Chaga and Cordyceps
If you are familiar with superfoods, you are likely aware of chaga. Chaga has begun taking the health food world by storm due to its numerous nutritional qualities, from improving immune system vitality to reversing aging through the elimination of free radicals to combating cancer and more. However, chaga is far from the only medicinal mushroom out there: there is a long tradition in many parts of the world, particularly East Asia and Siberia, of consuming mushrooms for health and vitality.
One popular medicinal mushroom is cordyceps, and many chaga users have begun combining the two mushrooms in order to enhance their effects. Read on to learn how you can use both chaga and cordyceps to enhance your well-being.
Chaga and Cordyceps
Native to the high mountain regions of China, cordyceps is sometimes referred to as the “caterpillar mushroom” due to the bizarre way it grows and spreads. Cordyceps grows by infecting the bodies of caterpillars in these mountainous areas, slowly replacing their tissue with fungal tissue and sprouting long, slender stems from the caterpillar’s body. This process usually kills the caterpillar, allowing the body and mushroom to be collected and processed.
Because proper cordyceps can only grow by propagating naturally through the bodies of caterpillars, it is often difficult to harvest and expensive to purchase as a result. Many cordyceps vendors will try to use artificially-grown mushrooms, but these don’t work because they lack the nutritional value that naturally-grown cordyceps has.
Cordyceps pairs well with chaga because the two mushrooms have many overlapping benefits that can be combined in a synergistic fashion. For example, cordyceps possesses anti-aging properties. Like chaga, cordyceps is exceptionally rich in antioxidants, which are responsible for combating free radicals, free-floating particles that are responsible for aging by causing cellular damage. Using cordyceps and chaga simultaneously will give you a double dose of antioxidants for faster and more effective aging reversal.
In addition to this, cordyceps has also been demonstrated to have strong anti-cancer properties. The antioxidants and other nutrients in cordyceps have been shown to inhibit or slow tumor growth, particularly in the cases of lymphoma, lung cancer, and melanomas. Chaga’s anti-cancer properties are well-known and cordyceps acts as a fine compliment to the mushroom.
Not only that, like chaga, cordyceps has been shown to ease the symptoms of more conventional cancer treatment, like chemotherapy. In particular, cordyceps is effective in fighting leukopenia. Leukopenia is a condition in which the number of white blood cells in a person’s body decreases, leaving them more susceptible to illness. White blood cell count typically decreases as a result of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, and cordyceps fights leukopenia through promoting the growth of these blood cells.
Cordyceps has also been shown to have anti-diabetic properties. One of chaga’s best known effects is that it regulates blood sugar levels, a major concern for diabetics. Cordyceps has been shown to mimic the effects of insulin in the body, further keeping the effects of diabetes under control. Not only that, cordyceps has been shown to improve kidney function, an aid to diabetics due to the fact that kidney failure is a common complication that diabetics suffer from.
Finally, like chaga, cordyceps has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Excessive inflammation has been linked to heart disease, cancer, and other ailments. Cordyceps has been shown to suppress proteins that are responsible for inflammation. It is also capable of reducing inflammation in the esophagus, meaning that asthma sufferers can use cordyceps to control their symptoms. These effects mesh well with chaga’s own anti-inflammatory properties.
All of these synergistic effects are further augmented with cordyceps’ own bevy of unique properties. Cordyceps is capable of increasing the body’s energy levels through the production of adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that is responsible for delivering energy to the muscles. This enhances the absorption of oxygen into the body’s tissues, allowing you to stay more alert and perform better when engaging in physically strenuous activity.
Cordyceps is also a boon to heart health, enough so that the Chinese have used it for centuries as a remedy for heart problems. Even to this day, Chinese doctors and hospitals often use cordyceps to treat patients with heart issues. Cordyceps has been shown to treat arrhythmia and lower cholesterol levels in the blood. This is due to its high adenosine content. Adenosine is a naturally-occurring compound that has been shown to protect against various heart problems.
Conclusion
On its own, chaga is quite a powerful little mushroom. Its effects on aging, immune system health, and other aspects of the body cannot be denied. However, many chaga users are curious about how it interacts with other medications, supplements, or superfoods, in order to see if it has any adverse or beneficial side effects when combined with these substances. We can safely say, based on the available evidence, that cordyceps is one of the best ways to compliment your chaga consumption.
Cordyceps and chaga are quite powerful on their own, but when combined, their anti-cancer, anti-aging, and anti-inflamatory effects are like a one-two punch to your various health concerns. If you are looking to enhance the effects of your chaga, pick up some cordyceps and see how these two mushrooms can revolutionize your life.