Misplaced Pages

Inonotus obliquus: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 11:51, 5 January 2017 editBon courage (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users66,214 edits Reverted to revision 752208936 by Thekillerpenguin (talk): Rv. not WP:MEDRS. (TW)← Previous edit Latest revision as of 21:42, 12 December 2024 edit undo185.183.147.10 (talk)No edit summary 
(207 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Species of fungus}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| image = Inonotus obliquus.jpg | image = Inonotus obliquus.jpg
| taxon = Inonotus obliquus
| image_width = 234px
| authority = (] ex ]) Pilát (1942)
| regnum = ]
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="MycoBank">{{cite web |title=''Inonotus obliquus'' (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát 1942 |url=http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Link=T&Rec=315905 |publisher=]. International Mycological Association |access-date=2011-10-11}}</ref>
| divisio = ]
| classis = ]
| ordo = ]
| familia = ]
| genus = '']''
| species = '''''I. obliquus'''''
| binomial = ''Inonotus obliquus''
| binomial_authority = (] ex ]) Pilát (1942)
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="MycoBank">{{cite web |title=''Inonotus obliquus'' (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát 1942 |url=http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Link=T&Rec=315905 |publisher=]. International Mycological Association |accessdate=2011-10-11}}</ref>
| synonyms = ''Boletus obliquus'' <small>Ach. ex Pers. (1801)</small><br> | synonyms = ''Boletus obliquus'' <small>Ach. ex Pers. (1801)</small><br>
''Polyporus obliquus'' <small>(Ach. ex Pers.) ] (1821)</small><br> ''Polyporus obliquus'' <small>(Ach. ex Pers.) ] (1821)</small><br>
Line 25: Line 18:
''Fuscoporia obliqua'' <small>(Ach. ex Pers.) Aoshima (1951)</small> ''Fuscoporia obliqua'' <small>(Ach. ex Pers.) Aoshima (1951)</small>
}} }}
'''''Inonotus obliquus''''', commonly known as '''chaga mushroom''' (a ] of the Russian term ''''чага''''), is a ] in the family ]. It is ] on ] and other trees. The sterile conk is irregularly formed and has the appearance of burnt charcoal. It is not the ] of the fungus, but a ] or mass of ], mostly black because of the presence of massive amounts of ]. The fertile fruiting body can be found very rarely as a ] (crustose) fungus on or near the clinker, usually appearing after the host tree is dead. ''I.&nbsp;obliquus'' grows in birch forests of Russia, Korea, Eastern and Northern Europe, northern areas of the United States, in the ] and in Canada.


'''''Inonotus obliquus''''', commonly called '''chaga''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|ɡ|ə|}}; a ] of the Russian word {{lang|ru|ча́га}}), is a ] in the family ]. It is ] on ] and other trees. The sterile ] is irregularly formed and resembles burnt charcoal. It is not the ] of the fungus, but a ] or mass of ], mostly black because of a substantial amount of ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Babitskaya|first1=VG|last2=Shcherba|first2=VV|last3=Lkonnikova|first3=NV |date=2000|title=Melanin complex of the fungus Inonotus obliquus|journal=Appl Biochem Microbiol|volume=36|issue=4|pages=377–381|doi=10.1007/BF02738046|s2cid=46047121}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Meuninck |first=Jim |title=Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms |date=2017 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-4930-2669-2 |page=111}}</ref>
The chaga mushroom is considered a ] in Russian and Eastern European ].


==Description==
== Alternative names ==
''Inonotus obliquus'' causes a white ] to develop in the host tree. The chaga spores enter the tree through wounds, particularly poorly healed branch stubs. The white rot decay will spread throughout the ] of the host. During the infection cycle, penetration of the ] occurs only around the sterile exterior ] mass.<ref name="Lee 199–202">{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Min-Woong |last2=Hur |first2=Hyeon |last3=Chang |first3=Kwang-Choon |last4=Lee |first4=Tae-Soo |last5=Ka |first5=Kang-Hyeon |last6=Jankovsky |first6=L. |date=December 2008 |title=Introduction to Distribution and Ecology of Sterile Conks of Inonotus obliquus |journal=Mycobiology |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=199–202 |doi=10.4489/MYCO.2008.36.4.199 |issn=1229-8093 |pmc=3755195 |pmid=23997626}}</ref> The chaga fungus will continue to cause decay within the living tree for 10–80+ years. While the tree is alive, only sterile mycelial masses are produced (the black exterior conk). The sexual stage begins after the tree, or some portion of the tree, is killed by the infection. ''I.&nbsp;obliquus'' will begin to produce fertile fruiting bodies underneath the bark. These bodies begin as a whitish mass that turn to brown with time. Since the sexual stage occurs almost entirely under the bark, the fruiting body is rarely seen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mushroomexpert.com/inonotus_obliquus.html|title=Inonotus obliquus (MushroomExpert.Com)|last=MushroomExpert.Com|website=mushroomexpert.com|access-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> These fruiting bodies produce ]s which will spread the infection to other vulnerable trees.
The name ''chaga'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|ɡ|ɑː|}} ) comes from the Russian word of the mushroom (anglicized from ''чага''), which in turn is purportedly derived from the word for the fungus in ], the language of the ] in the ], west of the ]. It is also known as the clinker polypore (from its resemblance to the slag left after a coal fire, known commonly as a "]" when coal fires were common), cinder conk, black mass and birch canker polypore.<ref name="needham">{{cite web| last = Needham| first = Arthur| title = Clinker Polypore, Chaga | date = 2005-12-16| url = http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/ClinkerPolypore_Chaga_051216.htm| accessdate = 10 October 2011}}</ref>


The mycelial canker is about {{Convert|10-25|cm|frac=2}} wide, while the underlying crust can be {{Convert|5-50|cm|abbr=on|frac=2}} long.<ref name="aud">{{Cite book |last=] |title=Mushrooms of North America |publisher=] |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-593-31998-7 |pages=143}}</ref>
In ], the name is ''kreftkjuke'' which literally translates as "cancer polypore", referring to the fungus' appearance or to its alleged medicinal properties. In ], the name is ''pakurikääpä''.


=== Chemistry ===
In ] and ], it is known as the sterile conk trunk rot of birch, which refers to the fruiting bodies growing under the outer layers of wood surrounding the sterile conk once the tree is dead, to spread the spores. In France, it is called the ''carie blanche spongieuse de bouleau'' (spongy white birch tree rot), and in Germany it is known as ''Schiefer Schillerporling'' (oblique ''Inonotus''). The Dutch name is'' berkenweerschijnzwam'' (birch glow mushroom).
The black ] has large concentrations of ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Babitskaya |first1=VG |last2=Shcherba |first2=VV |last3=Lkonnikova |first3=NV |last4=Bisko |first4=NA |last5=Mitropolskaya |first5=NY |date=2002 |title=Melanin complex from medicinal mushroom ''Inonotus obliquus'' (Pers: Fr) Pilát (chaga) (Aphyllophoromyceditdeae) |journal=Int J Med Mushrooms |volume=4 |pages=139–145}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=JH |last2=Hyun |first2=CK |date=September 2014 |title=Insulin-sensitizing and beneficial lipid-metabolic effects of the water-soluble melanin complex extracted from ''Inonotus obliquus'' |journal=Phytother Res |volume=28 |issue=9 |pages=1320–1328 |doi=10.1002/ptr.5131 |pmid=24615848 |s2cid=23095628}}</ref> Chaga contains extremely high concentrations of ], 2800–11200&nbsp;mg total oxalates/100 g sclerotium, one of the highest reported in any organism.<ref name="Kikuchi2014">{{Cite journal |last1=Kikuchi |first1=Y |last2=Seta |first2=K |last3=Y |first3=Ogawa |last4=Takayama |first4=T |last5=Nagata |first5=M |last6=Taguchi |first6=T |last7=Yahata |first7=k |display-authors=3 |date=June 2014 |title=Chaga mushroom-induced oxalate nephropathy |journal=Clin Nephrol |volume=81 |issue=6 |pages=440–444 |doi=10.5414/CN107655 |pmid=23149251}}</ref>


=== Similar species ===
==Medicinal research==
Similar species include '']'', '']'', and '']'', as well as species of '']'' and '']''.<ref name="aud" />


== Distribution and habitat ==
Chaga has been used as a folk remedy in Russia and other North-European countries for centuries and it featured in ]'s 1967 novel '']''<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Zheng W, Miao K, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang M, Pan S, Dai Y |title=Chemical diversity of biologically active metabolites in the sclerotia of Inonotus obliquus and submerged culture strategies for up-regulating their production |journal=Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=1237–54 |year=2010 |pmid=20532760 |doi=10.1007/s00253-010-2682-4 |url=}}</ref> Though, according to the ], "no clinical trials have been conducted to assess chaga's safety and efficacy for disease prevention or for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes".<ref name="msk">{{cite web
''Inonotus obliquus'' is found most commonly in the ] of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is distributed in birch forests.<ref name="Lee 199–202" />
|publisher=]
|date=18 July 2011
|accessdate=August 2013
|url=http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/chaga-mushroom
|title=Chaga Mushroom}}</ref>


Generally found growing on birch ('']'' spp.) trees, it has also been found on alder ('']'' spp.), beech ('']'' spp.) and poplar ('']'' spp.).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ryvarden L, Gilbertson RL |title=European polypores. Part 1. |publisher=Fungiflora-Fungiflora |year=1993 |location=Oslo |pages=1–387}}</ref>
==Cultivation==


== Cultivation ==
Geographically this fungus is mostly found in very cold habitats. It grows very slowly. Attempts at cultivating this fungus on potato dextrose agar and other simulated mediums resulted in a reduced and markedly different production of bioactive metabolites.<ref name="Zheng2007" /><ref name="pmid20532760">{{cite journal |vauthors=Zheng W, Miao K, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang M, Pan S, etal | title=Chemical diversity of biologically active metabolites in the sclerotia of ''Inonotus obliquus'' and submerged culture strategies for up-regulating their production | journal=Appl Microbiol Biotechnol | year= 2010 | volume= 87 | issue= 4 | pages= 1237–54 | pmid=20532760 | doi=10.1007/s00253-010-2682-4}}</ref> Secondary metabolites were either absent or present in very different ratios, and in general showed significantly less potency in submerged cultures of Chaga.<ref name="Zheng2008">{{Cite journal
Attempts at ] this fungus on ] and other simulated ] resulted in a reduced and markedly different production of metabolites.<ref name="Zheng2007" /><ref name="pmid20532760">{{cite journal |vauthors=Zheng W, Miao K, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang M, Pan S, etal | title=Chemical diversity of biologically active metabolites in the sclerotia of ''Inonotus obliquus'' and submerged culture strategies for up-regulating their production | journal=Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology | year= 2010 | volume= 87 | issue= 4 | pages= 1237–54 | pmid=20532760 | doi=10.1007/s00253-010-2682-4| s2cid=22145043 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Cultivated chaga developed a reduced number of ]s, particularly ], an intermediate in the synthesis of ] and ]-type ]s.<ref name="Zheng2007">{{Cite journal
| last1 = Zheng | first1 = W. F.
| title = Phenolic compounds from Inonotus obliquus and their immune-stimulating effects
| journal = Mycosystema
| volume = 27
| issue = 4
| pages = 574–581
|date=July 2008
| url = http://www.oriveda.com/zips/phenolic_compounds.pdf
}}</ref> Cultivated Chaga furthermore results in a reduced diversity of ]s, particularly ], an intermediate in the synthesis of ] and lanostane-type triterpenes. This effect was partially reversed by the addition of ] ion, an ] of ergosterol biosynthesis.<ref name="Zheng2007">{{Cite journal
| last1 = Zheng | first1 = W. F. | last1 = Zheng | first1 = W. F.
| last2 = Liu | first2 = T. | last2 = Liu | first2 = T.
| last3 = Xiang | first3 = X. Y. | last3 = Xiang | first3 = X. Y.
| last4 = Gu | first4 = Q. | last4 = Gu | first4 = Q.
| title = Sterol composition in field-grown and cultured mycelia of Inonotus obliquus | title = Sterol composition in field-grown and cultured mycelia of ''Inonotus obliquus''
| journal = Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica | journal = Yao Xue Xue Bao = Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica
| volume = 42 | volume = 42
| issue = 7 | issue = 7
Line 68: Line 50:
|date=July 2007 |date=July 2007
| pmid = 17882960 | pmid = 17882960
| url = http://www.oriveda.com/zips/Sterol_composition_Chaga.pdf
}}</ref> }}</ref>


==Uses==
Additionally, the bioactive triterpene ] is completely absent in cultivated Chaga. In nature Chaga grows pre-dominantly on birches, and birch bark contains up to 22% of ]. Betulin is poorly absorbed by humans, even when taken intravenously; its ] is very limited. However, the Chaga mushroom converts betulin into betulinic acid, and many internet sources state Chaga's betulinic acid is bioavailable, even when taken orally. There is, however, no research that confirms this claim.<ref name="BA2">{{Cite journal
]
| last1 = Müllauer | first1 = Franziska
{{mycomorphbox
| title = Betulinic Acid Induced Tumor Killing
| name = Inonotus obliquus
| year = 2011
| capShape = no
| url = http://www.oriveda.com/zips/Betulinic_Acid_induced_tumor_killing.pdf
| whichGills = NA
}}</ref>
| hymeniumType = smooth
| ecologicalType = parasitic
| howEdible = choice
| sporePrintColor =
| stipeCharacter = NA
}}
Chaga is traditionally grated into a fine powder and used to brew a beverage resembling ] or ] which tastes strongly of ]. However, caution is warranted with chronic use due to the extremely high concentrations of ] in chaga.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Lee |first1= Sua |last2= Lee |first2= Hua Young |date= 8 May 2020 |title= Development of End Stage Renal Disease after Long-Term Ingestion of Chaga Mushroom: Case Report and Review of Literature |pmc=7234858|pmid=32419395|journal= Journal of Korean Medical Science |volume= 35 |issue=19 |pages=e122 |doi= 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e122}}</ref>


Hot water extraction is a common preparation. A decoction is created by simmering blocklike pieces of the chaga in numerous quarts of water until the water is reduced and the remaining liquid contains a portion of the chaga's concentrated water-soluble compounds. Such preparations, produced in China and Japan, are exported worldwide. The ] may have a content of approximately 35% in a pure extract.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1 = Rhee | first1 = S.Y. | title = A comparative study of analytical methods for alkali-soluble β-glucan in medicinal mushroom, Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)| journal = LWT – Food Science and Technology| volume = 41 | issue = 3 | pages = 545–549| year = 2008 | doi=10.1016/j.lwt.2007.03.028}}</ref> If chaga tea is prepared at home, the chaga chunks can be reused multiple times.
==Preparation==
]
Chaga is traditionally grated into a fine powder and used to brew a beverage resembling ] or ]. For medicinal use, an ] process is needed to make at least some of the bio-active components bioavailable.<ref name="supplement-facts1"></ref> These bio-actives are found in the mostly indigestible ] cell walls of the chaga. Humans lack the enzyme ], so cannot fully digest raw mushrooms or their derivatives, and the digestive process works too fast for the stomach acid to take effect. Scientific studies and research are in general also based on highly concentrated extracts, and traditional Russian usage is also based on a form of hot-water extraction (by preparing ]).


] use the fungus, called ''shkitagen'' in their ], as a ] ]. According to Potawatomi biologist ], "Once an ember meets ''shkitagen'' it will not go out but smolders slowly in the fungal matrix, holding its heat. Even the smallest spark, so fleeting and easily lost, will be held and nurtured if it lands on a cube of ''shkitagen''."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kimmerer |first=Robin Wall |title=Braiding sweetgrass |date=2013 |publisher=Milkweed Editions |isbn=978-1-57131-335-5 |edition=1st |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |chapter=Shkitagen: People of the Seventh Fire}}</ref>
Currently, three extraction processes are used, each with a different outcome.
{{clearleft}}
* Hot water extraction is the most common and the cheapest method. Ideally it should be performed under very high pressure (480 psi / 4.0 MPa); boiling will over time cause the bioactive beta-glucans to disintegrate, this is neutralized by performing this phase of the extraction process under high pressure.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Matsunaga | first1 = Yui, et. al.
| title = Hot compressed water extraction of polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum using a semibatch reactor
| journal = Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering
| volume = 9
| issue = 1
| pages = 125–133
| year = 2014
| url = http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/apj.1752/abstract
| doi=10.1002/apj.1752
}}</ref>


== Common names ==
All water-soluble components will be present in the resulting extract. Hot water extraction performed without high pressure can be compared to a traditional tea-making process; the therapeutic potential will be limited because of the damage caused by the high temperature, as described above. Water-insoluble components, such as phytosterols, betulinic acid and betulin, will be absent in a hot water extract. Several extraction rounds combined with modern pharmaceutical techniques such as alcohol precipitation as a final step can result in high levels of polysaccharides, up to almost 60%. The ß-D-glucans, the bio-active part of these polysaccharides, might add up to ±35% in a very pure extract.<ref>{{Cite journal
The name ''chaga'' comes from the ] name of the fungus, {{langx|ru|ча́га|translit=čága|label=none}}, which in turn is borrowed from the word for "mushroom" in ], {{langx|kv|тшак|translit=tšak|label=none}}, the language of the ] in the ], west of the ]. It is also known as the ] ], cinder conk, black mass and birch canker polypore.<ref name="needham">{{cite web |last=Needham |first=Arthur |date=2005-12-16 |title=Clinker Polypore, Chaga |url=http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/ClinkerPolypore_Chaga_051216.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909150937/http://sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/ClinkerPolypore_Chaga_051216.htm |archive-date=9 September 2011 |access-date=10 October 2011}}</ref> In ] and officially in ], it is known as the sterile conk trunk rot of ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 August 2015 |title=Sterile conk trunk rot of birch |url=https://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/en/diseases/factsheet/1000010 |access-date=15 August 2017 |publisher=Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada |language=en}}</ref>
| last1 = Rhee | first1 = S.Y.
| title = A comparative study of analytical methods for alkali-soluble β-glucan in medicinal mushroom, Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
| journal = LWT - Food Science and Technology
| volume = 41
| issue = 3
| pages = 545–549
| year = 2008
| url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0023643807001430
| doi=10.1016/j.lwt.2007.03.028
}}</ref> ]ic components are water-solubles and will also be present.
* ] or ] extraction isolates the water-insoluble components, betulinic acid, betulin and the phytosterols. This extraction process is in general used as a second step after hot-water extraction, since ethanol alone will not break down chitin effectively - heat is essential.
* ] is the most time-consuming, so is the most expensive; this method is not used very often. Because fermentation methods are not standardized (many types of bacteria and fungi can be used in the process), the outcome is also not standardized.


== See also ==
Combining the outcome of hot water and ethanol extraction yields a dual extract with all therapeutically interesting bioactives present in a bioavailable form. Cheap, mass-produced extracts are in general hot water, low percentage (4-20%) polysaccharide extracts with limited therapeutic value. The information on the supplements' label will usually reveal inclusion or exclusion of components. However, the majority of mushroom dietary supplements that are sold are non-extracted, being the cheapest option.<ref name="supplement-facts1"/> To achieve at least some therapeutic effects the consumer has to make a tea from it.
* ]
* ]
* ]


==See also== ==References==
{{Portal|Fungi}} {{Reflist}}


==External links==
*]
{{Commonscatinline}}
*]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}


{{Medicinal herbs & fungi}}
==Further reading==
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1956937}}
* Smith JE, Rowan NJ, Sullivan R , 2001
* Cristina Lull, Harry J. Wichers, and Huub F. J. Savelkoul , Wageningen University and Research Center, The Netherlands 2005
* Hobbs, Christopher (1986) Medicinal Mushrooms: An Exploration of Tradition, Healing, & Culture, Summertown, TN, Book Publishing Company, pp.&nbsp;121–124, ISBN 1-57067-143-5
*Ulrike Lindequist, Timo H. J. Niedermeyer, and Wolf-Dieter Jülich , Oxford University Press 2005
*Andrea T. Borchers, Anita Krishnamurthy, Carl L. Keen, Frederick J. Meyersà, and M. Eric Gershwin , Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 2008
*Balandaykin M.E., Zmitrovich I.V. (2015). Review on Chaga medicinal mushroom, Inonotus obliquus (higher basidiomycetes): realm of medicinal applications and approaches on estimating its resource potential. - International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 17(2): 95–104, http://media.wix.com/ugd/b65817_07d3adc6bd8949d39f226f18689745e6.pdf


] ]
Line 132: Line 92:
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 21:42, 12 December 2024

Species of fungus

Inonotus obliquus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Hymenochaetales
Family: Hymenochaetaceae
Genus: Inonotus
Species: I. obliquus
Binomial name
Inonotus obliquus
(Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát (1942)
Synonyms

Boletus obliquus Ach. ex Pers. (1801)
Polyporus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Fr. (1821)
Physisporus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Chevall. (1826)
Poria obliqua (Ach. ex Pers.) P.Karst. (1881)
Fomes obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Cooke (1885)
Phaeoporus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) J.Schröt. (1888)
Mucronoporus obliqua (Ach. ex Pers.) Ellis & Everh. (1889)
Scindalma obliquum (Ach. ex Pers.) Kuntze (1898)
Phellinus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Pat. (1900)
Xanthochrous obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Bourdot & Galzin (1928)
Fuscoporia obliqua (Ach. ex Pers.) Aoshima (1951)

Inonotus obliquus, commonly called chaga (/ˈtʃɑːɡə/; a Latinisation of the Russian word ча́га), is a fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae. It is parasitic on birch and other trees. The sterile conk is irregularly formed and resembles burnt charcoal. It is not the fruiting body of the fungus, but a sclerotium or mass of mycelium, mostly black because of a substantial amount of melanin.

Description

Inonotus obliquus causes a white heart rot to develop in the host tree. The chaga spores enter the tree through wounds, particularly poorly healed branch stubs. The white rot decay will spread throughout the heartwood of the host. During the infection cycle, penetration of the sapwood occurs only around the sterile exterior mycelium mass. The chaga fungus will continue to cause decay within the living tree for 10–80+ years. While the tree is alive, only sterile mycelial masses are produced (the black exterior conk). The sexual stage begins after the tree, or some portion of the tree, is killed by the infection. I. obliquus will begin to produce fertile fruiting bodies underneath the bark. These bodies begin as a whitish mass that turn to brown with time. Since the sexual stage occurs almost entirely under the bark, the fruiting body is rarely seen. These fruiting bodies produce basidiospores which will spread the infection to other vulnerable trees.

The mycelial canker is about 10–25 centimetres (4–10 in) wide, while the underlying crust can be 5–50 cm (2–19+1⁄2 in) long.

Chemistry

The black sclerotium has large concentrations of melanin. Chaga contains extremely high concentrations of oxalate, 2800–11200 mg total oxalates/100 g sclerotium, one of the highest reported in any organism.

Similar species

Similar species include Apiosporina morbosa, Diplodia tumefaciens, and Echinodontium tinctorium, as well as species of Fulvifomes and Fomitiporia.

Distribution and habitat

Inonotus obliquus is found most commonly in the Circumboreal Region of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is distributed in birch forests.

Generally found growing on birch (Betula spp.) trees, it has also been found on alder (Alnus spp.), beech (Fagus spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.).

Cultivation

Attempts at cultivating this fungus on potato dextrose agar and other simulated media resulted in a reduced and markedly different production of metabolites. Cultivated chaga developed a reduced number of phytosterols, particularly lanosterol, an intermediate in the synthesis of ergosterol and lanostane-type triterpenes.

Uses

Chaga chunks
Species of fungus
Inonotus obliquusView the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following listMycological characteristics
Smooth hymenium
No distinct cap
Hymenium attachment is not applicable
Lacks a stipe
Ecology is parasitic
Edibility is choice

Chaga is traditionally grated into a fine powder and used to brew a beverage resembling coffee or tea which tastes strongly of Chinese herbal tea. However, caution is warranted with chronic use due to the extremely high concentrations of oxalates in chaga.

Hot water extraction is a common preparation. A decoction is created by simmering blocklike pieces of the chaga in numerous quarts of water until the water is reduced and the remaining liquid contains a portion of the chaga's concentrated water-soluble compounds. Such preparations, produced in China and Japan, are exported worldwide. The β-D-glucans may have a content of approximately 35% in a pure extract. If chaga tea is prepared at home, the chaga chunks can be reused multiple times.

Potawatomi people use the fungus, called shkitagen in their language, as a firekeeping tinder. According to Potawatomi biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, "Once an ember meets shkitagen it will not go out but smolders slowly in the fungal matrix, holding its heat. Even the smallest spark, so fleeting and easily lost, will be held and nurtured if it lands on a cube of shkitagen."

Common names

The name chaga comes from the Russian name of the fungus, ча́га, čága, which in turn is borrowed from the word for "mushroom" in Komi, тшак, tšak, the language of the indigenous peoples in the Kama River Basin, west of the Ural Mountains. It is also known as the clinker polypore, cinder conk, black mass and birch canker polypore. In England and officially in Canada, it is known as the sterile conk trunk rot of birch.

See also

References

  1. "Inonotus obliquus (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát 1942". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  2. Babitskaya, VG; Shcherba, VV; Lkonnikova, NV (2000). "Melanin complex of the fungus Inonotus obliquus". Appl Biochem Microbiol. 36 (4): 377–381. doi:10.1007/BF02738046. S2CID 46047121.
  3. Meuninck, Jim (2017). Foraging Mushrooms Oregon: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Mushrooms. Falcon Guides. p. 111. ISBN 978-1-4930-2669-2.
  4. ^ Lee, Min-Woong; Hur, Hyeon; Chang, Kwang-Choon; Lee, Tae-Soo; Ka, Kang-Hyeon; Jankovsky, L. (December 2008). "Introduction to Distribution and Ecology of Sterile Conks of Inonotus obliquus". Mycobiology. 36 (4): 199–202. doi:10.4489/MYCO.2008.36.4.199. ISSN 1229-8093. PMC 3755195. PMID 23997626.
  5. MushroomExpert.Com. "Inonotus obliquus (MushroomExpert.Com)". mushroomexpert.com. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  6. ^ Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
  7. Babitskaya, VG; Shcherba, VV; Lkonnikova, NV; Bisko, NA; Mitropolskaya, NY (2002). "Melanin complex from medicinal mushroom Inonotus obliquus (Pers: Fr) Pilát (chaga) (Aphyllophoromyceditdeae)". Int J Med Mushrooms. 4: 139–145.
  8. Lee, JH; Hyun, CK (September 2014). "Insulin-sensitizing and beneficial lipid-metabolic effects of the water-soluble melanin complex extracted from Inonotus obliquus". Phytother Res. 28 (9): 1320–1328. doi:10.1002/ptr.5131. PMID 24615848. S2CID 23095628.
  9. Kikuchi, Y; Seta, K; Y, Ogawa; et al. (June 2014). "Chaga mushroom-induced oxalate nephropathy". Clin Nephrol. 81 (6): 440–444. doi:10.5414/CN107655. PMID 23149251.
  10. Ryvarden L, Gilbertson RL (1993). European polypores. Part 1. Oslo: Fungiflora-Fungiflora. pp. 1–387.
  11. ^ Zheng, W. F.; Liu, T.; Xiang, X. Y.; Gu, Q. (July 2007). "Sterol composition in field-grown and cultured mycelia of Inonotus obliquus". Yao Xue Xue Bao = Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica. 42 (7): 750–756. PMID 17882960.
  12. Zheng W, Miao K, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang M, Pan S, et al. (2010). "Chemical diversity of biologically active metabolites in the sclerotia of Inonotus obliquus and submerged culture strategies for up-regulating their production". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 87 (4): 1237–54. doi:10.1007/s00253-010-2682-4. PMID 20532760. S2CID 22145043.
  13. Lee, Sua; Lee, Hua Young (8 May 2020). "Development of End Stage Renal Disease after Long-Term Ingestion of Chaga Mushroom: Case Report and Review of Literature". Journal of Korean Medical Science. 35 (19): e122. doi:10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e122. PMC 7234858. PMID 32419395.
  14. Rhee, S.Y. (2008). "A comparative study of analytical methods for alkali-soluble β-glucan in medicinal mushroom, Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)". LWT – Food Science and Technology. 41 (3): 545–549. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2007.03.028.
  15. Kimmerer, Robin Wall (2013). "Shkitagen: People of the Seventh Fire". Braiding sweetgrass (1st ed.). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions. ISBN 978-1-57131-335-5.
  16. Needham, Arthur (16 December 2005). "Clinker Polypore, Chaga". Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  17. "Sterile conk trunk rot of birch". Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2017.

External links

[REDACTED] Media related to Inonotus obliquus at Wikimedia Commons

Medicinal herbs and fungi
Herbs
Fungi
Regional practices
Related subjects
List of plants used in herbalism
Taxon identifiers
Inonotus obliquus
Polyporus obliquus
Categories:
Inonotus obliquus: Difference between revisions Add topic