Mushroom Coffee : What are the Benefits?

Mushroom “coffee” has become a popular drink in recent years, but the trend dates way back. It was used as an alternative in World War II when coffee was one of the first goods to be in short supply due to rationing. This alternative hot drink started in Finland when people began to use chaga mushroom as a coffee substitute.

Caffeine is the worlds most widely consumed psychoactive substance and has had a mixed reputation over the years, with alarming headlines written about its downsides and potential for negative health outcomes. Recently though these headlines have stated to change, largely due to a range of studies and large meta-analyses that highlighted that coffee has a lot of potential benefits for health, and for most people these benefits seem to outweigh any detrimental effects. Coffee contains many essential nutrients including B-vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Caffeine does affect us all differently, and due to genetic and lifestyle variation some of us may have a harder time metabolising it than others; hence why one person can knock back espressos into the night and sleep like a baby, and another can’t have caffeine past noon if they want to get a decent night’s sleep. For some people caffeine can also cause issues like indigestion, heartburn, insomnia, anxiety, and more.

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, it temporarily blocks the production of inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine which has an uplifting and stimulating effect, linked to caffeine’s benefits for focus, productivity and more, as well as its downsides like increased anxiety and jitters. It has also been linked to physical performance, which makes it a great partner to cordyceps mushroom. Caffeine increases adrenaline levels in the blood which prepares the body for physical exertion, it also breaks down body fat so the body can use these free fatty acids as fuel, and it’s been shown to increase performance by 11-12% on average.

Coffee does have several downsides too, it can upset digestion in some people. It has been shown to stimulate production of HCL which our body produces to digest meals, which is tapping into our reserves when we don’t actually require them. It is also highly acidic which can irritate the digestive lining. We have added cardamom to our mushrooms coffees, which is a traditional spice added to coffee in the middle east that helps to counteract the acidity of coffee.

While the caffeine levels of mushroom coffee tend to be lower than standard coffee, the synergy of medicinal mushrooms and coffee means it can offer more benefits and less downsides than your average cup. Mushrooms are packed with nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and mushroom coffee is an easy way to get your daily dose of medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms and coffee tend to have many synergistic benefits from brain and energy support, to antioxidant effects, combining some of these powerful substances that help to protect the body from free radical damage.

Many mushrooms are adaptogenic in nature and have beneficial effects for our adrenal glands. Cordyceps and reishi are also both fantastic sources of adenosine, which helps block some of the stimulatory effects caused by coffee like anxiety and jitters. Mushrooms also pair nicely flavour wise with caffeine, the perfect way to get all the benefits of the mushrooms and coffee without any of the downsides.

Which mushroom coffee is right for you?

Reishi Coffee

Reishi was used traditionally to support relaxation, stress response and overall wellness. We combine Organic Sumatran coffee with natures ultimate calming mushroom, to help you cope with the demands of the modern world and face whatever your day may bring. Reishi is rich in triterpenes and also adaptogenic in nature, it helps to regulate many bodily systems, and promotes a sense of calm.

Cordyceps Coffee

We’ve upgraded your regular cup of coffee, by combining it with adaptogenic cordyceps for a synergistic effect, resulting in smooth, clean energy to wake the body and mind and keep you focused and productive all day long. Coffee without the jitters to get your day going, or use as a pre-workout to support stamina and endurance.

Find our range of mushroom coffees and lattes and other mushroom supplements here…