8 Reasons To Start Your Day With Mushroom Coffee

You’ve probably come across it on social media. An Instagram-worthy, coffee-like beverage, but you have no idea what it is or what it tastes like. Sure you’ve heard about adding ginger or sprinkling cinnamon in coffee, but mushrooms?

A cup of mushroom coffee is a powdered blend of coffee beans and ground mushrooms which means it boasts several unique benefits for daily health. Here are eight reasons why you need to replace your morning cup of joe with mushroom joe:

1. Protection Against Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are caused by chronically high levels of inflammation. Since various mushroom species have anti-inflammatory compounds, they help shape your body’s response to inflammation. 

The mushrooms used in mushroom coffee are usually lion’s mane, chaga, reishi, cordyceps, and turkey tail. All these types are loaded with adaptogens, helping us with our overall well-being and reducing arthritis-related pain and inflammation. Adaptogenic mushrooms also offer benefits in cancer treatment.

2. Helps Limit Cholesterol Absorption

Ergosterol is a compound found in mushrooms that suppresses the absorption of cholesterol and encourages their extraction through the GI tract. So if you’re adding the mushroom powder to your coffee, you may expect to see its benefits for limiting dietary cholesterol.

3. Help You Manage Stress

Adaptogens are also known for reducing the effects of stress on your mental and physical well-being. Cortisol, a stress hormone that tends to affect us in many conditions, is high when we’re going through depression, trauma, or a stressful situation. Having mushrooms in coffee may help balance out cortisol levels in our bodies and manage stress better.

4. Supports Brain Function

When you’re buying your mushroom coffee, look for lion’s mane coffee. Lion mane is a mushroom that supports brain and nerve health by helping you improve your focus and memory, and eliminate brain fog. Some mushrooms even help regulate your mood which in turn helps with creativity and better productivity. A few mushroom species are also known for regenerating and repairing neurons and aiding in improved cognitive function.

5. It Contains Less Caffeine or No Caffeine

Many people love coffee but experience coffee jitters right after – feeling a rush resulting in palpitations, followed by a crash in energy. This normally happens due to the high contents of caffeine. If this happens to you, you can try mushroom coffee and see how that works out for you. Feeling anxious and over-stimulated after drinking coffee is a frequent happening for many. A cup of mushroom joseph with less caffeine may exactly be what you need!

6. Added Nutrients

Mushrooms are loaded with B vitamins, fiber, minerals, protein, and many bioactive compounds. A mushroom coffee blend will have lower caffeine content as compared to regular coffee but a more diverse group of nutrients, overflowing with antioxidant properties. Many mushrooms also offer beneficial compounds such as polyphenols that help manage blood pressure levels.

7. Mushrooms Are Good for Digestion

Caffeine can release cortisol and adrenaline in your body. Having too much of these will revert your body to an emergency state, resulting in blood being driven away from your digestive system. This can cause digestion problems.

When it comes to mushroom coffee, you’re actually taking in healthy bacteria that help with digestion. This helps negate the stress caused by coffee on your tummy. Mushrooms also have polysaccharides and prebiotics that promote the production of healthy bacteria and gut flora.

8. Modulates Your Immune System

Your body needs to have a healthy immune system to fight against infections and ward off harmful bacteria. Having a spoonful of turkey tail powder in your morning coffee every day can make your immune system proactive for appropriate responses. Chaga, cordyceps, and maitake are some more excellent immunomodulators. 

Summing It Up: Are There Any Side-effects of Mushroom Coffee?

While mushroom coffee has only recently caught pace among consumers in the US, adaptogenic mushrooms have been used for centuries in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Consuming these mushrooms in the form of beverages regularly is an excellent way to enjoy their benefits. With that being said, it’s best that people who suffer from any type of kidney issues avoid mushrooms. Mushrooms have high amounts of oxalates and their consumption can increase kidney stones.