Mushrooms are enjoying their moment, popular as a supplement to improve focus and energy, manage stress and strengthen immunity. But, increasingly, its mushroom coffee that’s now capturing our attention.
What is mushroom coffee?
This is a coffee blended with extracts of medicinal mushrooms, as well as additional flavourings and perhaps other herbal extracts and adaptogens like ginseng, ashwagandha and rhodiola. The idea came about when manufacturers of mushroom supplements decided to extend their application by adding them to hot drinks, like coffee as well as tea and matcha. The drinks, manufacturers claim, have the potential to revitalise and restore.
Mushroom coffee will vary with regards the type and amount of mushroom extract in each serving as well as whether the extract was derived from the fruiting body or the mushroom’s root network (mycelium).
The medicinal mushrooms often used in coffee blends include:
- chaga,
- lion’s mane,
- reishi
- cordyceps
- turkey tail
- shiitake
In terms of flavour, mushroom coffee tastes like coffee, although some people describe it as having a mellow, slightly nutty or earthy taste, depending on its specific ingredients and their proportions.
Benefits of mushroom coffee include:
- May improve focus and concentration
- May support gut health
- May strengthen immunity
- May ease stress
- Contains less caffeine
Discover our full range of health benefit guides and check out our guide on the health benefits of coffee and learn what bullet-proof coffee is.
5 potential health benefits of mushroom coffee
1. May improve focus and concentration
Caffeine in coffee may boost concentration and mood, similarly lion’s mane mushrooms are thought to speed up brain function in young, healthy individuals. Animal studies suggest its the compounds called erinacines in lion’s mane that appears to promote this alertness.
2. May support gut health
Mushrooms contain several beneficial compounds, including polyphenols and polysaccharides, that are known to support gut health – they do this by improving the diversity and number of the good bugs that reside in our gut.
3. May strengthen immunity
As well as beneficial compounds, like polyphenols and polysaccharides (including beta-glucans), other micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and carotenoids, may help support and modulate the immune system and help enhance our natural resistance to infection.
4. May ease stress
Adaptogens, like medicinal mushrooms, help the body adapt and balance the body’s stress hormones including cortisol – this may help restore equilibrium.
5. May contain less caffeine
Most experts agree that for many of us a moderate intake of caffeine, equivalent to about four cups of coffee (400mg caffeine), may form part of a balanced and varied diet. Mushroom coffee typically contains 30-50% less caffeine than regular coffee, although this will vary by product. The lower caffeine levels in mushroom coffee are said to provide a gentler, more balanced energy boost and are less likely to cause caffeine jitters.
How to make mushroom coffee
Mushroom coffee can be purchased as instant coffee powder, ground coffee blends or as coffee pods; they are prepared in much the same way as regular coffee and can be enjoyed accordingly.
Potential side effects
It is important to say that human studies evaluating the use of mushroom coffee are currently lacking, with most research, to date, having been conducted in test tubes or on animal models. That said, consumed in moderate amounts, mushroom coffee is likely to be well tolerated by most people, in more significant amounts you may experience mild digestive issues, such as nausea.
Mushroom coffee contains caffeine, to which we all react differently, dependent on our genetic make-up. Drinking high amounts, for example in excess of six cups, may cause agitation and anxiety for some people. Those with known allergies to funghi should avoid mushroom coffee and other associated products.
Mushroom coffee may not be suitable for some groups of people including children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, those with high blood pressure and those on certain prescribed medication, such as that taken for autoimmune diseases.
What’s the difference between mushroom coffee and regular coffee?
Regular coffee will have a higher caffeine content, and being a natural beverage is also rich in plant compounds called polyphenols as well as other additional active compounds. The amounts of these compounds will vary, however, dependent on the bean, roast and how long the beans have been stored. Mushroom coffee will also vary by brand, with some products having additional ingredients including flavourings, herbal extracts and perhaps sweeteners.
Overall, is mushroom coffee good for you?
Despite our social media feeds being awash with the many benefits of these so-called medicinal mushrooms, there is currently not enough evidence to fully back many of these claims. Specifically, there’s limited research in the form of controlled trials on the benefits of mushroom coffee and despite some encouraging findings, more clinical trials are needed to assess any potential therapeutic benefits. Furthermore, we each have a unique reaction to caffeine, and the amount we may safely consume will vary.
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Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a BANT Registered Nutritionist® with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including Good Food.
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