The Benefits of Chaga Chai
You’ve probably heard of chai latte’s before. It’s a popular hot drink derived from India that can be found at your local savvy coffee shop. However, there is one version of this that you may not have come across just yet. It’s made up of delicious warm, sweet and creamy spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg - with an added spark of chaga mushroom.
Yes, chaga mushroom, because what else would we put into our 4th MAGIC product? We’re the fun-gis! MAGIC Chaga Chai Latte is everything chai with a twist of immunity boosting chaga mushroom, something we all need a little bit more of in the winter time.
Our MAGIC Chaga Chai Latte is certainly one that not only tastes delish and contains amazing health benefits, but gives back too. Let’s dig deeper and find out just how magical this hot drink really is!
What is Chai?
Chai, also referred to as Masala, is a traditional drink which originates from India. It is made up of a blend of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper and ginger, all mixed up with steamy plant based milk. Chai can be traced all the way back to 5000 years ago, where it was used for health and healing benefits. It wasn't until the 1960s for when the drink came into western popularity due to the sweet and spicy flavourful taste.
The ingredients within chai have several health properties due to its variety of spices. In particular, ceylon cinnamon, also known as ‘true’ cinnamon, is loaded with antioxidants, filled with anti-inflammatory properties to help repair tissue damage, and may help prevent heart disease.
Cardamon too, which is commonly found in chai and used to relieve digestive issues, prevent nausea, as well as treat infections through it’s antibacterial effects.
Another superfood ingredient chai contains is ginger, which holds several powerful medicinal properties as it is considered an anti-inflammatory. It also has antioxidant effects and helps lower cholesterol levels.
Chai also is made up with black pepper, which is an all-round spice that complements the others in chai as it is an anti-inflammatory, filled with antioxidants.
Lastly nutmeg, which are whole or grounded seeds from the evergreen tree Myristica fragrans. Nutmeg carries health benefits such as improving brain health by easing tiredness and stress, as well as regulating blood pressure levels and circulation through it’s high levels of calcium and iron.
These ingredients in chai all carry health benefits and taste incredible together, but theres one more magical element left; chaga mushroom.
What is Chaga Mushroom?
You might think of chaga mushroom in hot drinks is a new trend, but chaga has been used since the 1940s. During WWII chaga became mostly popular due to its incredible health benefits where it was added to coffee in Finland for health and immunity purposes.
Chaga mushrooms, or formally known as Inonotus obliquus, are parasitic mushrooms which have been used for centuries in traditional medicine in parts of Asia to improve overall health due to its amazing immunity boosting assistance. It is a fungus that grows on certain bark of trees like birch throughout the northern hemisphere including Canada, Siberia, Russia, Northern Europe and Korea.
Chaga mushrooms create a wood-like growth, similarly looking to burnt charcoal that can grow up to 15 inches in particularly cold climates. The outside of Chaga might look a little dull, but inside is a soft orange colour that is the prime specialty to its magic.
Chaga is usally consumed by being dried out and turned into a powder for so that it can be added to beverages such as herbal teas and coffee. It can also be found in health supplements on the market.
We use Chaga within our new MAGIC latte, where both a mixture of Chai and 750mg of Chaga per serving is fulfilled to beneficially provide you with an incredible antioxidant and immunity boosting hot beverage.
The fruit, not the root
Almost all of the magical health benefits of mushrooms are found in the ‘fruiting body’ that grows above ground, which is the mushroom part in which we eat! But sadly, almost all major mushroom suppliers use cheap mycelium extract that is taken from the roots of the mushroom that grow underground before the fruit is fully developed.
However we like to do things a little differently. That is why all of the mushrooms we use within our health products, including Chaga, Reishi and Lion’s Mane use the full fruiting body of the mushroom. This is highly concentrated with polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and dual extracted for optimal absorption. Our only exception is with Cordyceps, where we use a specific mycelium extract (Sinensis CS-4 Fermented Mycelium Extract) that is proved to have superior benefits.
We source our Chaga sustainably by only removing the top part of the mushroom so that it can grow back again easily. Ultimately this means that our chaga carries a minimum of 10% beta-glucans, which is where the immunity boosting properties are found.
Chaga health benefits
Chaga mushrooms hold lots of health benefits and medicinal properties. It is packed with antioxidants and is a great extract to improve one’s overall health. Let’s take a closer look:
May boost immune system
Chaga has been shown to impact immune support by reducing inflammation and breaking down any viruses or bacteria found within the body. In fact, chaga mushrooms stimulate white blood cells which essentially helps to regulate immunity and fights off bad bacteria build up.
Due to this, chaga mushroom aids the improvement of infections, all the way from a simple cold to severe illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease.
May help prevent cancer
In a study, chaga mushroom supplements have been shown to prevent and moderate cancer growth within the body. It has been shown from the study that a total of 60% of cancerous cells had been reduced in size from chaga.
This is because Chaga extract contains a great content of antioxidants, including triterpene, which has been found to help fight off cancerous cells. Triterpene prevents damage from free radicals, which contributes to chronic health problems such as cancer growth and inflammatory disease. Due to this, chaga in Norway is called kreftkjuke, which means cancer fungus as it holds incredible cancer reducing properties.
Decrease blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Chaga is also linked to lowering blood sugar levels, which ultimately helps those manage diabetes. With that, there has been a study which shows that chaga mushroom extract can decrease blood sugar levels by up to 30%.
It also has been identified that chaga mushroom extract can beneficially reduce cholesterol levels, which can decline the risk of heart disease. This study shows that chaga mushrooms reduces cholesterol and triglycerides fatty acid within the body, all while increasing antioxidants.
Giving back with every pack
MAGIC Chaga Chai is more than just a drink as we’re giving back with every pack. The difference between our Chaga Chai Latte and other brands isn't only that it contains the superfood chaga mushroom, but net profits from the delicious latte will be donated to The Akanksha Education Fund. Akanksha is a non-profit organisation dedicated to guarantee an education to underprivileged children across India, from Mumbai to Pune, since 1991.
As we took inspiration from India through the creation of our new MAGIC recipe, we wanted to show our gratitude and give back to Indian communities by partnering with The Akanksha Education Fund, where we will be donating 100% of net profits to the charity with every pack of MAGIC Chaga Chai Latte sold.
Not only do chaga mushrooms contain health-promoting properties, such as being packed with antioxidants and boosting immunity, the benefits within chai too are just as important. That’s why our MAGIC Chaga Chai Latte is a sweet and spicy way to enhance your health and keep warm during the cold winter months ahead in a relaxing and indulgent drink.
It is made with 100% plant based ingredients and 100% of net profits go to The Akanksha Education Fund to help child education in India.