Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Event Website
https://oxfordicsb.org/
Start Date
7-4-2025 3:20 PM
Description
Fungal based supplements or functional mushrooms are growing in popularity worldwide. Among them, Chaga is attracting increasing attention for its broad immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Chaga is unique among “mushroom” supplements as it is technically neither a mushroom (fruiting body), nor a sclerotia, as some researchers assert, but rather a sterile conk or canker that forms on trees, infected and colonized by mycelia of the pathogenic fungus Inonotus obliquus. Commonly associated with birch (Betula spp.), I. obliquus also parasitizes other hardwood species such as alder (Alnus), beech (Fagus), and ash (Fraxinus), found in boreal forests of northern Europe, Asia and North America. The chaga canker, also known as the cinder conk or clinker polypore, appears as a coal-like mass on the trunks of the infected trees, with a dark (nearly black) outer layer, and a lighter, cinnamon-colored inner layer. Chaga is a slow growing conk, which takes 3-5 years to reach harvestable size and proceeds to develop for many years. Meanwhile, Inonotus mycelia continues to propagate and spread throughout the trunk before ultimately killing the mature 80-100 year old tree. Although the biochemistry of this enigmatic fungus is still under investigation, current evidence suggests that chaga biomass consists primarily of decaying wood fibers with small amounts of I. obliquus mycelia. The unique biology of Inonotus obliquus, its lifecycle and its relationship with the host species has profound implications for the biochemical composition and medicinal properties of this fungus. In this presentation we aim to dispel some of the common misconceptions about the chaga and highlight the unique biochemical features that distinguish it from genuine mushrooms that are widely used as nutritional supplements.
Recommended Citation
Kreynes, Anna, "Abstract Title: What is Chaga? Unique biochemistry of the sterile conk." (2025). Oxford ICSB. 12.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/12
Publication Date
April 2025
Accessibility Status
Screen reader accessible, Searchable text
Included in
Abstract Title: What is Chaga? Unique biochemistry of the sterile conk.
Oxford Conference Center, Oxford MS
Fungal based supplements or functional mushrooms are growing in popularity worldwide. Among them, Chaga is attracting increasing attention for its broad immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Chaga is unique among “mushroom” supplements as it is technically neither a mushroom (fruiting body), nor a sclerotia, as some researchers assert, but rather a sterile conk or canker that forms on trees, infected and colonized by mycelia of the pathogenic fungus Inonotus obliquus. Commonly associated with birch (Betula spp.), I. obliquus also parasitizes other hardwood species such as alder (Alnus), beech (Fagus), and ash (Fraxinus), found in boreal forests of northern Europe, Asia and North America. The chaga canker, also known as the cinder conk or clinker polypore, appears as a coal-like mass on the trunks of the infected trees, with a dark (nearly black) outer layer, and a lighter, cinnamon-colored inner layer. Chaga is a slow growing conk, which takes 3-5 years to reach harvestable size and proceeds to develop for many years. Meanwhile, Inonotus mycelia continues to propagate and spread throughout the trunk before ultimately killing the mature 80-100 year old tree. Although the biochemistry of this enigmatic fungus is still under investigation, current evidence suggests that chaga biomass consists primarily of decaying wood fibers with small amounts of I. obliquus mycelia. The unique biology of Inonotus obliquus, its lifecycle and its relationship with the host species has profound implications for the biochemical composition and medicinal properties of this fungus. In this presentation we aim to dispel some of the common misconceptions about the chaga and highlight the unique biochemical features that distinguish it from genuine mushrooms that are widely used as nutritional supplements.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/icsb/2025_ICSB/Schedule/12