Introduction
Mushroom coffee is praised as a healthier option to traditional coffee, featuring medicinal mushroom extracts and extra health advantages.
While this coffee blend is popular now, it is not a new concept.
Sources online indicate that in Finland during World War II, mushrooms were utilized as a replacement for coffee due to a lack of coffee beans. Asian countries have a long tradition of using mushrooms in both cooking and healing, particularly in Chinese medicine, for their advantages in nutrition and well-being.
This article examines the proof on mushroom coffee and offers a specialist evaluation of its claimed health advantage.
What is it?
When you imagine a cup of coffee with mushrooms on the surface, feel relieved. This is not what that is.
Mushroom coffee is a smooth and nutty blend of ground mushrooms and coffee beans brewed together to create a dark and flavorful coffee.
Mushroom coffee typically utilizes extracts of medicinal mushrooms instead of cooking mushrooms such as shiitake and portobello. Popular medicinal fungi incorporated into this fashionable coffee are:
Chaga
Turkey tail
Lion’s mane
Reishi
Cordyceps
Many customer reviews suggest that the taste of mushroom coffee is similar to that of traditional coffee.
Nevertheless, mushroom coffee’s suggested health advantages, such as decreased anxiety and enhanced immunity, provide it with a competitive edge in marketing.
How is it made?
However, mushroom coffee’s purported benefits for health, like reducing anxiety and boosting immunity, give it an advantage in the market.
After undergoing a two-step extraction method, the mushrooms are dehydrated, finely ground, and blended with ground coffee beans. This is commonly performed at a 1-to-1 proportion.
There are different ways for you to purchase mushroom coffee:
- instant coffee packets
- ground coffee blends
- coffee pods
The same techniques used for regular coffee can also be applied to prepare delightful mochas, lattes, or black coffee drinks with mushroom coffee.
It has less caffeine than standard coffee.
Mushroom coffee blends are promoted as having less caffeine compared to traditional coffee.
Caffeine is a natural psychoactive compound present in certain foods such as coffee beans, cocoa beans, and tea leaves, as well as being artificially included in various other food and drink products.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, and those with underlying heart conditions are more likely to experience adverse effects from consuming caffeine and should be careful with their intake.
While consuming 400 mg of caffeine daily is generally safe for most individuals, those who are sensitive to caffeine may experience negative effects. With lower caffeine intake, you might encounter anxiety, fast heart rate, upset stomach, and other side effects in this scenario.
As previously stated, mushroom coffee typically involves mixing a quantity of mushroom powder with an equivalent amount of ground coffee beans. Since the mushroom powder lacks caffeine, it reduces the caffeine level in the end product by half in comparison to regular coffee.
Nevertheless, this may not apply to every brand of mushroom coffee. The amount of caffeine is frequently not indicated on the packaging of the products.
Below is a comparison of the caffeine content in 1 cup (approximately 10 oz) of three types of mushroom coffee, regular coffee, and decaffeinated coffee.
However, this might not be the case for all types of mushroom coffee brands. The caffeine content is often not listed on the product packaging.
Potential health benefits
For centuries, medicinal mushrooms have been regularly employed in traditional Chinese medicine.
Adaptogens, derived from medicinal mushrooms, are compounds known to enhance the body’s reaction to stress.
Researchers have been intrigued by the potential health advantages of adaptogens in medicinal mushrooms since the 1970s.
Nonetheless, it is crucial to emphasize that the majority of research on the benefits of medicinal mushrooms is conducted on animals or in a controlled laboratory setting, with limited high-quality clinical trials involving human subjects. This implies that the findings of these studies cannot be directly extrapolated to humans or human illnesses.
Furthermore, these investigations do not pertain exclusively to mushroom coffee, and it is uncertain if blending mushrooms and coffee beans yields either beneficial or detrimental health outcomes.
It’s safe to say that although medicinal mushrooms and coffee have some established benefits on their own, there are numerous unverified health claims about the benefits of mushroom coffee.
Here are a few research results on the supposed health advantages of medicinal mushrooms:
Enhanced defense system: In laboratory tests, Turkey tail and the substances it is grown on have shown immune-enhancing properties.
Potential for cancer prevention: Research has shown that Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Chaga, and Cordyceps may offer some benefits to cancer patients, including assisting in the battle against nausea and vomiting.
- Antiulcer: Studies done in ratsTrusted Source showed that Chaga mushrooms may help fight ulcers.
- Anti-allergenic (food allergies): In test-tube studiesTrusted Source, Chaga mushroom has shown evidence of suppressing the activity of immune cells responsible for an allergic response to some foods.
- Heart disease: Reishi extracts have the potential to lower blood cholesterol levels, which could decrease the likelihood of heart disease.
Despite the presence of some positive findings, further studies involving human subjects are required to confirm the potential health benefits, particularly in mushroom coffee mixtures.
Downsides
While mushroom coffee may seem intriguing to sample, it’s important to remember there are drawbacks to take into account.
The primary disadvantage is the current lack of human studies on its impact on health. The majority of research has been done in laboratories or on animals, and human studies are required to confirm those health assertions.
This indicates that there is limited knowledge about the safe dosage, the potential beneficiaries, those who should avoid it, and the possible interactions with medications when it comes to medicinal mushrooms, which could lead to safety concerns.
Furthermore, mushroom coffee comes with a high price tag. A 12 oz (340 g) bag of this coffee typically costs twice as much as regular coffee.
One reason for the increased cost could be that medicinal mushrooms are cultivated in the wild instead of on commercial farms. This indicates that they could be difficult to find.
The bottom line
Mushroom coffee is a popular type of coffee made by mixing regular coffee with various extracts from beneficial mushrooms such as Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, Lion’s mane, and Turkey tail.
Mushroom coffee, made by blending regular coffee with extracts from beneficial mushrooms like Chaga, Cordyceps, Reishi, Lion’s mane, and Turkey tail, is a well-liked coffee variant.
Even though it may be generally safe for most individuals, it is important to consult your healthcare provider if you are on medication or have a preexisting health issue.
