Wondering about the differences between chaga vs reishi? These two wonderful mushrooms are not in competition and can both be used by interested parties
If you had to choose between chaga vs reishi, which would you take?
Okay, that’s a trick question because fortunately, we don’t live in a world where you have to choose between chaga and reishi. We live in a fungus-friendly world where you can have both! Hooray!
Today we are weighing in on the chaga vs reishi debate to provide you with information on both of these mushrooms. If you are interested in adding these wonderful mushrooms to your diet, know that we have mushroom extract powders and capsules that can help you do just that. We have reishi extract powder and capsules which contain 100% fruiting reishi mushroom bodies. This is not a myceliated grain supplement! It is pure mushroom goodness.
We also have a mushroom blend extract that has BOTH chaga and reishi in it, in equal parts. How exciting! If you want to incorporate both chaga and reishi into your diet, then our blend extract powder and capsules are the way to go!
Chaga vs reishi: Understanding each of these functional mushrooms
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum or Ganoderma tsugae) has been used in Asian countries for thousands of years. Many people make teas and tinctures with this mushroom for immune system support. Fortunately for us in the northeast United States, we can find this mushroom growing wild on hemlock trees, often near water.
In the wild, reishi mushrooms will begin forming in the spring and they reach maximum potency for a summer harvest. At this point the reishi mushroom will be a beautiful red color. Growing the reishi mushroom kit indoors will yield a different looking reishi, as it will grow in its antler. It is really fun to watch reishi mushrooms grow, both from cultivation kits as well as in the wild.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a powerful mushroom that is mostly found in northeastern US, Canada, and Siberia. In Siberia the Khanty people have used it for hundreds of years as a cure all because it helps to support a healthy immune system. This is one of the reasons many people have experienced support of healthy skin through using chaga tinctures.
Chaga grows as a black mass, primarily on birch trees. It is easiest to find in the winter when the leaves are no longer on the trees. You can also find it along streams and rivers where birches are abundant, and along old logging roads where trees may have been scraped. Chaga is consumed in two different forms: as tea and as chaga tincture. The chaga tincture has a more complete profile of compounds found in chaga because it uses both hot water and alcohol to extract.
Chaga vs reishi: Cultivation information
Here’s the thing about these mushrooms… Reishi mushrooms can be cultivated indoors or outdoors with spawn or mushroom growing kits. In fact, we even sell an array of reishi spawn (grain, sawdust, and plug), as well as reishi mushroom grow kits. Chaga, on the other hand, cannot be cultivated artificially, or at least there is not a sufficient record of such. So, in order to get your hands on some chaga, you will either need to forage it from birch trees or you can buy the products from others. It’s common to find people selling chaga chunks or powder.
Chaga vs reishi: Why we should you should use both instead of choosing between these two functional mushrooms
As mentioned above, both chaga and reishi are used for supporting the immune system. However, that is not their only use.
According to Web MD, reishi has also been used for sleep support, support with managing stress, and support for energy levels. Chaga, on the other hand, has some different benefits. Also according to Web MD, chaga supports against oxidation as well as providing support in health blood pressure levels.
There are also other benefits of these mushrooms worth knowing about. Take a look at this article for more information on reishi mushroom benefits. You can also find much more information on chaga benefits in this article.
Using chaga vs reishi: They are both easy to use with our mushroom extracts
Forget the chaga vs reishi battle and start using both of these mushrooms instead! You can do so by getting our mushroom blend extract powders and capsules from our online store. In addition to chaga and reishi, this blend powder contains cordyceps, turkey tail, lion’s mane, shiitake, and maitake. This blend has equal parts of all of these mushrooms, and the blend is lab tested to contain 29% beta glucans, so you can rest assured that you are getting the beneficial polysaccharides that mushrooms have.
All of our mushroom extract powders and capsules are certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan. Buy yours today!