Gisons, BC, CANADA—Nammex is leading the call for accurate labeling and best practices of dietary supplements labeled as "chaga." A new report published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Comparative Study of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Dietary Supplements Using Complementary Analytical Techniques, established a multi-analytical framework to identify authentic chaga canker and evaluate the quality of commercial dietary supplement products. Nammex says the report spotlights:
- The importance of rigorous analytical verification of fungal products to support truth-in-labeling.
- The compositional difference between wildcrafted chaga and Inonotus mycelium fermented grain products.
“Authentic chaga canker was characterized by high melanin content, a high β-glucan to α-glucan ratio, and unique triterpenoid and phenolic profiles. In contrast, Inonotus mycelium fermented grain products contained significant starch and α-glucans, lacked key triterpenoids, and exhibited metabolic profiles closely resembling their grain substrates rather than authentic chaga canker reference materials," experts stated in the open access, peer reviewed article.
Other companies have joined Nammex in support of the company's petition to authenticate fungal-based dietary supplements by using chemical markers found only in wildcrafted chaga canker.
“The idea that chaga cankers can be grown on mycelium fermented oats is not true," stated Eric Puro, CEO KÄÄPÄ Biotech/Nordic Mushrooms. "The Nammex study represents a critical step forward in applying scientific methodology to differentiate authentic chaga cankers from imitation products. As stewards of consumer trust and scientific accuracy, we must insist on clear, evidence-based definitions, particularly in a growing market vulnerable to misrepresentation. The natural symbiosis between chaga and birch trees that occurs over many years cannot be achieved in a lab. Again, the Nammex study underscores the clear distinctions between true chaga and mycelium fermented grain products, distinctions that are critical for scientific accuracy and consumer trust."
Tulsy Ball, co-founder, Chagit Products spoke on the challenges his company faced in educating consumers: "Chagit Products has managed a network of native-aligned chaga harvesters in Alaska, that operate in a traditional, sustainable manner to preserve the boreal birch forest, for over a decade. We have worked to educate the general public on the nature and benefits of real chaga, with a focus on ethical manufacturing and marketing of products made from chaga. There has been a lack of accountability shown by certain lab-cultivation producers in the functional mushroom space, to disseminate misinformation to the consumer that demonizes the real chaga harvested by native Alaskans and belittles their tribal traditions."
Ball went on to note: "The chaga conk which grows on birch trees as a result of the battle for life between tree and mushroom is a sacred root medicine for them, a gift from the Great Spirit and it bears no resemblance to the myceliated, fermented grain products that issue from a lab. To suggest that is an insult to the culture of Native Alaskans and Canadian First Nations peoples. True chaga only grows on trees of the north in various parts of the world and the tests that we have been fortunate to participate in, prove that case beyond a shadow of doubt.”
Nammex CEO Skye Chilton spoke on the importance of the research: “At a time when the functional mushroom market continues to rapidly expand, the Nammex team has provided clear, scientifically based definitions for fungal ingredients in dietary supplements. We are proud to be the industry leader in advancing the use of analytical testing to verify product quality and ensure accuracy and transparency in product labeling. We challenge all companies to do the same.”
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