5 Surprising Mushroom Coffee Benefits

Mushroom coffee may sound a bit bizarre, but it’s not as odd as one may think!

And no, it doesn’t have mushrooms floating around the cup!

Adding mushrooms to your diet is not uncommon; however, adding them to your coffee is entirely different.

Social media has introduced this new craze by convincing people about mushroom coffee benefits.

Let’s discuss this trendy beverage in detail!

What is Mushroom Coffee?

Fortunately, you don’t prepare mushroom coffee by adding a few mushrooms to your brew. It is a subtle blend of ground mushrooms with coffee beans. The usual, commercially produced coffee beans are used for this process, whereas the fruiting parts of mushrooms go through a drying and extraction process to convert them into a fine powder.

The most common types of mushrooms used in coffee are:

• Reishi
• Lion’s mane
• Chaga
• Turkey’s tail

The concept of using mushrooms for health benefits is not exactly new. For centuries, Ayurvedic medicines and Traditional Chinese Medicine have used herbs and mushrooms to reinstate the body’s homeostatic balance and called them ‘adaptogens.’

Mushroom coffee has a fascinating history. Food shortage began to emerge at the peak of the second world war. The staples of each country became limited, and this deficit also affected coffee lovers. As a result of the scarcity of coffee beans, people had to resort to other alternatives. In the 1940s, Finnish people started adding mushrooms to their coffee. However, the mushroom coffee benefits were unknown at this point, and this infusion was solely used to support caffeine consumption to spare coffee beans.

Recipe of Mushroom Coffee

If you are new to this craze, preparing your own coffee is probably the best way to start. This way, you can take complete charge of your beverage and keep it as simple as you wish.

If you are trying mushroom coffee for the first time, it is probably best to keep it simple!

Here is how to make a basic mushroom coffee:

Ingredients

Make sure these ingredients are available at your house:

• One tablespoon of ground coffee
• One teaspoon of mushroom powder
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of heavy cream
• Honey/maple syrup

How to Prepare

1. Bring a cup of clean water to boil in a kettle and pour the water into a cup
2. Add one tbsp of coffee, and one tsp of mushroom powder to the cup
3. Let it brew for four minutes.
4. Add the cream and sweetener of your choice

If you are looking for something more extravagant, this next recipe is for you:

Second Recipe: Ingredients

Let’s start with the essential ingredients for mushroom coffee:

• 1 tbsp of instant coffee/ shot of espresso
• 1 tbsp of fresh cream
• 1 tsp of mushroom powder (Of your choice)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon powder (optional)
• 1 tsp of cocoa powder
• 1 cup of milk (Dairy or Plant milk)
• 1 tsp honey
• A pinch of sea salt (optional)

How to Prepare

1. Add cream, coffee/espresso, mushroom powder, and cocoa powder to a cup
2. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until frothy and well-blended
3. Add milk and honey and mix all the ingredients
4. Top the hot beverage with cinnamon powder and whipped cream to add more flavour

You can also check realmushrooms for more mushroom coffee recipes. If you do have any question regarding preparing your mushroom coffee feel free to reach me.

Storage

You can pre-prepare coffee and store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to two days. Before consuming, reheat it in a microwave oven until it boils.

Health benefits of mushroom coffee

So what are the benefits of mushroom coffee? Part of the charm of this new-ish trend is the health benefits it provides. The benefits of mushroom coffee may vary depending on the type, quantity, and quality of mushrooms and coffee beans. Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) has a long history of using mushrooms for health benefits.

Mushroom coffee is an excellent way to get the nutritional benefits of mushrooms without having to eat them. It is an excellent source of phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and vitamin D.

Let’s discuss the mushroom coffee benefits in detail:

1. Caffeine Content

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant naturally present in many foods, including coffee beans. Less than 400mg of caffeine (1000g of coffee) in 200mg individual doses is typically considered safe. However, in sensitive people, even small amounts of caffeine can cause anxiety, migraine, upset stomach, and insomnia (Saimaiti et al., 2022).

Mushroom coffee contains approximately half of the caffeine content compared to coffee. This is because coffee beans are fused with an equal amount of mushroom powder, decreasing the extraction of caffeine.

Mushroom coffee benefits pregnant and lactating women as well. Women have to cut back on their caffeine consumption when pregnant, but mushroom coffee can be used as a safe alternative. However, it is best to consult your physician before drinking mushroom coffee in your third trimester.

2. Immunity Booster

Since COVID hit, naturally boosting immunity has become all the rage. Mushroom coffee benefits the immune system as it consists of bioactive compounds that can reduce inflammation, decreasing the risk of disease occurrence.

Lion’s mane mushroom enriches the microbial gut composition, thereby improving the intestinal immune system. It increases the capacity of immune cells to attack bacterial cells. You can also supplement your mushroom coffee with Tongkat Ali!

Turkey’s tail improves the recovery of the immune system after radiotherapy in cancer patients. Clinical trials have also shown that Turkey’s tail triggers the release of immune-activating chemicals (Stamets, 2012).

3. Cancer Prevention

Mushroom coffee benefits cancer patients as the continuous intake of Chaga mushrooms for three weeks can reduce the growth of tumors and prevent their metastasis (Arata et al., 2016). Reishi mushroom coffee prevents the proliferation of cancer cells, protects the apoptosis of healthy cells, and should be used as an alternative treatment for cancer (Sohretoglu & Huang, 2018). It can also decrease the number of cells in breast cancer patients and has the potential to be used in natural anti-cancer drugs.

Chaga mushrooms coffee benefits also include the therapeutic potential for the damage caused by chemotherapy. It regulates the inflammatory molecules of the body, which heals the bone marrow injury caused by chemotherapeutic mechanisms (Kim, 2005).

4. Heart Diseases

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and naturally, there is loads of interest surrounding its treatment. Mushroom coffee benefits people with cardiovascular disorders as it has lower caffeine content and is attributed to a lower risk of heart palpitations.

Mushrooms have high percentages of anti-oxidants. Chaga mushroom coffee benefits also include positive changes in the ‘bad’ cholesterol and triglyceride levels (Liang et al., 2009). 

5. Degenerative Diseases

Mushrooms are said to be the best brain food, as it is often associated with decreased incidence of degenerative illnesses. People that consume mushrooms more than once a week are said to have a lower risk of dementia in the future (Zhang et al., 2017). Even a small portion of mushrooms can reduce the decline in cognitive functions in adults (ScienceDaily, 2019). Apart from dementia, mushroom coffee benefits other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, etc. 

Let’s not forget that a high intake of coffee also protects from Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and stroke. Due to the mushroom coffee benefits, it can act as a superfood to slow cognitive decline in older patients.

An exciting addition to the list of mushroom coffee benefits is that while caffeine causes a surge in cortisol levels, mushrooms, especially Reishi mushrooms, inhibit its release. Cortisol is the stress hormone secreted in response to aggravating situations. If you wish to manage your stress levels but cannot function without the daily dose of caffeine, you should try mushroom coffee!

Why is mushroom coffee better than regular coffee?

Since social media has dominated the world, it has given a platform to many unusual norms. As a health practitioner, I must keep a firm eye on many health trends. Mushroom coffee has been an odd but nonetheless a great inclusion to our ever-evolving diet. Mushroom coffee benefits certainly override any hesitation one may have about this eccentric beverage. There is indeed a social flair about taking this hot drink!

Mushroom coffee is particularly convenient if you consume large amounts of coffee/tea daily. Start by slowly decreasing the doses of regular coffee and replacing them with mushroom coffee. Cutting back caffeine intake altogether will result in poor productivity, fatigue, and a shorter attention span. 

Mushrooms are nutritional reservoirs packed with protein, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Due to their rich flavour and earthy aroma, they are not liked by many people. Mushroom coffee is a great way to incorporate mushrooms into your diet; after all, it tastes the same as your regular coffee.

Let’s not forget the financial burden of making a habit out of this trend. Compared to regular coffee, mushroom coffee is an expensive product, and if you want to be sustainable, you are better off consuming standard coffee or other cheaper alternatives. 

Mushroom for Improvement

Mushroom coffee is a trendy blend of coffee and mushrooms. Most of the quoted mushroom coffee benefits are the perks provided by mushrooms themselves. There is mushroom for scrutiny in context to the mushroom coffee benefits, as it provides the properties of both coffee and mushrooms. It has been associated with many chronic illnesses, but mainly mushroom coffee benefits older patients with neurogenerative diseases. Overall, mushroom coffee is an intriguing and promising beverage option that warrants further exploration and research.