores. But they had to acquire the information somewhere. Perhaps it was by trial and error or recipes were simply passed down through the generations.

The good news is, all is not lost.

To uncover the secrets of eating beneficiary edibles that grow freely in the natural world, we must first research and use common sense. Identify and memorize a new wild food sources every season. Do not ingest anything that you are not 100% sure of. There are plenty of books and references in your your language and region.

This video contains advice about chaga and is not meant to diagnose, treat or prescribe. Chaga should not be used as supplement without the advice of your doctor. Feel free to harvest and consume chaga tea or tinctures at your own risk.

When you are looking for chaga, you have to look at the entire tree, because it can be found anywhere on the birch tree. Up high on the trunk or down low. Like this example that was all the way down by the roots.

In nature, the chaga fungus is a primary pathogen of birch, eventually killing its host. Chaga usually penetrates the tree through injuries to the bark.

Chaga has the appearance of burnt charcoal on its outer surface. The center is bright orange. Often a mass of chaga will start to form on wounded area of the tree, usually on a branch that has been naturally broken off.

The fungus is porous and you can break off some pieces with your fingers. In order to harvest the bulk of it, you will need to carefully use an axe or hammer. Be gentle with the tree and only take what you need so that it will continue to grow. You can always come back and harvest more when needed.

Chaga is really a rare find, as it grows on approximately just one out of a thousand trees. This video is sponsored by our wonderful patrons.

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