Inonotus obliquus, or Chaga is a type of mushroom that is eaten for both sustinance and health properties. The word ‘Chaga’ is a Russian loan word of ‘чага’ that directly translates to ‘Mushrooms’. So saying ‘Chaga mushrooms’ is actually saying ‘Mushroom Mushrooms’.
There is a good online resource about Fool’s Chaga (things that look like Chaga but aren’t) created by Annanda Organic Mushrooms in Canada.
They have a complete guide online for free at their website all about Chaga,
As well as a How to identify Chaga from Fool’s Chaga.
To Recap,
This is an article pointing to a great online resource for people who forage for Chaga to also see what Fool’s Chaga and the variations of it, could look like. Apparently there are lots of different things that may look like Chaga from other growth, rot, to even tree lumps. If you know nothing about Chaga, this will definitely help push you in the right direction. There’s a lot of health benefits of chaga and it’s very integral to a lot of Native cultures, so as always,
Respect the Forest and the traditions.
