Life-changing chaga According to researchers from Dankook University, South Korea, chaga mushroom extract could potentially combat oral cancer. Over 54,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancers each year in the U.S., and the disease claims 11,000 lives annually. Traditional cancer treatments like surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are often successful, especially if the cancer is caught early. However, these methods might also bring severe side effects and health complications, such as tissue damage, trouble speaking or swallowing, and a reduced quality of life. What is chaga? Chaga mushrooms don’t have a cap and stem. Instead, they grow out of dead or dying trees as solid masses of tightly woven mycelium called conks. Chaga is not usually eaten like other gourmet and medicinal mushrooms — powder and liquid extracts are best. Wide range of benefits Chaga mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and possess anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and anti-tumor properties. Got the goods Chaga contains several other compounds with anti-cancer properties: syringic acid, protocatechuic acid, and 2-hydroxy-3,4-dimethoxybenzoic acid. Chaga’s effect on cancer Researchers prepared a concentrated chaga extract to test its impact on cancer cells. The chaga reduced the number of cancer cells while also stopping their development — literally preventing the cancerous cells from multiplying. No energy = cell death In the experiments, chaga also suppressed glycolysis — the process cancer cells use to break down glucose for energy. Without this crucial energy, the cancer could not continue to advance. Additional research is necessary to explore these anti-cancer properties and optimize chaga’s potential as a supplemental therapy. Yet the results of Dankook University’s study are a groundbreaking, optimistic step in the fight against oral cancer.