Rhyze Mushroom Co-op mural by Hungry Window and The Worst of the Wildlife, Calum Carr, Ant 198, and Ellietype from the Too Much Fun Club
Rhyze is a workers’ cooperative in Edinburgh with an impressive track record of testing different models of community food growing and mushroom cultivation. They are currently researching and investigating the social, ecological and commercial case for Chaga cultivation in Scotland.
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a slow growing, parasitic wood-decay fungus mostly found on Birch trees in circumboreal latitudes across the world. The Chaga fungus has a long and complex lifecycle and produces a ‘sterile conk’ every 5 to 7 years over a period of 20-80 years. This is what we call Chaga and it has been harvested and processed into a medicinal tea by peoples across the world for many hundreds of years. This traditional medicine is now seeing a resurgence globally as a modern health supplement, being applied therapeutically for its notable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antitumor qualities.
Chaga fungus. Photo by Rhyze
Increasing demand and concerns about unsustainable harvesting of Chaga has led to the development of chaga cultivation in most circumboreal countries in the world, but not yet in Scotland. Our funding will help Rhyze synthesise existing research and carry out some primary research to help understand how, when and where in Scotland Chaga cultivation is most suited and what economic and ecological regeneration impacts it could have on our forestry.
Following this first phase of research Rhyze have plans to develop a native commercial strain for chaga inoculation alongside practical guidance for small woodland owners who want to diversify into chaga cultivation.
If you are a forester, birch woodland owner, herbalist, forager or ecologist who is curious about Chaga cultivation and would like to get in touch with Rhyze about their research, please feel free to contact [email protected].
A report with findings from the research will be made public in the spring of 2025.
Rhyze Mushroom Co-op mural by Hungry Window and The Worst of the Wildlife, Calum Carr, Ant 198, and Ellietype from the Too Much Fun Club
