CHAGA POWDER OR CHAGA EXTRACT POWDER.
By Victor Smirnov
Visitors of our website are often asking us to explain the difference between chaga powder and chaga extract powder. This is indeed an important point and we'll try to explain.
Being able to understand which is which may help you to avoid some unpleasant things like:
1. Purchasing chaga powder instead of chaga extract powder (extract is valued much more than just dried mushroom);
2. Losing your faith in alternative medicine.
3. Missing the opportunity to improve your health.
For somebody who is not familiar with chaga mushroom it may become very confusing to tell the difference and he could easily be lead to believe that he is getting chaga extract in powder whereas in reality he is getting just a powdered dry mushroom.
For example, on one occasion one of our customers in the EU, had purchased "chaga extract" (as he thought) at a local herbal store. Then he had checked the packaging label for recommended dosage. Then he visited our website and compared the dosage specified for our freeze-fried chaga extract. He found considerable discrepancy. As a result he got suspicious and decided to ask our company for advice.
We asked him to send us a picture of the label from that packaging. The text on the package was recommending to take up to 15 grams of the powder a day! It is obviously far too much for an extract. You can see the picture on the right. If it was a real chaga extract powder you would not have been able to consume such a dose. It would have caused some problems if taken in such quantity. However for chaga powder - it is fine, but at the same time usless if consumed just as a powder, without making any infusions with hot water.
So this buyer didn't know the difference between the two powders and thought he had purchased "the real thing". Alas..he didn't.
Therefore, once again about the difference:
- Chaga extract powder - does not need to be infused! It can be consumed with cold, warm or hot water. Its manufacturing process involves extraction under vacuum and dehydration by sublimation (freeze-dry) which leaves most of the chaga phyto-nutrients undamaged and concentrate them in the end product (powder). Chaga extract powder is highly concentrated with biologically active healthy substances, especially with Chromogenic complex (antioxidants). To receive 1kg of chaga extract we use 8 kg of raw chaga mushroom! We do not add any fillers or vitamins. Therefore freeze-dried chaga extract powder is an expensive and effective natural remedy.
- Chaga powder - it is just a dried pulverized chaga mushroom. It needs to be infused as a tea, otherwise it brings no effect at all. Chaga powder ( tea) - is a healthy drink, but doesn't possess any considerable healing properties. Usually it is not expensive.
At the same time, both powders of Baikal Herbs Ltd are 100% chaga mushroom.
So if any package label says: "Chaga mushroom powder", it doesn't mean "Chaga extract powder". If there is no "extract" on the label - it is just a dried and powdered chaga mushroom.
Additionally it is worth remembering that nowadays a lot of fermented, artificially grown in China or in the USA chaga is being distributed internationally.
How to differentiate chaga POWDER and chaga extract POWDER?
First of all the appearance and color of the powder should be taken into account.
For example, on the left picture you can see our Siberian chaga mushroom that has been grinded in a coffee-grinder. Could you be able to tell whether it is just grinded chaga mushroom or is it chaga extract? On industrial grinders it is possible to pulverize this to 200-300 microns size. In this case such powder will become water-soluble, just as chaga extract.
In connection with the above please note that freeze-dried chaga extract is totally different and is very difficult to replicate.
Take a look at the right picture:
The extract powder is black with shiny particles. This is how the real freeze-dried chaga extract should look like.
Now you have more information on chaga and hopefully it will be helpful.
