The number of people seeking chaga mushroom, a precious gift bestowed by nature, continues to grow steadily. However, amid the wide variety of forms and price ranges flooding the market, it is by no means an easy task to identify a genuine chaga mushroom product that will truly be of help to you.
Today, we would like to introduce the philosophy and value contained in the bestselling 'Premium' product of Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom, a brand that has quietly walked a single path—chaga mushroom—for 20 long years.
A 20-Year History That Changed the Standard of the Chaga Mushroom Market
About 20 years ago, around 2004, the primary way of consuming chaga mushroom in Korea was either steeping raw chunks directly in water for a long time, or taking an extract liquid decocted at a health food shop. Even in Russia, all that was available were low-quality products whose chromogen complex content did not exceed 20%.
Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom directly confronted the problems of these traditional consumption methods and the issue of low quality, and in close cooperation with a renowned pharmaceutical company in Siberia, boldly introduced specialized pharmaceutical equipment and innovative new technology.
As a result, it created the world's first 100% extract powder product—one that raised the level of chromogen complex, the core active ingredient of chaga mushroom, by more than double, while maximizing the convenience of storage and consumption. This was the beginning of the 'Premium' product.
After passing the rigorous inspection of Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2005, this Premium product made its debut before domestic consumers, and completely transformed the landscape of the market from the moment of its launch.
Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium was not simply a product—it was the pioneer that first opened up a new category, chaga mushroom extract powder, in the domestic market. The fact that most chaga mushroom extract powder products currently on the market were modeled after this Premium product speaks clearly to this.
The Real Reason It Has Survived 20 Years: 'Loyal Customers'
What is the secret behind the Premium product maintaining its position as the leading product in the domestic chaga mushroom industry for more than 20 years since its launch? The answer, surprisingly, lies in a simple place: the existence of long-standing loyal customers.
There are truly many customers who have taken the Premium product for 5 or 10 years. There are even customers who have consumed it continuously for 20 years. These customers are extremely sensitive to every detail—the color of the powder, its aroma, and its texture when dissolved in water. Because they have consumed it for such a long time, they notice even the smallest change right away, and if anything changes even slightly, they contact us immediately.
The very existence of these loyal customers is the reason Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom has no choice but to maintain heightened vigilance in quality control, and at the same time, it is the strongest evidence that this quality has remained consistent over such a long period. The trust built up over 20 years and the rigorous verification of consumers—this is the real reason the Premium product remains a bestseller to this day.
Raw Material: The Top 20–30% of Grade 1 Wild Siberian Chaga
Chaga mushroom cannot be artificially cultivated. It is a completely wild organism that feeds on the sap of living birch trees and grows for more than 15 to 20 years amid the harsh natural environment of Siberia, where temperatures plunge to tens of degrees below zero. Because the growing environment and climate conditions vary from one mushroom to another, even chaga mushrooms classified as the same Grade 1 inevitably differ greatly in their internal nutritional value and quality.
Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium does not permit any artificial additives or excipients whatsoever, and insists exclusively on 100% naturally harvested Grade 1 chaga mushroom collected in Siberia, Russia. Furthermore, rather than being satisfied with the simple title of Grade 1, it rigorously selects only the top-tier raw material within the top 20 to 30%, whose internal tissue is densely and firmly packed.
In Siberia, Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom's specialists and employees of the local pharmaceutical company jointly conduct meticulous manual inspections, separating the wheat from the chaff. This relentless selection process is the starting point that creates the uncompromising quality of the Premium product.
Exclusive Production at a Local Siberian Pharmaceutical Company
From the very moment chaga mushroom is separated and harvested from a living, breathing birch tree, a rapid oxidation process begins, resulting in the loss of precious nutrients. To minimize this natural nutrient loss, Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom adheres to the principle of immediately transporting the raw material to a pharmaceutical company located in Siberia right after harvest, where it enters the processing stage without delay.
The Siberian partner company responsible for production boasts a top-tier pharmaceutical facility that has obtained certification under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), the international standard for pharmaceutical production, as well as ISO 22000 certification. An exclusive production line dedicated solely to Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom has been established there, ensuring hygiene and safety standards controlled at the level of pharmaceutical manufacturing rather than an ordinary food factory.
Manufacturing Process That Preserves the Nutrients of Chaga Mushroom
The manufacturing process of the Premium product sets as its top priority the preservation of chaga mushroom's natural nutrients without any loss. To achieve this, four core principles are applied throughout the entire process.
The first is low-temperature extraction and low-temperature concentration. In the extraction stage, the process strictly uses a water-based extraction method at low temperatures of 65°C or below. High-temperature extraction can increase production volume, but it destroys all of the heat-sensitive active ingredients in chaga mushroom. Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom has chosen quality over production volume. After extraction, the material undergoes a two-stage filtration process using pharmaceutical-grade ultra-fine filters, which fundamentally blocks impurities and the possibility of bacterial contamination. The same low-temperature principle is applied during the concentration stage as well. This is the stage in which the technology involved in producing chaga mushroom extract powder is most clearly demonstrated, and it is extensive experience and know-how that determine stable, consistent quality.
The second is ultrasonic cellular fluid extraction technology. Because chaga mushroom is a natural substance with an extremely hard and dense structure, it is difficult to fully extract all of the components contained in the raw material using conventional extraction methods alone. The Premium product employs ultrasonic cellular fluid extraction technology, an advanced technology that extracts even the special nutrients of chaga mushroom that were difficult to obtain through conventional extraction methods. This is a technological strength possessed only by the Premium product, alongside Premium Gold, Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom's top-tier line, and it is a core technology aimed at capturing as much of chaga mushroom's natural nutrition as possible within the product.
The third is low-temperature spray rapid drying. After undergoing extraction and concentration, the chaga mushroom concentrate is finally turned into powder through drying. The most important factor at this stage is minimizing the drying time as much as possible. Some of chaga mushroom's bioactive components are volatile in nature, meaning that the longer the drying time, the greater the loss as they evaporate into the air. The Premium product adopts a low-temperature spray rapid-drying method, completing the drying process within just 15 to 30 seconds. Compared to freeze-drying, which takes 24 to 72 hours, this is an overwhelmingly short amount of time, and it plays a decisive role in stably preserving chaga mushroom's unique components.
The fourth is safety from metal filing contamination. Because the spray-drying method does not require a separate grinding process, there is structurally no risk of metal filing contamination that could occur due to machine wear during grinding. Considering that most people who seek out chaga mushroom are very cautious about their health, this is by no means a small difference.
Comparison with 'Premium Gold' and 'Classic'
Understanding Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom's product lineup makes the position of Premium even clearer. Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom currently has three main products. Each product has a distinct role and position, and rather than competing with one another, they exist to serve consumers with different needs.
Premium Gold, the top-tier product, uses raw material from within the top 5% even among Grade 1 chaga, and adds the granule method on top of that to achieve the highest possible quality, making it the flagship product. It is the choice for those who want the highest-quality product.
At the other end is Classic. It uses mid-to-upper-tier raw material at the top 50% level among Grade 1 chaga, and is a product for those seeking reasonable value for money.
Premium sits between these two and has served as the face of Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom as its bestseller for the past 20 years. The combination of high-quality raw material at the top 20 to 30% level among Grade 1 chaga, ultrasonic cellular fluid extraction technology, and exclusive production at a GMP-certified pharmaceutical facility strikes an exquisite balance between quality and trust.
For those who want the finest raw material and every specialized process, Premium Gold may be more suitable, but for those seeking a reliable, high-quality product proven over a long time in the market, Premium remains a clear and confident choice.
We Recommend 'Premium' to These People
Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium offers an excellent balance for those who are starting chaga mushroom for the first time but want to begin with a proven, representative product, for those who feel uneasy about low-priced products but find the highest-end line burdensome, and for those who want to choose a product with clear and verified raw materials and manufacturing processes.
20 Years of Time-Built Trust: Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium
Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium is not a product that suddenly appeared one day. Since giving birth to the world's first chaga mushroom extract powder through collaboration with a local Siberian pharmaceutical company in 2004, it has stood in its current position after passing through 20 long years of countless consumer choices and scrutiny. Carefully selected naturally harvested Grade 1 raw material from Siberia, exclusive production at a GMP-certified local pharmaceutical facility, low-temperature extraction and low-temperature concentration, ultrasonic cellular fluid extraction technology, and low-temperature spray rapid drying—every single principle intended to deliver the intrinsic value of chaga mushroom as fully and intact as possible is contained within the Premium product, without exception.
The pride of Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom, which has walked a single path—chaga mushroom—for 20 years without ever looking aside, and the trust built up by its long-standing loyal customers, are both fully contained within this product—that is Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom Premium. If you are deliberating over which chaga mushroom product to choose, the Premium product, proven by 20 years of history, will be the most certain answer for you.
- Kinam Oh, kinam_oh@hanmail.net
