General Outdoor Discussion
CHAGA
That could be so. Red alders are related to birch. The bark is very similar, and are the largest native alder in the US. Also on the harvest, I usually use a pole saw and cut it off a half inch from the trunk. Dont dig it out, you have to leave some in or on the tree to keep it growing.
small coffee grinder. put the chunks in something like an old sock and smash it with a sledehammer. you have to get them pretty small like a quarter inch, or you will ruin the grinder because the chaga is a lot harder than coffee. I grind it then sift it through a noodle strainer then dump the large pieces that dont go through back in the grinder. I buy the grinders from resale shops like salvation army for one or two bucks. Remember also you can rebrew it 3 times half cup to a gallon. use non chlorinated/ flouridated or spring water
An old friend of mine from Russia makes his living by selling chaga. He lives in Siberia (that's an eastern part), as I understand there's plenty of it. I have no idea how he's harvesting it but he offered tried me making business with him. Unfortunately, that was not an appropriate time in my life
I'll have to check to see if I have any raw chaga around the house. If I do, I'll follow that method. That's what my mom does with it. My guess is that some of the compounds that are present in my tincture won't be in the tea - primarily the fat or alcohol soluble compounds like beta sitosterol. Not to say that the tea isn't healthy, it will likely just only contain the water soluble compounds which have their benefits as well.