Chaga SAPis a hot water-extract medicinal mushroom, known by its scientific classification as Inonotus obliquus. Chaga is parasitic on birch and other trees, and the conk presents as a mass of mycelium with the appearance of burnt charcoal, due to large amounts of melanin. Chaga is nutrient-dense, concentrated with polysaccharides, flavonoids, betulinic acid, polyphenols, minerals, enzymes, and several B vitamins, including pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and niacin. In vitro studies on chaga mushroom extract demonstrate antitumour, immunomodulating, gene-protective, and antiseptic activities.
