Toward the end of a chaga mushroom product consultation, customers often ask, "This really is 100% wild-harvested chaga mushroom, right?" I answer yes, and tell them not to worry. Many people share the same concern. Although chaga mushroom was first introduced in Korea more than 20 years ago, it is still clearly an unfamiliar mushroom to many. So I explain in detail about "truly 100% wild-harvested chaga mushroom."
First. There is the case of fake chaga — that is, selling other mushrooms as chaga mushroom. This is nearly impossible. The appearance of chaga mushroom is so different from other mushrooms. Its rock-hard, jet-black outer crust is a unique characteristic of chaga, and it is hard to find a mushroom that resembles it.
Second. There is the case of selling cultivated chaga as wild-harvested chaga. This cannot happen. Chaga mushroom cannot be cultivated. All chaga is wild-harvested; there is only a difference in quality.
Third. There is the case of selling chaga harvested from trees other than birch. Chaga mushroom sometimes also grows not on birch, but on oak, alder, ash, willow, and other trees. However, because those are very few in number, it is difficult to sell only chaga grown on other trees; it is possible that such chaga could be mixed in and sold together with birch chaga. The quality is much lower.
Fourth. There is the case of selling chaga harvested from other regions or countries, rather than Siberia, the home of chaga mushroom. Disclosing the origin accurately is legal; lying about the origin is illegal. Compared to Siberian chaga, the quality of most is lower. This is due to the weather and climate, as well as the birch species.
Fifth. There is the case of selling products blended with ingredients other than chaga mushroom. This applies to chaga powder products. Disclosing the fact that other ingredients are included is legal. The problem is when a product is labeled as 100% chaga but contains other ingredients or additives. This is not only illegal, it is an act of deceiving customers. Since it is impossible for customers to verify this themselves, the best option is to buy from an honest company.
We have looked at what truly 100% wild-harvested chaga mushroom means.
However, precisely because chaga cannot be cultivated and is 100% wild-harvested, another problem arises: the quality is not uniform. If people were to grow or cultivate it, the growing conditions would be similar, so the quality would be fairly consistent. But chaga mushroom grows on its own in nature for some twenty years. Depending on the environment in which it grows, some grow well and have excellent quality, while others are of such poor quality that they are hardly usable as a raw material. Especially when making chaga powder products, the selection of raw materials is extremely important. You cannot make a good product from bad raw materials.
- Kinam Oh, kinam_oh@hanmail.net
