Medicinal chaga mushroom may be over-harvested in N.B. forests

Demand for the chaga mushroom, touted as a natural anti-inflammatory, has led to concerns over its sustainability in New Brunswick forests.

Darin Bavis makes art using mushrooms he finds in the forest. He says he first started picking chaga a few years ago.

"It's black, it looks like charcoal, is the best description, and when you break it open it looks very goldish or brown on the inside."              

The fungus, commonly known among ecologists as a tree cancer, can be broken into chunks, or ground up and made into tea.             

One New Brunswick seller is asking $35 a pound online.              

High prices and growing demand have some people concerned about over-picking, including Bavis, who witnessed some individuals putting large amounts of the mushroom into a rented van.              

"And they were doing their best to fill that before going back out west," he said. "They weren't worried about it growing back again. To me, that was the most upsetting part."

Cynthia Rose, a holistic nutritionist from Moncton, recommends chaga to clients for a number of issues.

"Anti-inflamatory. It's great for cell regeneration. It's really good for digestive health," she said.              

But Rose warns people should be cautious because the fungus can react with medications.              

She also says there are no provincial regulations surrounding the harvesting of chaga mushrooms.