Wow Donald! I absolutely love learning how to make chaga. I’m a canning geek and of course gardener. I learned about chaga this summer and have been consuming tea and tincture ever since. I thought I might want to make my own tincture. I have been making tea. After watching your video I feel educated enough to make my own. However it is time consuming and somewhat labor intensive. I most definitely appreciate what goes into making the chaga I purchase. I think I’ll continue to purchase the tincture for right now but your video is very inspiring and educational. It’s now on my “to do” list of future endeavors. Thanks so much for making the video Donald. Namaste.
For those of you wondering, I've found Chaga in Central Vermont. Every time I've found it, it's on a large old yellow birch tree in or right next to a peat bog. I cover a lot of ground in the winter, and I haven't seen it anywhere else.
Yellow birch is a long-lived tree that seems to withstand the parasitic nature of chaga conks better than white (paper) birch, resulting in larger harvests. I'm in Canada and I've harvested two massive conks, the last being about 8 lbs, from yellow birch.
Miigwetch! Thank you! This video covered every "thing" I need and do to make the tincture. Your presentation in this video is amazing. New Fan from Québec.
Hello from Ohio, love me some chaga, thanks for the lesson. I've never found it yet in the woods where I am but my Bush friend from Sweden sent me some but I have nearly used all of it, so good for you!
Great video Donald. Thanks for teaching us how to make tincture. I just ordered 2 lbs of chaga chunks and will probably grind it to a granulated state and make a batch of tincture.
I've seen people do the liquid extraction first, reusing the chunks 2 or 3 times until the water quits turning dark. Then they dry out the chunks and then make the tincture. I'm curious why it's being done the other way around and having to mix them, seems like a lot of extra trouble .... now that it's over I see! That's great, thanks!
Go Navy! Is that a destroyer? I've already watched so many useful videos on this channel, I'm going to subscribe. Can't wait to see what else there is to unearth here!
I have about 4 lbs all ground up in two zip loc bags in my freezer. I am glad that I found you. I will be giving it away to my friends after processing like you demonstrated. Thank you sir. By the way this stuff is hard to find. About 1 Chaga to 10,000 birch trees. That is why it is so expensive. Minnesota.
Thankyou so much for all of this information. You are a great teacher, so clear and precise.I will be following your guidelines and making my own tinctures. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Thanks Donald! One of the best videos I could find on the subject! I saved it on my playlist on medicinal mushrooms. There was a one hour course where he does a 48 hour cold water extract before the hoy water decoctions to get enzymes out that due when boiled. U wonder if the alcohol wouldn't kill them too! He also says to not hear above 180 F and stay at 175 F. I have never seen alcohol except beer in plastic bottles in France or Germany. I suggest glass instead of petrochemical plastic that dissolves into the liquid. Also better let the decoction cool down before putting through plastic funnel. Just my two cents! Thanks again for this clear video!
Shanti Naturechild how much Chaga (g) per extraction liquid (ml) Is vodka the only extraction medium, I would prefer using something else as alcohol has so many negative effects on our body. But I suppose some people may argue an eye dropper of alcohol a day is good for you.
Hi Donald, thanks for sharing this. However, I've been looking for ways to extract the goodness from chaga without alcohol. I've come across fermentation, but couldn't find any more information online. Could you share anything you might know on this? Thanks a lot)
Hi Donald, came across your video this morning and it is wonderful and informative. Question for you though, since the alcohol is 100% which means it is 50% alcohol and 50% water, do you still need to do the water bath after infusing the chaga for weeks?
Most people recommend doing the water extract simmer once for 2 or 3 hours and 4 to 6 weeks in the alcohol. 3 day water extract and 6 to 8 week alcohol extraction??? Gotta be some potent stuff.
Just a note: the hot water extraction can be done first, doesnt matter which order the decoction/tincture production happens. Myself I prefer to do the water extraction first. Good video brother simple and easy to follow.
Hey Donald. Great video! I was wondering though if you could use this method similarly on any other fungi or herbs. Can you please help me if you know of any? Thanks again.
you can use this method, but you may not have to use the alcohol for the 8 week time--- the chaga is a difficult one to extract ( this is why the longer period)
Hi, great video. Can you do several medicinal mushrooms together at once? I'm talking about lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, this kind. Are they all processed the same way?
When I do this process I cover mine with a lid so all the medicinal benefits stay inside. Without a lid on the heat extraction I feel like all the benefits escape through the steam
Do you think this could help people suffering from chronic lyme disease? Does chaga have any stem cell regenerating properties to help repair the immune system? Thank you
thank you for doing this, great explanations as to the process. I have some Chaga that has been in my freezer for a year or so. hopefully should still be good to do my tintures.
Hi Don and thank you for your instructional video. I am interested in making a dual Lion's mane extract. I have a question. Fungal cell walls are made of chitin which is not soluble in ethanol. If this is the case, how is it possible to do the ethanol extraction without breaking down the cell wall first? Thank you for your consideration.
Hello. Thank you for the great video and greetings from North East British Columbia. I found some Chaga cut it in to about 1 inch size chunks, and after drying it out, poured 100 proof vodka over all of it. Immediately, it started making snapping and crackling sounds. I am not sure if that was just all the air bubbles coming out or what? What do you think? Is it something to do with the integrity of the chaga or am I just being paranoid?
Hi Donald... first off thank you for taking the time to video this Chaga tincture tutorial. It’s incredibly helpful for the Chaga newbies. I had 2 really important questions. I’ve been dealing with a very serious set of health challenges which caused me to be completely bedridden for many years. I’ve been doing better. But it’s been a very long journey and have found in last 3 years of 12.... I’m finally seeing my body revived by leaving western more and more..., and entering into Eastern holistic moreso. I’ve been feeling very led to start my Chaga journey. Can you tell/steer me in the right direction as to why tinctures would be best (or not) for someone like me? Meaning do u personally know of any videos or articles I might read up on to learn the difference? Also, are there any Chaga vendors you personally like? I’ve found several but their either way out of my price range OR their Chaga is kindve questionable. I could sure use yours (or others) guidance on this. It would be greatly appreciated as I’ve more or less, had to become my own dr after western totally wiping me financially only for me to end up sicker unfortunately. BUT since putting God in the drivers seat..... listening to my intuition and going holistically now.... I finally have enormous hope. Any knowledge you (or others) have would be beyond appreciated. ✨ 🙏🏻 ✨ 💖 ✨ 🌍 ✨ Thank you so so much
chaga is known to improve the immune system and this is what those using chaga hope to gain. I take a daily dose regularly twice a day since the epidemic, and friends have doing the same. Depending on where you live chaga is hard to come by locally, I live in the North and Have a Canadian neighbor, who is my source for the mushroom, which grows mostly on white birch trees, and there is plenty up there. finding chaga that is reasonably priced is a task, but you have to weigh the high cost against the cost of good health. good luck my friend--- Don
I learned from someone else to first heat the chaga (up to 70°C and then soak it in Alcohol. You tell us here the other way around. Any reason behind your way of doing? Thanks!
Hello, great video! I have subbed because of it. I have a couple questions if you don't mind. I have a reishi/chaga (fills roughly half the jar, soaked) mixture sitting in a mason jar filled with 190proof vodka (with an inch of room at the top) I've had it sitting in a cold closet for 2 years (forgot about it) The first 6 months i would shake it daily, at least weekly. I am wondering if it is still okay to use for the decoction tea, and how would i calculate the decoction tea liquid needed to hit 25% since im using a different proof vodka. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the awesome video content you're supplying
that' a tough one since the volume of liquid decreases a lot in two years, and alcohol evaporates faster than the water, you will no longer have 180 proof in your container. the good thing is --- like wine, if you can have 10% alcohol or higher, it will keep without spoiling. However, you can add more 180 proof alcohol to the batch to increase the amount in your jar--- you won't reduce the amount of extracts, that did not evaporate with the alcohol. this will restore your mix close to it's original state and then go back to the original plan. you should have a great extract when done.
Around 5:46 he says .... basically indefinite when discussing how long you want the tincture to last and he says the alcohol is the agent that preserves the tincture. I hope I got that right.
Can Chaga get moldy/unusable when drying? I have chunks of Chaga that my dad harvested over the summer…at that time knew very little & I put the Chaga on cookie sheets to dry out and also placed some in brown bags. I’ve been nervous ever since after reading that’s not the right way to dry them and will be moldy (also stated to throw away) but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. I kept them in an airtight mason jar since then. Is it safe to use these? I cannot see any visual mold or any info regarding what mold would look like on chaga. Thanks for any tips you can give! Love this video and will be doing this soon!
I think the mold would be white, but I am not sure--- If the humidity is kept below 70% mold will not grow. to keep or discard will be your decision, I can't advise on this matter.
@@donaldporta thank you. I thought about it later, it's of course easier to have it in small containers to use daily. I'm new to chaga. Didn't know there was so much to learn ☺️ Thank you so much. Very useful video. Very well explained. Best wishes
Hi Thanks a lot for your video. I wonder if you will tell me if the the of the chaga taste bitter also. I found some chaga but mostly the black stuff and when i cook it it taste rather bitter I am in doubt if i maybe got it wrong. The chaga has all the right properties but it was mostly the black outer part and not so much inner softer orange. There was also orange stuff though. Would be happy for you answer
Hi Donald, I’ve been making chaga double extract for several years and found your video very instructional. So, thank you for putting out quality videos. I was in such a hurry the other day and poured my alcohol and chaga into my pot. On autopilot I added water and started to boil it. Then it hit me with the color and the strong alcohol vapors. I quickly separated the alcohol from the chaga and cooled it. What I strained (alcohol extract) has an odd yellow tint and sediment at the bottom. My question can this still be saved? Can I continue to double extraction process even after I boiled the alcohol, chaga and water? Did I ruin the alcohol extract by boiling it? I really value your expertise and hope you can advise me on my screw up. Can it be saved. 😢 Thank you
the extract will still be in your fluid--- only problem is you may not end up with the 20% alcohol content in the final tinture, this is needed for the preservation of the tinture, Solution is to add more alcohol in the end. not sure how much to add--- just assume that there is no alcohol and then add enough to make it to 20%, you will be over but that won't hurt. Chaga is to rare and hard to come across to throw a batch away.
Thank you for the video. I'm just about at the 8 week mark for my tincture. I believe you commented somewhere below that after the used chaga tea is too light, you use it as a fire starter? Do you mind explaining that? I love to get as much use out of my chaga as possible. Thanks again!
that is fermented vegetables and I am using glass weights with rubber venting lids. what is you recipe for kimchi, do you use fish sauce like the Korean's do?
@@donaldporta Thanks Don. I went and found your sauerkraut video and watched it. It answered my question....neat kit! I need one! The recipe for Kimchi is not standardized...I use a mix that typically varies from batch to batch...napa cabbage (makes it juicier), garlic, bok choy, ginger, onion, carrot, red chile flakes for heat, and salt....no fish sauce in mine. We make the North Korean style which is white and absent of fish sauce.
Hi Donald, great video, very helpful. My only question is: What percentage of the alcohol/vodka did you lose after straining it from the 2qts of chaga???? I did 6qts (~2lbs chaga and 5.5 qts of vodka) mixture and got almost 2.5qts of alcohol extract drained and squeezed (used a cheesecloth) after 8 weeks of soaking and shaking. So I got about 2.5/5.5 ratio or 45% of the alcohol I put into it. So I lost 55% of the alcohol I put into it. One factor in this may be that my chaga dried out completely in our cellar? Also I was using 80 proof vodka not 100 proof as you did. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
I kept a tight seal on the chaga jar during the 8 months of soaking to reduce the evaporation of alcohol, not sure what that loss was, but it was still in the chaga which the hot water would have recovered what the alcohol pulled from the chaga.
I used this video to make chaga my son sent me from Alaska. I noticed at the end of the video you were saving the left overs to make tea. Do you just add more water to the chaga to make tea?
Great video! Gave a "thumb up"! I just found and extracted about a 2 pound chunk of Chaga. It is still fresh and moist on the inside. Does it need to completely dry before going into the alcohol?
Or you can use a press like I do. Buy cheese cloth bags, place your mushrooms that you want to make tincture from and just pull the bag of mushrooms that have been soaking in 190 proof sugar cane ethanol alcohol and throw it in the press. Just remove the bag and throw it in the pot of water and start the 72 hour 175 degrees temperature. Again, make sure you are storing the bags around in the water every few hours. Repeat the press procedure as you did with the alcohol press to ensure you get all of the polypeptides (water soluble goodness) out of the mushrooms. When using a higher proof alcohol (you can use PGA like Everclear) and you will extract more of the polysaccharides. This will make a more concentrated tincture. When mixing the water tincture with the alcohol tincture, remember that you are using a 95% alcohol by volume. So the equation is 95/30 = 3.166667. Round down so it will be 3 parts water tincture (add distilled water) to 1 part alcohol tincture to make a 30% alcohol by volume double extraction tincture. This is how all the big companies that use fruit bodies only make their tincture. I am not a big company, but this is how we make our tinctures. This was a good video, just need to add a few twist so you all can make a better tincture that will give you and your family and friends a healthier tincture. Joe The Mushroom Man
Putting chaga in alcohol removes certain compounds that water doesn't extract? Putting chaga in water removes certain compounds that alcohol doesn't extract? So by using your method it gets both sets of compounds? I did the chaga and water in a crockpot method 3 months ago and placed the drained chaga into baggies in the freezer. Can I still get a benifit from this freezer chaga in alcohol? I am alergic to vodka..will 40% rum work? Thank you.
yes, both extracts methods produce different compounds, only doing one is better than none. the freezer chaga will still be usable. any alcohol is ok, just remember you need to finish an least 12 % for long term storage.
Hi Donald, one question: with hot water extraction process, you said add 4 cups of water and then boil and then simmer, next day do same step. Does it mean next day i have to add another 4 cups of water and then wait till it goes half, and then again 3rd time add another 4 cups of water in that mixture and simmer till it goes half again?
next day add 2 cups, simmer to half and repeat same 3rd day. finish with half volume of liquid. the water extract should be the same volume as the alcohol, and when mixed together the final alcohol content should be approximately 20%
a possibility may be, after the tincture is finished, let the finished batch in an open container until the alcohol evaporates, or better yet warm on a stove to evaporate quicker---however exert caution since alcohol is flammable.and the remaining tincture will need refrigerated since the alcohol was the preservative and it will no longer be present.
I started soaking ground and crushed chaga with 100 proof last year Feb 25th. It got shook most times twice a day. Health and other reasons kept me too busy to cook or boil it down. Will there be any problems to continue to the tincture? Do you think it is any different then soaking it longer before boiling it? Thank You
@@dalealmonrode4581 water makes coconut or other oils rancid or ferment. Just pour hot water or tea over your tincture before drinking and let the alcohol evaporate.
Can you reuse the chaga again to make the tincture? Also with the used chaga i see you made tea, how long does that last, also can you add alcohol to the tea and use it... thanks
the tincture is a concentrate, and the tea is very diluted, and would not be the same by adding alcohol. after the extract of making the tincture it is only useful then as a tea, I will keep making with it until it no longer makes a dark color tea. then it can be dried and used as fire starter.
@@donaldporta thank you last question.. I am using 100proof and you recommend 50/50 alcohol to water solution. Can I double the tea part? Thank you so much. I just started my alcohol soak today
just try to finish with 20% alcohol content with final batch. wine will keep at a minimum content of 10% but this is getting very low and on the edge of not keeping. I aim for 20 and at the lowest 12% but error to the high end since we are only calculating from volume and this may lead to some error.
Hi Donald: How much chaga in weight were you using, both the chunks and powder? I'll be following your procedure exactly but will need to buy the chaga from a source. Do you have any recommendation?
@@donaldporta great video brother. As long as I follow these steps it will produce the same strength of tincture regardless of initial volume of chaga right? Just less of it? Like if 2 lbs of chaga makes 2 qts of tincture and 1 lb makes 1 qt, wouldd their potency be the same?
You probably already found some chaga but I sell on ebay. That's usually the cheapest place to buy it. Amazon is expensive and health food stores if they have it's rediculous. There is a farm stand near me that sell little baggies of it for $5 each , about 2 ounces. I get $15 per pound on ebay $25 for ground. Nobody buys that tho. Only the dry conks for $10 per pound or monster conks for $12 per. Obviously they've never tried to bust up a piece of chaga lol
@@timothylongmore7325 I don't think I would trust buying it because you don't know if it was harvested off a living tree. I'll keep walking in the woods. It's always so exciting once you discover it.
Totally the BEST video I've seen on the tincture process for chaga. I feel confident now making my own. Thanks for making this video!
You did a wonderful job explaining how to do this. Thank you so much.
Wow Donald! I absolutely love learning how to make chaga. I’m a canning geek and of course gardener. I learned about chaga this summer and have been consuming tea and tincture ever since. I thought I might want to make my own tincture. I have been making tea. After watching your video I feel educated enough to make my own. However it is time consuming and somewhat labor intensive. I most definitely appreciate what goes into making the chaga I purchase. I think I’ll continue to purchase the tincture for right now but your video is very inspiring and educational. It’s now on my “to do” list of future endeavors. Thanks so much for making the video Donald. Namaste.
For those of you wondering, I've found Chaga in Central Vermont. Every time I've found it, it's on a large old yellow birch tree in or right next to a peat bog. I cover a lot of ground in the winter, and I haven't seen it anywhere else.
Yellow birch is a long-lived tree that seems to withstand the parasitic nature of chaga conks better than white (paper) birch, resulting in larger harvests. I'm in Canada and I've harvested two massive conks, the last being about 8 lbs, from yellow birch.
thats so cool to find chaga in the wild!
Miigwetch! Thank you! This video covered every "thing" I need and do to make the tincture. Your presentation in this video is amazing. New Fan from Québec.
I’ve been enjoying your videos! Thank you for taking the time to make them! 😃
Really appreciate this - thanks for your time!
Hello from Ohio, love me some chaga, thanks for the lesson. I've never found it yet in the woods where I am but my Bush friend from Sweden sent me some but I have nearly used all of it, so good for you!
Great video Donald. Thanks for teaching us how to make tincture. I just ordered 2 lbs of chaga chunks and will probably grind it to a granulated state and make a batch of tincture.
Good info. Thanks!
Great slow thorough lesson
Thank you
Peace
Amazing !! Thank you!!
nothing goes to waste, I love it!
Well, what a thorough video on chagga tincture! Much more than I expected. Going to grind some chagga today and start the process!
Glad it was helpful!
Phenomenal video Donald! Thank You!
Glad you enjoyed it!
ty for the vid - I add some to the water extraction hoping to get the best of both
Thank you. This was a great teaching video
I just subscribed to your channel thank you very much for the informational video you did it helps me a lot... Looking forward to more videos...
Thanks for a perfectly clear explanation of dual extraction!
You are welcome!
this is such a great helpful video! the best that I've found on how to actually make the tincture! thank you so much!!
Glad it was helpful!
thanks, Donald! great video!
Glad you liked it!
I use a pressure cooker for the water extraction. 30 minutes on high abd and then use the keep warm function for 3 hours. Thanks for the video!
Thanks Donald, great video...especially the triple reducing process...Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video. I make tea using chunk chaga, but have never made the alcohol extraction. Thanks for the tutorial.
I just found some chaga on our land in Northern Michigan and this video is very helpful, thanks!!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video. I'll try to make it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Great job thank you
Thank you so mutch ♡
Very good video . Every step is nicely explained. Thumbs up . I will be doing the same when I get my mushrooms picked . Thank you
Great video! I'm making my first chaga tincture today thanks to you.
Good luck!
I've seen people do the liquid extraction first, reusing the chunks 2 or 3 times until the water quits turning dark. Then they dry out the chunks and then make the tincture. I'm curious why it's being done the other way around and having to mix them, seems like a lot of extra trouble .... now that it's over I see! That's great, thanks!
Thank you for your great video. Subscribed. Just harvested a lion's mane today and am doing a double extractions. Wish me luck.
Go Navy! Is that a destroyer? I've already watched so many useful videos on this channel, I'm going to subscribe. Can't wait to see what else there is to unearth here!
Great video -- my buddy just sent me some chaga from AK, so I'll be doing this as soon as I can get my hands on a couple bottles of Everclear 190!
great!
I have about 4 lbs all ground up in two zip loc bags in my freezer. I am glad that I found you. I will be giving it away to my friends after processing like you demonstrated. Thank you sir. By the way this stuff is hard to find. About 1 Chaga to 10,000 birch trees. That is why it is so expensive. Minnesota.
Good luck!
Thank you. Im enjoying your video, you have good energy.
Thank you so much!
Good vid well explained I luv chaga I do it similar to how you do it. 👍
Right on
Thank you so much for this video 👍🏾
You are so welcome!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thanks for the video Bro!
You bet!
Job well done! This is the best video on this I've seen so far!
..I'm still curious and the methods for triple extract?...🙌🌍🍄
Thanks alot for the video! It is very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this ❤️
You're so welcome!
Thankyou so much for all of this information. You are a great teacher, so clear and precise.I will be following your guidelines and making my own tinctures. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
You are so welcome!
Chaga is extremely energizing! Its rock hard though, very hard to grind. Thanks for making this
My pleasure!
I use a manual meat grinder.
Thanks Donald! One of the best videos I could find on the subject! I saved it on my playlist on medicinal mushrooms. There was a one hour course where he does a 48 hour cold water extract before the hoy water decoctions to get enzymes out that due when boiled. U wonder if the alcohol wouldn't kill them too! He also says to not hear above 180 F and stay at 175 F. I have never seen alcohol except beer in plastic bottles in France or Germany. I suggest glass instead of petrochemical plastic that dissolves into the liquid. Also better let the decoction cool down before putting through plastic funnel. Just my two cents! Thanks again for this clear video!
Shanti Naturechild how much Chaga (g) per extraction liquid (ml)
Is vodka the only extraction medium, I would prefer using something else as alcohol has so many negative effects on our body. But I suppose some people may argue an eye dropper of alcohol a day is good for you.
Could you please share that video Shanti?
Cotton balls in the strainer funnel neck works fast and easy. 👍
Hi Donald, thanks for sharing this. However, I've been looking for ways to extract the goodness from chaga without alcohol. I've come across fermentation, but couldn't find any more information online. Could you share anything you might know on this? Thanks a lot)
Hi Donald and thanks for this nice video !
Could you share infos about how much vodka or how much chaga ?
Thanks !
Hi Donald, came across your video this morning and it is wonderful and informative. Question for you though, since the alcohol is 100% which means it is 50% alcohol and 50% water, do you still need to do the water bath after infusing the chaga for weeks?
Most people recommend doing the water extract simmer once for 2 or 3 hours and 4 to 6 weeks in the alcohol.
3 day water extract and 6 to 8 week alcohol extraction??? Gotta be some potent stuff.
If you sold this on etsy I would totally buy it.
Just a note: the hot water extraction can be done first, doesnt matter which order the decoction/tincture production happens. Myself I prefer to do the water extraction first. Good video brother simple and easy to follow.
what do you do with the water extraction while waiting the 8 month during the alcohol extraction?
Hey Donald. Great video! I was wondering though if you could use this method similarly on any other fungi or herbs. Can you please help me if you know of any? Thanks again.
you can use this method, but you may not have to use the alcohol for the 8 week time--- the chaga is a difficult one to extract ( this is why the longer period)
Hi, great video. Can you do several medicinal mushrooms together at once? I'm talking about lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, this kind. Are they all processed the same way?
I'm about to begin the reduction process. Wish me luck!!!
When I do this process I cover mine with a lid so all the medicinal benefits stay inside. Without a lid on the heat extraction I feel like all the benefits escape through the steam
Do you think this could help people suffering from chronic lyme disease? Does chaga have any stem cell regenerating properties to help repair the immune system?
Thank you
thank you for doing this, great explanations as to the process. I have some Chaga that has been in my freezer for a year or so. hopefully should still be good to do my tintures.
that should be fine--- no worries
Hi Don and thank you for your instructional video. I am interested in making a dual Lion's mane extract. I have a question. Fungal cell walls are made of chitin which is not soluble in ethanol. If this is the case, how is it possible to do the ethanol extraction without breaking down the cell wall first? Thank you for your consideration.
I believe this is why it takes 8 weeks in the alcohol for the extraction.
Does boiling the chaga milo any of the beneficial properties?
Could you give me an idea of how much chaga you used in this demo? How many ounces do you think?
Wouldnt everclear extract more from the Chagga? Any reason not to use this?
Do you have any measurements?
Like how much chaga vs how much alcohol?
So do u add water every time u do ur triple process
Hello. Thank you for the great video and greetings from North East British Columbia. I found some Chaga cut it in to about 1 inch size chunks, and after drying it out, poured 100 proof vodka over all of it. Immediately, it started making snapping and crackling sounds. I am not sure if that was just all the air bubbles coming out or what? What do you think? Is it something to do with the integrity of the chaga or am I just being paranoid?
nothing to worry about, just stress relief after going from dry to wet rapidly.
Great video… Why not use everclear
Hi Donald... first off thank you for taking the time to video this Chaga tincture tutorial. It’s incredibly helpful for the Chaga newbies. I had 2 really important questions. I’ve been dealing with a very serious set of health challenges which caused me to be completely bedridden for many years. I’ve been doing better. But it’s been a very long journey and have found in last 3 years of 12.... I’m finally seeing my body revived by leaving western more and more..., and entering into Eastern holistic moreso. I’ve been feeling very led to start my Chaga journey.
Can you tell/steer me in the right direction as to why tinctures would be best (or not) for someone like me? Meaning do u personally know of any videos or articles I might read up on to learn the difference?
Also, are there any Chaga vendors you personally like? I’ve found several but their either way out of my price range OR their Chaga is kindve questionable. I could sure use yours (or others) guidance on this.
It would be greatly appreciated as I’ve more or less, had to become my own dr after western totally wiping me financially only for me to end up sicker unfortunately. BUT since putting God in the drivers seat..... listening to my intuition and going holistically now.... I finally have enormous hope. Any knowledge you (or others) have would be beyond appreciated.
✨ 🙏🏻 ✨ 💖 ✨ 🌍 ✨
Thank you so so much
chaga is known to improve the immune system and this is what those using chaga hope to gain. I take a daily dose regularly twice a day since the epidemic, and friends have doing the same.
Depending on where you live chaga is hard to come by locally, I live in the North and Have a Canadian neighbor, who is my source for the mushroom, which grows mostly on white birch trees, and there is plenty up there. finding chaga that is reasonably priced is a task, but you have to weigh the high cost against the cost of good health. good luck my friend--- Don
I learned from someone else to first heat the chaga (up to 70°C and then soak it in Alcohol.
You tell us here the other way around.
Any reason behind your way of doing?
Thanks!
Hello, great video! I have subbed because of it. I have a couple questions if you don't mind. I have a reishi/chaga (fills roughly half the jar, soaked) mixture sitting in a mason jar filled with 190proof vodka (with an inch of room at the top) I've had it sitting in a cold closet for 2 years (forgot about it) The first 6 months i would shake it daily, at least weekly. I am wondering if it is still okay to use for the decoction tea, and how would i calculate the decoction tea liquid needed to hit 25% since im using a different proof vodka. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the awesome video content you're supplying
that' a tough one since the volume of liquid decreases a lot in two years, and alcohol evaporates faster than the water, you will no longer have 180 proof in your container. the good thing is --- like wine, if you can have 10% alcohol or higher, it will keep without spoiling. However, you can add more 180 proof alcohol to the batch to increase the amount in your jar--- you won't reduce the amount of extracts, that did not evaporate with the alcohol. this will restore your mix close to it's original state and then go back to the original plan. you should have a great extract when done.
@@donaldporta I would assume that the mason jar was tightly closed, in which case there wouldn't be any loss of alcohol from evaporation.
Hello from NY.
How long does the tincture last?
Thank you so much for sharing.
Around 5:46 he says .... basically indefinite when discussing how long you want the tincture to last and he says the alcohol is the agent that preserves the tincture. I hope I got that right.
Can Chaga get moldy/unusable when drying? I have chunks of Chaga that my dad harvested over the summer…at that time knew very little & I put the Chaga on cookie sheets to dry out and also placed some in brown bags. I’ve been nervous ever since after reading that’s not the right way to dry them and will be moldy (also stated to throw away) but I just couldn’t bring myself to do so. I kept them in an airtight mason jar since then. Is it safe to use these? I cannot see any visual mold or any info regarding what mold would look like on chaga.
Thanks for any tips you can give! Love this video and will be doing this soon!
I think the mold would be white, but I am not sure--- If the humidity is kept below 70% mold will not grow. to keep or discard will be your decision, I can't advise on this matter.
Thanks for the video. can you advise how much chaga to alcohol you need or the ratio required?
Hi, have you figured out that yet? I can't seem to find any info
Great video. Thank you. Why do you have to put it in small containers? Can't you keep it in the big one?
Yes you can!
@@donaldporta thank you. I thought about it later, it's of course easier to have it in small containers to use daily.
I'm new to chaga. Didn't know there was so much to learn ☺️
Thank you so much. Very useful video. Very well explained. Best wishes
Hi Thanks a lot for your video. I wonder if you will tell me if the the of the chaga taste bitter also. I found some chaga but mostly the black stuff and when i cook it it taste rather bitter I am in doubt if i maybe got it wrong. The chaga has all the right properties but it was mostly the black outer part and not so much inner softer orange. There was also orange stuff though. Would be happy for you answer
I find no bitterness in mine. It has a plesant vanilla taste. could be the lack of orange in your chaga.
Почти бефунгин!
🙏🍄🍄🍄
I'm not clear on the 3 day process. Are you adding water every day and boiling it down each day?
yes, you add water each day and boil it down
Do you harvest your chaga during the cold months? I heard that's the only time you should harvest chaga
it is so slow growing, it does not matter when it is harvested.
Hi Donald,
I’ve been making chaga double extract for several years and found your video very instructional. So, thank you for putting out quality videos. I was in such a hurry the other day and poured my alcohol and chaga into my pot. On autopilot I added water and started to boil it. Then it hit me with the color and the strong alcohol vapors.
I quickly separated the alcohol from the chaga and cooled it. What I strained (alcohol extract) has an odd yellow tint and sediment at the bottom. My question can this still be saved? Can I continue to double extraction process even after I boiled the alcohol, chaga and water? Did I ruin the alcohol extract by boiling it?
I really value your expertise and hope you can advise me on my screw up. Can it be saved. 😢 Thank you
the extract will still be in your fluid--- only problem is you may not end up with the 20% alcohol content in the final tinture, this is needed for the preservation of the tinture, Solution is to add more alcohol in the end. not sure how much to add--- just assume that there is no alcohol and then add enough to make it to 20%, you will be over but that won't hurt. Chaga is to rare and hard to come across to throw a batch away.
Thank you for the video. I'm just about at the 8 week mark for my tincture. I believe you commented somewhere below that after the used chaga tea is too light, you use it as a fire starter?
Do you mind explaining that? I love to get as much use out of my chaga as possible. Thanks again!
the used and dried chaga will hold a glowing ember for hours
Great, thank you!@@donaldporta
Hi Donald...excellent video! Is that Kimchi? What kind of lids are on them? Been making and eating Kimchi for years.
that is fermented vegetables and I am using glass weights with rubber venting lids. what is you recipe for kimchi, do you use fish sauce like the Korean's do?
@@donaldporta Thanks Don. I went and found your sauerkraut video and watched it. It answered my question....neat kit! I need one! The recipe for Kimchi is not standardized...I use a mix that typically varies from batch to batch...napa cabbage (makes it juicier), garlic, bok choy, ginger, onion, carrot, red chile flakes for heat, and salt....no fish sauce in mine. We make the North Korean style which is white and absent of fish sauce.
sounds great, I will try it, thank you my friend---Don
Hi Donald, great video, very helpful. My only question is: What percentage of the alcohol/vodka did you lose after straining it from the 2qts of chaga???? I did 6qts (~2lbs chaga and 5.5 qts of vodka) mixture and got almost 2.5qts of alcohol extract drained and squeezed (used a cheesecloth) after 8 weeks of soaking and shaking. So I got about 2.5/5.5 ratio or 45% of the alcohol I put into it. So I lost 55% of the alcohol I put into it. One factor in this may be that my chaga dried out completely in our cellar? Also I was using 80 proof vodka not 100 proof as you did. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
I kept a tight seal on the chaga jar during the 8 months of soaking to reduce the evaporation of alcohol, not sure what that loss was, but it was still in the chaga which the hot water would have recovered what the alcohol pulled from the chaga.
hi how many, grams and how many drops please, as you know bottles are not the !! saving lives IS ,any dose recomended lol
I used this video to make chaga my son sent me from Alaska. I noticed at the end of the video you were saving the left overs to make tea. Do you just add more water to the chaga to make tea?
yes
how do you make mushroom powder?with a coffee grinder or something
I use a coffee grinder
Great video! Gave a "thumb up"! I just found and extracted about a 2 pound chunk of Chaga. It is still fresh and moist on the inside. Does it need to completely dry before going into the alcohol?
no, you can start processing
@@donaldporta Thank you for answering Donald! I'll begin chopping it up tomorrow AM. Need to buy some vodka too!
Where do u get the bottles from. Do they come with droppers?
A link is in the description at beginning of video
I guess a cheese cloth may be used to really squeeze out what's left
Or you can use a press like I do. Buy cheese cloth bags, place your mushrooms that you want to make tincture from and just pull the bag of mushrooms that have been soaking in 190 proof sugar cane ethanol alcohol and throw it in the press. Just remove the bag and throw it in the pot of water and start the 72 hour 175 degrees temperature. Again, make sure you are storing the bags around in the water every few hours. Repeat the press procedure as you did with the alcohol press to ensure you get all of the polypeptides (water soluble goodness) out of the mushrooms.
When using a higher proof alcohol (you can use PGA like Everclear) and you will extract more of the polysaccharides. This will make a more concentrated tincture.
When mixing the water tincture with the alcohol tincture, remember that you are using a 95% alcohol by volume. So the equation is 95/30 = 3.166667. Round down so it will be 3 parts water tincture (add distilled water) to 1 part alcohol tincture to make a 30% alcohol by volume double extraction tincture.
This is how all the big companies that use fruit bodies only make their tincture. I am not a big company, but this is how we make our tinctures.
This was a good video, just need to add a few twist so you all can make a better tincture that will give you and your family and friends a healthier tincture.
Joe
The Mushroom Man
Did you find any Morels yet this year?
Not yet, however the neighbor brought over a bag full of them.
Could you tell us the ratios used and how much to dose??
by volume I use twice the alcohol as the powdered chaga. dose is one tsp or one dropper daily.
How many drops do you need peer day? And how amount of mushroom do you use for volume of alcohol?
I fill the jar with ground chaga then add alcohol to top it up
Putting chaga in alcohol removes certain compounds that water doesn't extract?
Putting chaga in water removes certain compounds that alcohol doesn't extract?
So by using your method it gets both sets of compounds?
I did the chaga and water in a crockpot method 3 months ago and placed the drained chaga into baggies in the freezer.
Can I still get a benifit from this freezer chaga in alcohol?
I am alergic to vodka..will 40% rum work?
Thank you.
yes, both extracts methods produce different compounds, only doing one is better than none. the freezer chaga will still be usable. any alcohol is ok, just remember you need to finish an least 12 % for long term storage.
Any tool out there to measure the alcohol content?
not sure, making wine I always calculated for the alcohol content. with this simple proportions is the easy way.
Yeah it's called a hydrometer. Brewing supply store
Hi Donald, one question: with hot water extraction process, you said add 4 cups of water and then boil and then simmer, next day do same step. Does it mean next day i have to add another 4 cups of water and then wait till it goes half, and then again 3rd time add another 4 cups of water in that mixture and simmer till it goes half again?
next day add 2 cups, simmer to half and repeat same 3rd day. finish with half volume of liquid. the water extract should be the same volume as the alcohol, and when mixed together the final alcohol content should be approximately 20%
@@donaldporta Don't you lose a lot of alcohol in the simmer prosess?
I read to the bottom and I must have missed the part about setting the alcohol aside.
Is there an alternative to alcohol for those who want to consume the alcohol-free version of it?
a possibility may be, after the tincture is finished, let the finished batch in an open container until the alcohol evaporates, or better yet warm on a stove to evaporate quicker---however exert caution since alcohol is flammable.and the remaining tincture will need refrigerated since the alcohol was the preservative and it will no longer be present.
@@donaldporta I will try that. Thank you very much.
I started soaking ground and crushed chaga with 100 proof last year Feb 25th. It got shook most times twice a day. Health and other reasons kept me too busy to cook or boil it down. Will there be any problems to continue to the tincture? Do you think it is any different then soaking it longer before boiling it? Thank You
no problems
Do you render just once? Or do you repeat the process?
repeat 3 times.
@@donaldporta Do you add water , between every cooking on previous quantity and than start to simmer on half ?
Donald can you add the finished Tincture to an oil,olive ,palm, coconut and let the alcohol and water evaporate out?
yes but with having the percentage of alcohol below 10% it may not keep for a long time period. the alcohol is the preservative just like in wine.
@@donaldporta Thanks will try it with some turkey feather , I think maybe for one week of consumption at a time!
@@dalealmonrode4581 water makes coconut or other oils rancid or ferment. Just pour hot water or tea over your tincture before drinking and let the alcohol evaporate.
@@shantinaturechild3239 thanks , that will work for me
Can you reuse the chaga again to make the tincture? Also with the used chaga i see you made tea, how long does that last, also can you add alcohol to the tea and use it... thanks
the tincture is a concentrate, and the tea is very diluted, and would not be the same by adding alcohol. after the extract of making the tincture it is only useful then as a tea, I will keep making with it until it no longer makes a dark color tea. then it can be dried and used as fire starter.
@@donaldporta thank you last question.. I am using 100proof and you recommend 50/50 alcohol to water solution. Can I double the tea part? Thank you so much. I just started my alcohol soak today
just try to finish with 20% alcohol content with final batch. wine will keep at a minimum content of 10% but this is getting very low and on the edge of not keeping. I aim for 20 and at the lowest 12% but error to the high end since we are only calculating from volume and this may lead to some error.
@@donaldporta thank you very much
Hi Donald: How much chaga in weight were you using, both the chunks and powder? I'll be following your procedure exactly but will need to buy the chaga from a source. Do you have any recommendation?
Sorry but I didn't weigh the chaga--- but I had 2 quarts by volume. I have never bought chaga, can't help you there.
@@donaldporta great video brother. As long as I follow these steps it will produce the same strength of tincture regardless of initial volume of chaga right? Just less of it? Like if 2 lbs of chaga makes 2 qts of tincture and 1 lb makes 1 qt, wouldd their potency be the same?
yes
You probably already found some chaga but I sell on ebay. That's usually the cheapest place to buy it. Amazon is expensive and health food stores if they have it's rediculous. There is a farm stand near me that sell little baggies of it for $5 each , about 2 ounces. I get $15 per pound on ebay $25 for ground. Nobody buys that tho. Only the dry conks for $10 per pound or monster conks for $12 per. Obviously they've never tried to bust up a piece of chaga lol
@@timothylongmore7325 I don't think I would trust buying it because you don't know if it was harvested off a living tree. I'll keep walking in the woods. It's always so exciting once you discover it.