MULTI-VITAMINS AND MINERALS MULTI-VITAMINS AND MINERALS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR PROPER BODY FUNCTIONS AND FOR MAINTENANCE OF GOOD HEALTH. THEY HELP BODY WITH METABOLISM, GROWTH, BONE MAINTENANCE AND FORMATION, TISSUE FORMATION, RED BLOOD CELL FORMATION AND MANY MORE. MULTI-VITAMINS AND MINERALS CHAGA MUSHROOM IS A NON-TOXIC MUSHROOM WITH EXTREMELY HIGH AMOUNT OF ANTIOXIDANTS. THIS MUSHROOM DIFFERS FROM OTHER MUSHROOMS AS IT GROWS BY EXTRACTING NUTRIENT FROM LIVING TREES INSTEAD OF THE DEAD ONES. CHAGA MUSHROOMS PRIMARILY GROW ON BIRCH TREES AND ARE ONLY FOUND IN THE COLDEST LOCATIONS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. THIS UNIQUE FACTOR MAKES CHAGA MUSHROOMS EXCLUSIVE TO RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE, CANADA, KOREA, AND SOME PARTS IN THE UNITED STATES. IN ADDITION TO THIS EXCLUSIVITY, CHAGA MUSHROOMS TAKE AT LEAST 5 YEARS TO MATURE, AND ARE VERY RARE. ALSO, CHAGA MUSHROOMS CANNOT BE CULTIVATED. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO CULTIVATE CHAGA MUSHROOMS, BUT EVERY ATTEMPT RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND DIFFERENT BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS. THE APPEARANCE OF CHAGA MUSHROOMS IS SIMILAR TO BURNT WOOD ON THE OUTSIDE, AND ORANGE INSIDE. THE MUSHROOM IS HARVESTED ON SELECTED BIRCH TREES ONLY ONCE IN 20 YEARS. IN ADDITION, OUT OF A HUNDRED TREES HARVESTED, ONLY 2 % TO 3 % OF THE HARVESTED CHAGA ARE CERTIFIED AS �SUPERIOR GRADE�. MANY COMMERCIAL FORAGERS ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO HARVEST CHAGA MUSHROOMS BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH VALUE. CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE IF YOU HAVE A LIVER DISORDER. CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING. CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE IF YOU HAVE DIABETES OR IF YOU ARE TAKING ANTICOAGULANT MEDICATIONS. CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOIMMUNE CONDITION OR ARE TAKING IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS. PEOPLE SENSITIVE TO NICOTINIC ACID MAY EXPERIENCE FLUSHING OF THE SKIN THAT IS GENERALLY MILD AND TRANSIENT. NAKAJIMA Y, SATO Y, KONISHI T. ANTIOXIDANT SMALL PHENOLIC INGREDIENTS IN INONOTUS OBLIQUUS (PERSOON) PILAT (CHAGA). CHEMICAL PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN 2007; 55(8):1222-1226. WON DP, LEE JS, KWON DS, LEE KE, SHIN WC, HONG EK. IMMUNOSTIMULATING ACTIVITY BY POLYSACCHARIDES ISOLATED FROM FRUITING BODY OF INONOTUS OBLIQUUS. MOLECULES AND CELLS 2011; 31(2):165-173. YOUN MJ, KIM JK, PARK SY, KIM Y, PARK C, KIM ES, PARK KI, SO HS, PARK R. POTENTIAL ANTICANCER PROPERTIES OF THE WATER EXTRACT OF INONOTUS OBLIQUUS BY INDUCTION OF APOPTOSIS IN MELANOMA B16-10 CELLS. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2009; 121(2):221-228. DU XJ, MU H, ZHOU S, ZHANG Y, ZHU XL. CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF POLYSACCHARIDES EXTRACTED FROM INONOTUS OBLIQUUS SCLEROTIA. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES 2013; 62:691-696. JU HK, CHUNG HW, HONG SS, PARK JH, LEE J, KWON SW. EFFECT OF STEAM TREATMENT ON SOLUBLE PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF THE CHAGA MUSHROOM (INONOTUS OBLIQUUS). FOOD CHEMISTRY 2008; 119(2):619-625. NING X, LUO Q, LI C, DING Z, PANG J, ZHAO C. INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF A POLYSACCHARIDE EXTRACT FROM THE CHAGA MEDICINAL MUSHROOM, INONOTUS OBLIQUUS (HIGHER BASIDIOMYCETES), ON THE PROLIFERATION OF HUMAN NEUROGLIOCYTOMA CELLS. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS 2014; 16(1):29-36. HANSTEN PD, HORN JR, EDITORS. DRUG INTERACTIONS ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT. VANCOUVER (WA): APPLIED THERAPEUTICS INC.; 1997. HC 2007A: HEALTH CANADA. DRUG PRODUCT DATABASE. OTTAWA (ON): HEALTH CANADA; 2007. HC 2007B: HEALTH CANADA. FOOD AND DRUG REGULATIONS (F-27 - C.R.C., C.870). OTTAWA (ON): HEALTH CANADA; 2007. HC 2006: HEALTH CANADA. EVIDENCE FOR SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF FINISHED NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS. OTTAWA (ON): NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS DIRECTORATE, HEALTH CANADA; 2006. HC 2005A: HEALTH CANADA. ADDITION OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS TO FOODS: HEALTH CANADA'S PROPOSED POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANS. OTTAWA (ON): HEALTH CANADA; 2005. HC 2005B: HEALTH CANADA. . CANADA GAZETTE 2005;139(21). HENDLER SS, RORVIK D, EDITORS. PHYSICIAN'S DESK REFERENCE FOR NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS, 1ST EDITION. MONTVALE (NJ): THOMSON PDR; 2001. This page is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the medicinal ingredient.