Chaga comes from birch trees in very cold climates. The birch tree makes an excellent host for the mushroom. Substances in the Chaga, possess powerful medicinal value attributed from Beta Glucans; a medicinal healing Polysaccharide. Chaga benefits can be extracted using a hot water method. The melanin pigments and polysaccharides and extracted into water when making tea. However, Chaga can be made into an alcohol tincture and can be ground into a fine powder. Paul Stamets is an American mycologist, author and advocate of bioremediation and medicinal mushrooms. Here is a link to a website about Paul and his work:

https://www.fungi.com/about-paul-stamets.html