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An amber glass bottle with a dropper on a light countertop with dried chaga mushroom in front of it.
Nico

How To Make Chaga Tincture

Here are three different methods for how to make Chaga tincture. Chaga is packed full of health benefits that can boost your immune system and reduce stress and inflammation. With only a few ingredients, this tincture is simple to make.
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Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 63 days
Total Time 63 days 30 minutes
Servings: 1 Bottle
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Vodka at least 80 proof or 40% alcohol – enough to fill your small glass jar
  • Chaga chunks - enough to fill 1/2 of your glass jar
  • Water

Equipment

  • Glass jar with lid for infusing the alcohol
  • Glass dropper bottle or jar for storing the tincture
  • Strainer or cheesecloth
  • Medium/large saucepan

Method
 

Hot Water Extraction Method
  1. Sanitise your glass storage container and chop your Chaga into small chunks. 
  2. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan.
  3. Add the Chaga chunks to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow the Chaga to steep for 1-2 hours.
  4. After 1-2 hours, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
  5. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. The remaining liquid is Chaga decoction. Pour the liquid into your clean bottle. 
  6. Store the tincture in a cool, dark place or the fridge. 
  7. Alcohol Extraction Method
  8. Ensure your Chaga is chopped into small pieces and your glass storage container is fully sterilised.
  9. Place the Chaga pieces into the glass jar or container and submerge them completely with alcohol.
  10. Seal the glass jar and shake it so the alcohol covers the Chaga.
  11. Leave the jar in a cool dark place for 8 weeks. Shake it occasionally (a few times a week) to ensure all parts of the Chaga remain covered in alcohol.
  12. After 8 weeks, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a mesh strainer into your clean glass storage container. 
  13. The tincture should be stored in a cool, dark place.
  14. Dual Extraction Method
  15. Step 1 – alcohol extraction
  16. Follow the alcohol extraction method above. After 8 weeks, strain off the Chaga chunks from the alcohol. 
  17. Place the Chaga into a large saucepan.
  18. Pour the alcohol into a glass container and set aside.
  19. Step 2 – hot water extraction 
  20. Pour twice the amount of water into the saucepan as the amount of alcohol you strained off from the alcohol extraction.
  21. Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer until half of the water has evaporated.
  22. Turn off the heat and place a cover over the saucepan. Allow it to sit until completely cool (I like to leave mine overnight).
  23. Repeat this process twice more: top up the water to double the volume of the alcohol you have set aside, simmer it down to half, and allow it to cool completely. 
  24. After you’ve decocted the mixture three times, strain off the liquid. Then pour the Chaga-infused water into the alcohol you had set aside. Store in a cool, dark place.

Video

Notes

  • While the dual extraction method takes the most time, it is most commonly used because it effectively extracts both the water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds present in Chaga fungi.
  • The most common recommendation is to add 1 teaspoon of the tincture to a cup of coffee or smoothie per day. 
  • Most tinctures will last two years if stored in a clean glass bottle in a cool, dark place.

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