Dr. Maslennikov: The Chaga Healer of Alexandrov, Russia

The town of Aleksandrov, like many provincial towns near Moscow, often drifts in a serene, sleepy atmosphere. While life in Moscow buzzes with relentless energy, here you find dusty streets with cracked asphalt, long rows of picket fences, and vibrant phlox blooming in front gardens. One of the few notable landmarks is the Marina Tsvetaeva Museum, but otherwise, Aleksandrov seems like a tranquil, almost forgotten corner of the world. However, there was a time when this town hummed with activity, when suburban trains regularly brought throngs of 'pilgrims' to the station square. These pilgrims were not here to admire the beauty of a local church, but to seek the help of an ordinary doctor in a Soviet clinic—Sergei Nikitich Maslennikov.

Eyewitnesses and longtime residents of Aleksandrov from the 1950s vividly remember the scene: a line of people waiting to see the doctor that stretched for a kilometer. The wait could last days, with people renting rooms, bunks, or setting up tents, enduring the scorching sun or pouring rain. They came from all over the Soviet Union, driven by hope—the hope of being cured of cancer. In an era when public relations and advertising were non-existent, and journalists couldn’t dream of writing about a doctor attempting to cure cancer outside of an oncology clinic, Maslennikov’s reputation spread solely by word of mouth. His method didn’t involve surgery or chemotherapy but rather a treatment based on a mysterious woody growth—chaga.

To the authorities' credit, despite the harshness of the times, they did not interfere with Maslennikov’s work. They acted as though he didn’t exist, and the long queues were just there for some friendly advice. Maslennikov continued to work in the hospital, treating local patients while dedicating his free time to researching the effectiveness of chaga infusion in treating cancer. He meticulously documented patient diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes, accumulating a vast archive of data on how and when chaga was effective. His research led to invaluable insights—for example, chaga was found to be particularly effective against stomach and kidney tumors, but not against brain tumors. Maslennikov even experimented with fungi from rowan and aspen trees in search of the optimal chaga concentration.

Maslennikov’s archive, filled with patient histories and treatment results, is extensive. His reputation as a doctor who could cure cancer became unassailable. Without a single press publication, his name became known across the Soviet Union. His address was passed around, handwritten or typed, from person to person. In an age when word of mouth was the purest form of communication, free from lies and exaggerations, Maslennikov’s success stories spoke for themselves. His archive holds hundreds of real case histories where cancer was cured, making his legacy as a healer both remarkable and enduring.

Solzhenitsyn was cured of cancer with chaga

One such compelling story is the battle of the renowned writer Alexander Ivanovich Solzhenitsyn against cancer, culminating in his complete recovery from this devastating disease. In his semi-autobiographical novel "Cancer Ward," Solzhenitsyn poignantly captures his experiences within oncology wards, describing the psychological turmoil of living on the edge between life and death. The novel paints a vivid picture of fellow patients, each counting down their final months, and the oncologists they encounter—some narrow-minded and indifferent, others creative, empathetic, yet painfully aware of their own powerlessness in the face of cancer.

Maslennikov and his miracle recipe

Sergei Nikitich Maslennikov was born in 1887 into the family of a modest merchant, N. K. Maslennikov, in the town of Alexandrov. After graduating from the Medical Faculty of Moscow University in 1908, Sergei Nikitich began his career as a zemstvo doctor in his hometown. In 1910, he married Maria Mikhailovna Sokolova, and together they had two daughters. During World War I and the tumultuous years following the Russian Revolution, Maslennikov served as a military doctor, traveling extensively across the country. In 1935, he returned to Alexandrov, where he continued his medical practice.

Maslennikov's most significant achievement was the discovery of a remedy for cancer—a "symptomatic remedy that alleviates the condition of cancer patients"—using chaga, also known as birch mushroom. Hundreds of patients benefited from his chaga infusion, which proved effective in combating the deadly disease. Notably, Dr. Maslennikov treated cancer patients in secret, outside of his regular working hours. He also had numerous "absentee" patients, individuals who could not travel to Alexandrov but sought his help through letters.

One of these patients was the famous writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who later chronicled Maslennikov's innovative cancer treatment and his contributions to medicine in his novel "Cancer Ward." Although many years have passed since Dr. Maslennikov's death, his legacy lives on in Alexandrov. In a poetic twist, four mighty birch trees grew from a single root near his grave, with chaga mushrooms appearing on them—a fitting and symbolic monument to the man who dedicated his life to fighting cancer. In honor of his work, I will share the recipe for Dr. Maslennikov's chaga infusion, the remedy he used to successfully treat his patients for many years.