Time Stamps 00:00 - Intro 00:18 - The Chaga Mushroom 01:00 - What we are looking for 01:15 - Unfortunate overharvesting 01:40 - Skiing to find the Chaga 02:25 - What is a Chaga mushroom? 03:00 - Chaga Anatomy 03:35 - Rare Chaga fruiting body and spores 04:07 - How to find a Chaga Mushroom 04:40 - Chaga Identification 05:00 - Chaga resilience and medicine 05:36 - History of Chaga 05:43 - Chaga in Russia 06:15 - Chaga in China and Japan 06:36 - Native American history of Chaga 08:41 - Give something back to nature 08:59 - Harvesting Chaga mushroom 10:05 - Chaga crust vs interior uses 10:51 - Fire making with Chaga 14:00 - How to make Chaga Tea 18:47 - Medicinal benefits of Chaga mushroom 23:53 - What does Chaga tea taste like 25:35 - Chaga fire making with hand drill and bow drill 29:21 - Chaga hot chocolate and Tie-dye T shirt 31:41 - Chaga hot chocolate 33:08 - Preparing the Dye and T shirt 35:03 - Chaga mushroom fabric dye 36:09 - Chaga Tie-dye T shirt result
I've only just discovered your videos but I really like them. I like the informal style, but still rich with loads of practical information. Thanks for all the hard work you must have put in to research & present these fascinating little mini-documentaries.
Love that you include the concept of giving something back in exchange for harvesting some chaga, such a beautiful symbiotic relationship when we properly honour nature. 🙏😊
I have just recently discovered your videos as I was researching information on birch polypore. I am enrolled in a herbalism program and on one of our recent "plant walks" fell upon some birch polypore and wanted to learn more about it. I watched your video on it and was so impressed with your knowledge of it. This video on chaga was even more impressive! I can appreciate your love for nature and spending time in the outdoors, too! Love your dog's personality, and what a cool tie dye T-shirt! Thanks for sharing!👍
I have many posts on Instagram and on TH-cam and you explained it better than I ever could ....great video and you earned a new subscriber.....Cheers from Atlantic Canada ! 🇨🇦..... to anyone thinking of harvesting some that reads this comment please just take a bit in the coldest days of winter ...getting it strictly for profit and in the warm months is a tragedy
Hello from Australia, Brazil & Colombia! What an informative, credible, well-rounded, well-produced, entertaining, and inspiring knowledge-share! And Hemp seems so sweet. Thank you very much, Jamie Kunka. That was our first time watching a video of yours and it certainly will not be the last.
You've compacted a load of useful information into this, Jamie! Well done. I might only add that it might be preferable to not boil, but simmer under the boiling point. Just like boiled veggies, you lose the value with higher temps. (Also, boiled veggies... blechhh!). :P Well, done. Thanks very much!!
Bro honestly that was such an an epic video you are so epic Keep on with this man - the amount of love in every aspect of that video made me happy :) especially the lil doggo compilations
well, I agree so much with the comments here! Wonderful info and quality, thank you for sharing and inspiring others, you deserve many more views on your channel it's top notch!
Another great video ..your voice is soothing ..I enjoy it much 😌 question regarding chaga ..are you able to harvest late fall instead of winter ? I've read conflicting information
It has been far too long since I have climbed out of a homemade igloo...maybe this winter is my winter. Thanks for the great video. It was great to learn more about chaga. The t-shirt was fantastic!!! I have subbed! *WAVING FROM NEW ENGLAND!*
hi jamie just to let you know i have the same stove you do and cook on my coach with it the stove sits on the three bent over lugs to get that all important sweet spot for use of the burner . im loving your videos and find them very helpful as im just getting into walking and foraging
You might want to make a full tincture, which consists of ethanol extraction first. Then simmering the chaga used in the tincture in water until you have the result you showed in this video. Mix 1:1 alcohol/water extracts and bottle up. The reason: not all beneficial components are derived by either process alone. So, the combo of the two has a complete range. I make the water infusion for a daily drink. And take a dropper of the combined extract every few days. Wonderful and informative video. Thank you.
Your dog very much reminds me of my foraging companion Arlo. He's border collie / aussie cross. While i harvest chaga he digs at the roots like a crazy dog. I've a short video of him hunting chaga. I'm a great fan of chaga tea and tinctures. Cold with cranberry juice is my energy drink while foraging.
@@JamieKunka It really is. It seems to boost energy and supress appetite as well. My dog gets so excited when I get his leash out and gather my foraging gear he barks all the way to the woods! Unfortunately that's about an hour ride away , lol. Adirondack Park , New York state
@@JamieKunka Our reishi seasons just starting and I showed Arlo some fresh shrooms and he looked quite interested. I'm going to have some snacks on hand to reward him with when we find some. I dont know about Hemp but Arlo's all about the snacks. I've got some great photos of him climbing reishi stumps and logs.
Amazing mycology knowledge there dude. I have a load at home and you've inspired me to do a vid on the chunks I already have. Thanks for sharing man! 👍🏽 Its so important to share the overharvesting aspect that is problematic world wide. Ps I did cringe slightly when I saw your mora on the ferro rod 😳🥺 spine of the knife maybe? Haha Peace and love dude 🙏
Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Ha! I appologize for the Mora abuse, i might make a bushcraft knife from a burly saw blade I've got. Might be my next video 😁
This is only the second video iv seen of yours, came from your chanterelle vs false chanterelle video. Instant subscriber thankyou for being passionate about fungi, and also being open and spreading your knowledge as many do not.
Another very interesting video. But if you don't mind I'll be making my own tea, thanks. T-shirt tie-dye was excellent. Does the dye get fixed well or does it wash out ?
Haha! I'll let you know about the staying power of the dye once it gets its first wash. I suspect if one used more Industrial mordants and fixatives it may stick around longer but I didn't want to sully a useful cooking pot and wash such things down the drain!
I got this from a good web page called allnaturaldying. It is possible that yours might have its own fixative as tannins. Salt - Use salt as a fixative for cotton fabrics, thread or yarns. As a general rule you should use 1 part salt to 16 parts water. Place your dyeing medium into the salted water and simmer for about an hour to allow maximum absorption. Gently squeeze the salted water from your dyeing medium and then - whilst still wet - immerse the item into the dye bath. Tannins - Tannins occur naturally in some plants, which eliminates the need for other fixatives. These plants are indicated by an “**” mark in the colors page. Vinegar - 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Use as per salt above. Baking Soda - 1/2 cup baking soda to 1 gallon water. Simmer. Tara Powder - Cream of Tartar - Cream of Tartar is often used with an alum mordant to produce a clearer color in the final dyed product Washing Soda - @@JamieKunka
Awesome vid again, thanks very much. I've been interested in chaga for a while, but never been confident in identifying it. Lots of burrs can look similar. Those close ups are helpful though. I'm pretty sure I've got some near me... Fancy coming over to 'feldy to hunt some?
Thanks Duncan it was fun shooting it in the big freeze. I used to spot big birch burrs and get my hopes up haha. Once the ski season quietens down that would be great!
Brilliant delivery of chaga knowledge! Thank you for sharing. Cannot wait to try hot chocolate! Just to clarify you used 1 tbl of chopped chaga steamed in milk for 20 min? Is it just for flavor then and not for medicinal purposes since thats a short time - or did you use a tbl of chaga tea? Thx for clarifying 🤗
Striking your ferro rod with a knifes cutting edge is very very bad 🥵 try spending two minutes with a file and file the spine to a nice sharp right angle you,ll find it will strike your rod much better and you,ll save your cutting edge. Absolutely enjoyed watch your videos on the chaga fungi and the spruce tea as well as tapping the birch trees theres a lot of information in them. Nicely done😉👍
Where did you find the science about the health effect directly from chaga(not as in in depth study at the very separated substance/vitamin/antioxydant etc)? I do find theory's, a lot of them,but not really medical science especially about chaga.... About the study you are telling about, that was a theory ,right, it wasnt medical proven. He already had a lot of medicine before consuming chaga... I mean,im not saying its wrong, the benefit theory's but its not proven either , right?
Yes I think if I remember correctly they were scientific papers proposing some hypothetical ideas about the compounds. Have a look on pub med for the papers they are quite interesting. I think further research/larger studies will be needed of course.
Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
00:18 - The Chaga Mushroom
01:00 - What we are looking for
01:15 - Unfortunate overharvesting
01:40 - Skiing to find the Chaga
02:25 - What is a Chaga mushroom?
03:00 - Chaga Anatomy
03:35 - Rare Chaga fruiting body and spores
04:07 - How to find a Chaga Mushroom
04:40 - Chaga Identification
05:00 - Chaga resilience and medicine
05:36 - History of Chaga
05:43 - Chaga in Russia
06:15 - Chaga in China and Japan
06:36 - Native American history of Chaga
08:41 - Give something back to nature
08:59 - Harvesting Chaga mushroom
10:05 - Chaga crust vs interior uses
10:51 - Fire making with Chaga
14:00 - How to make Chaga Tea
18:47 - Medicinal benefits of Chaga mushroom
23:53 - What does Chaga tea taste like
25:35 - Chaga fire making with hand drill and bow drill
29:21 - Chaga hot chocolate and Tie-dye T shirt
31:41 - Chaga hot chocolate
33:08 - Preparing the Dye and T shirt
35:03 - Chaga mushroom fabric dye
36:09 - Chaga Tie-dye T shirt result
Please , what is the flute music at the beginning ?
@@benewgillian6823 It's by an awesome overtone flute player called Winne Clement. Check out his stuff!
@@JamieKunka Thank you , i will ..
this channel is CRIMINALLY underviewed.
I've only just discovered your videos but I really like them.
I like the informal style, but still rich with loads of practical information.
Thanks for all the hard work you must have put in to research & present these fascinating little mini-documentaries.
Such a good video!
This was excellent! Thank you - much appreciated…
How absolutely cool best video I’ve seen in some while!
Love that you include the concept of giving something back in exchange for harvesting some chaga, such a beautiful symbiotic relationship when we properly honour nature. 🙏😊
I have just recently discovered your videos as I was researching information on birch polypore. I am enrolled in a herbalism program and on one of our recent "plant walks" fell upon some birch polypore and wanted to learn more about it. I watched your video on it and was so impressed with your knowledge of it. This video on chaga was even more impressive! I can appreciate your love for nature and spending time in the outdoors, too! Love your dog's personality, and what a cool tie dye T-shirt! Thanks for sharing!👍
Hi Margot! I’m glad the videos were useful! It’s always so interesting researching the birch fungi and their cultural history.
Hey, that's how I've found his channel too! While researching the birch polypore, how funny!
I have many posts on Instagram and on TH-cam and you explained it better than I ever could ....great video and you earned a new subscriber.....Cheers from Atlantic Canada ! 🇨🇦..... to anyone thinking of harvesting some that reads this comment please just take a bit in the coldest days of winter ...getting it strictly for profit and in the warm months is a tragedy
One of the best , most in depth, and entertaining tutorials I've seen! Thank you for sharing,
So much information thank you for your care for nature and the time energy and fighting Mother Nature to do,so…
Love the production of the video and the information is so valuable! Can’t wait for more vids!
Thanks so much Sara! Working on one about birch sap at the mo. Hopefully it will be finished by the weekend 😁
Amazing video !! Beauty of the MAGIC MUSHROOM. Cheers!
Very interesting video, I love the snow too.. I miss it, living in London 😢
Hoping for a snowy winter again up here. Hope you get some down in London too!
Another fantastic video: informative on so many levels, well made and really different. Thanks Jamie.
Thanks Damien! Got a new video coming soon about Birch sap. Continuing the Birch theme!
Hello from Australia, Brazil & Colombia! What an informative, credible, well-rounded, well-produced, entertaining, and inspiring knowledge-share! And Hemp seems so sweet. Thank you very much, Jamie Kunka. That was our first time watching a video of yours and it certainly will not be the last.
Thanks Kelly so glad you enjoyed the video!
Brilliantly done! The scope and the amount of detailed information is outstanding, as well as informative and educational. Thanks
Thank You The peace your video brought was unexplainable. 🙏🏻
You've compacted a load of useful information into this, Jamie! Well done.
I might only add that it might be preferable to not boil, but simmer under the boiling point. Just like boiled veggies, you lose the value with higher temps. (Also, boiled veggies... blechhh!). :P
Well, done. Thanks very much!!
Bro honestly that was such an an epic video you are so epic
Keep on with this man - the amount of love in every aspect of that video made me happy :) especially the lil doggo compilations
and also loved the varying cultural uses to the fungi, really interesting
Wow that shirt was epic! Thanks for the intimate look at the uses and benefits of chaga!
Glad you enjoyed it 😆
Thank you for your work in getting these videos out…I have just found you and am so glad.
Best & most complete video on Chaga I've seen 👍
Great information. I plan to brew some Chaga this afternoon. Now it is in a jar in the fridge with water. Take care.
well, I agree so much with the comments here! Wonderful info and quality, thank you for sharing and inspiring others, you deserve many more views on your channel it's top notch!
Thank you very much! This was an amazing watch
Another great video ..your voice is soothing ..I enjoy it much 😌 question regarding chaga ..are you able to harvest late fall instead of winter ? I've read conflicting information
I've just come across your videos and they are truly inspiring. Very entertaining and informative content, keep it up my dude!
It has been far too long since I have climbed out of a homemade igloo...maybe this winter is my winter. Thanks for the great video. It was great to learn more about chaga. The t-shirt was fantastic!!! I have subbed! *WAVING FROM NEW ENGLAND!*
Waving back from Scotland and fingers crossed for good Igloo building this winter!
Awesome work! Man thanks. Be well!
Loved all this.... Top draw!
Super! Loves every second of your video! Carry on!
hi jamie just to let you know i have the same stove you do and cook on my coach with it the stove sits on the three bent over lugs to get that all important sweet spot for use of the burner . im loving your videos and find them very helpful as im just getting into walking and foraging
Great video and such informative interesting information. Thanks..
Absolutely fantastic videos incredibly informative, thank you.
My pleasure!
That was a great presentation.
Thanks John!
Just found your channel today. Great information for the observer and forager who loves spending time outside in our beautiful world. 👍🏻
Thanks Chris, I'm glad your enjoying the videos!
You might want to make a full tincture, which consists of ethanol extraction first. Then simmering the chaga used in the tincture in water until you have the result you showed in this video. Mix 1:1 alcohol/water extracts and bottle up. The reason: not all beneficial components are derived by either process alone. So, the combo of the two has a complete range. I make the water infusion for a daily drink. And take a dropper of the combined extract every few days.
Wonderful and informative video. Thank you.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely try this recipe. Very glad you enjoyed the video!
very interesting and informative thank you for your time.
Your very welcome!
@@JamieKunka I managed to find some chaga in Yorkshire, its only small so I'm guessing its pretty young so I'm just observing it for now.
That’s very respectful to watch it 😁
Brilliant
Your dog very much reminds me of my foraging companion Arlo. He's border collie / aussie cross. While i harvest chaga he digs at the roots like a crazy dog. I've a short video of him hunting chaga. I'm a great fan of chaga tea and tinctures. Cold with cranberry juice is my energy drink while foraging.
Sounds like a great pooch! They love the foraging don’t they. I’ll have to try that with the cranberry juice that sounds delicious.
@@JamieKunka It really is. It seems to boost energy and supress appetite as well. My dog gets so excited when I get his leash out and gather my foraging gear he barks all the way to the woods! Unfortunately that's about an hour ride away , lol. Adirondack Park , New York state
Haha sounds like a great character for a foraging companion. Mine gets similarly exciting if you say let’s go find the mushrooms!
@@JamieKunka Our reishi seasons just starting and I showed Arlo some fresh shrooms and he looked quite interested. I'm going to have some snacks on hand to reward him with when we find some. I dont know about Hemp but Arlo's all about the snacks. I've got some great photos of him climbing reishi stumps and logs.
Amazing mycology knowledge there dude. I have a load at home and you've inspired me to do a vid on the chunks I already have.
Thanks for sharing man! 👍🏽
Its so important to share the overharvesting aspect that is problematic world wide.
Ps I did cringe slightly when I saw your mora on the ferro rod 😳🥺 spine of the knife maybe? Haha
Peace and love dude 🙏
Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed! Ha! I appologize for the Mora abuse, i might make a bushcraft knife from a burly saw blade I've got. Might be my next video 😁
@@JamieKunka awesome 👌🏽
Good info thanks
This is only the second video iv seen of yours, came from your chanterelle vs false chanterelle video. Instant subscriber thankyou for being passionate about fungi, and also being open and spreading your knowledge as many do not.
I'm glad you are enjoying them and you are very welcome.
Also used by the American Iroquois Indian traps similar to the Siberian uses.
Another very interesting video. But if you don't mind I'll be making my own tea, thanks.
T-shirt tie-dye was excellent. Does the dye get fixed well or does it wash out ?
Haha! I'll let you know about the staying power of the dye once it gets its first wash. I suspect if one used more Industrial mordants and fixatives it may stick around longer but I didn't want to sully a useful cooking pot and wash such things down the drain!
I got this from a good web page called allnaturaldying. It is possible that yours might have its own fixative as tannins.
Salt - Use salt as a fixative for cotton fabrics, thread or yarns. As a general rule you should use 1 part salt to 16 parts water. Place your dyeing medium into the salted water and simmer for about an hour to allow maximum absorption. Gently squeeze the salted water from your dyeing medium and then - whilst still wet - immerse the item into the dye bath.
Tannins - Tannins occur naturally in some plants, which eliminates the need for other fixatives. These plants are indicated by an “**” mark in the colors page.
Vinegar - 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Use as per salt above.
Baking Soda - 1/2 cup baking soda to 1 gallon water. Simmer.
Tara Powder -
Cream of Tartar - Cream of Tartar is often used with an alum mordant to produce a clearer color in the final dyed product
Washing Soda -
@@JamieKunka
Great information! Hopefully the salt method I used will work then! Looks like there are lots of alternatives to salt as well!
Awesome vid again, thanks very much. I've been interested in chaga for a while, but never been confident in identifying it. Lots of burrs can look similar. Those close ups are helpful though. I'm pretty sure I've got some near me... Fancy coming over to 'feldy to hunt some?
Thanks Duncan it was fun shooting it in the big freeze. I used to spot big birch burrs and get my hopes up haha. Once the ski season quietens down that would be great!
Nice dog 🐶
He's got the 'collie eye' for sure
@@JamieKunka sure has they're piercing... keep up good work btw ✌️
@@toadstoolze Thanks! More coming soon.
Brilliant delivery of chaga knowledge! Thank you for sharing. Cannot wait to try hot chocolate! Just to clarify you used 1 tbl of chopped chaga steamed in milk for 20 min? Is it just for flavor then and not for medicinal purposes since thats a short time - or did you use a tbl of chaga tea? Thx for clarifying 🤗
I think both would work well. It as you say adding a longer brewed tea would have a higher concentration of all the good stuff!
Chaga is found all over the place here in Maine USA.
Striking your ferro rod with a knifes cutting edge is very very bad 🥵 try spending two minutes with a file and file the spine to a nice sharp right angle you,ll find it will strike your rod much better and you,ll save your cutting edge. Absolutely enjoyed watch your videos on the chaga fungi and the spruce tea as well as tapping the birch trees theres a lot of information in them. Nicely done😉👍
Apologies for the knife abuse I’ve got a proper striker now and bigger ferro! Glad you enjoyed the videos!
Why do you use the blade of the knife to scrape the fero rod & not the back/spine?
I know terrible knife abuse...
That upper bit looks like someone harvested 2-3 years prior to your harvest.
Interesting I was wondering if anyone had ever spotted it!
Pork en español ....y el vídeo en inglés???? Que alguen me explike
Best creation myth of all time! 😆🌳💩
chaga - eliksir av lang levetid
Oh no poor doggo did not like the sparks 😭
Doing a big scare 😂
Where did you find the science about the health effect directly from chaga(not as in in depth study at the very separated substance/vitamin/antioxydant etc)?
I do find theory's, a lot of them,but not really medical science especially about chaga....
About the study you are telling about, that was a theory ,right, it wasnt medical proven. He already had a lot of medicine before consuming chaga...
I mean,im not saying its wrong, the benefit theory's but its not proven either , right?
Yes I think if I remember correctly they were scientific papers proposing some hypothetical ideas about the compounds. Have a look on pub med for the papers they are quite interesting. I think further research/larger studies will be needed of course.
Thank you very much! This was an amazing watch