I never liked mushrooms.

“Plain pizza please!”

After I  was diagnosed,  a little girl in my class gave me a strange looking object. It looked a little like a rock, but soft. She exclaimed it was a mushroom, and her mom wanted me to have it.

That was an interesting parent-teacher conversation.

“Thank you for the mushroom, but I don’t smoke”.

Little did I  know how much this mushroom would change my life. The mother put me in touch with one of the owners of the local Chaga mushroom company, Chaga Island. I  looked up how to make chaga tea in a crockpot, and it was as easy as it looked.

Chaga has a ton of benefits. It has a high ORAC score, which stands for “Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity”.  The higher the ORAC score, the better the ability to protect the body from disease.It is an amazing antioxidant, is low in calories, very high in fiber and free of fat, sugar and carbohydrates.

According to the Memorial Sloan Cancer Center, they have done studies where Chaga can inhibit cancer progression. It can stimulate the immune system, has anti-viral abilities, is an inflammation reducer, and can improve physical endurance.

When I    went to the Annie Appleseed Conference, there was a speaker there who was a mushroom expert. He saved the Chaga discussion for last, and called it the strongest mushroom.

That’s good enough for me!

Some people take it in pill form, but I’m more of a purist. I get my chunks from Chaga Island, throw three or four in a crock pot, and fill it with high PH water. I  turn the pot to low or simmer, and let the mushrooms work their magic. The water will eventually turn to a maple syrup like color. I keep the pot on at all times and continue to add water as I  take water out.

“But Keri…how does it taste?”

I  like it.

It really doesn’t have much of a taste at all. Put aside all of your preconceived notions of what a mushroom tea would taste like and just take my word for it. You can add lemon, cinnamon, mint, or honey. You can drink it warm or cold. I know the ladies at Chaga Island have told me that warm is best, and three cups a day when in a medical crisis is good for you. *Always check with your medical professional if you have any questions, and do not take Chaga for two weeks before surgery since it may increase bleeding risk.

I made a video that was shared on my Facebook page and has been viewed several thousand times. If I can figure out how to share a video here…(and have a good hair day)…I may try to share it here.

Hop on board the “Chaga Train” with me and see how you feel.

Chaga choo choooo!

(Thank God for classroom moms that love their child’s teacher so much they send in mushrooms!)

In Jesus’s name, amen.

xoxo

Keri