Recently, demand for natural products such as chaga mushrooms has been steadily increasing. Chaga mushrooms contain numerous active compounds such as beta-glucan, polyphenols, and flavonoids, so many people are interested in them. However, along with this popularity, incorrect information and unfounded rumors are also floating around on the Internet, sometimes adding to consumers' confusion. The most representative example is the claim that "if you stop taking chaga mushrooms after taking them, your health will actually deteriorate rapidly."
Health deterioration when stopping chaga mushrooms: an unfounded rumor
To state the conclusion clearly first, the claim that stopping the consumption of chaga mushrooms causes your health to suddenly deteriorate or returns you to a worse state than before is complete nonsense and nothing more than an unfounded myth.
This rumor is a story that briefly made the rounds about a dozen or so years ago, in the early days when chaga mushrooms first began to become widely known to the public. At that time, information verification systems were not as developed as they are now, and some sellers quite likely used this kind of fear marketing as a marketing tool to stimulate consumers' anxiety and induce continued purchases.
However, from the standpoint of modern medical knowledge and the perspective of nutritional science, this was a claim with no validity whatsoever, and it naturally died out. If you have recently come across this content, there is a high probability that you saw an Internet post written a very long time ago or incorrect information that was never updated.
Our bodies respond to nutrients supplied from the outside, but stopping the consumption of a particular food does not cause a sudden decline in bodily function as if it were a 'withdrawal symptom.'
The difference in mechanism between medicines and foods
The biggest reason this misunderstanding arises is that people confuse the mechanisms of action of 'hospital-prescribed medications (pharmaceuticals)' and 'foods.'
Medicines prescribed at hospitals — especially specialized pharmaceuticals such as blood pressure medication, diabetes medication, or steroids — play the role of pharmacologically regulating the body's physiological functions to suppress symptoms or forcibly adjust readings. If such medications are suddenly discontinued, a 'Rebound Effect,' in which suppressed symptoms suddenly worsen, or withdrawal symptoms may appear. Therefore, the statement that your health can deteriorate if you carelessly stop taking them without a doctor's guidance is a truth that applies to pharmaceuticals.
In contrast, chaga mushrooms are a 'food.' The role of chaga mushrooms lies in supplementing compounds that may be lacking in our bodies, thereby building the basic physical strength that enables the body to maintain and restore its health on its own. In other words, rather than forcibly pressing down on symptoms, it plays the role of a 'supporter' that helps the body's overall condition.
Therefore, if you stop consuming chaga mushrooms, you will simply gradually return to your ordinary, pre-consumption state. No negative effect occurs that leaves you worse off than before you started taking it. It is the same logic as the fact that missing one meal after eating hearty meals regularly does not make your health worse than the state right before starving to death.
The right attitude toward foods: use, not dependence
The attitude you should guard against most when consuming foods is precisely 'blind faith' and 'anxiety.' No matter how good a food chaga mushrooms may be, they are not a panacea that cures all diseases, and conversely, they are not a life-support device such that something terrible happens if you do not eat them.
Rather than the anxious thought that "something terrible will happen if I don't eat this," it is important to approach it with a comfortable mindset, thinking of it as "a good food ingredient that fills in the parts lacking in my body." If you have consumed chaga mushrooms consistently and your body's condition has improved, that alone means you have sufficiently benefited from it. Even if circumstances arise and you end up stopping consumption, the healthy habits and nutritional state you have accumulated up to that point will be maintained to some extent, and you can simply resume consumption whenever you feel the need again.
Foods have their role as foods, and medicines have their role as medicines. If you clearly understand this boundary, you will be able to enjoy chaga mushrooms more wisely and more healthily, without unnecessary fear. Chaga mushrooms — it is perfectly fine to take a short break while eating them. I hope you will choose freely and with peace of mind, according to your own health condition and needs.
- Kinam Oh, kinam_oh@hanmail.net
