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It is becoming very common to see people posting their stories in the early morning on social media with a warm sip of coffee. They praise it as if it is a heavenly thing.
Well, what is the thing that makes them coffee lovers? Being highly rich in caffeine, it can improve concentration, enhance metabolism, and boost mood. Also, the taste of the coffee makes them get addicted to it.
But have you heard of the new talk of the town mushroom coffee, which some people rumour as if you will find mushrooms floating in the hot water? This article will get a clear view of what exactly mushroom coffee is and know about the health benefits of drinking mushroom coffee.1
What Exactly Is Mushroom Coffee?
Mushroom coffee is a usual black coffee that additionally consists of powdered medicinal mushrooms. The coffee does not have a mushroomy taste because the mushroom species are in powdered form. The coffee takes more like a soil-flavoured earthy bland.
Some of the medicinal mushrooms like Matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), Reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi), Turkey’s Tail (Trametes Versicolor), and Lion’s Mane (Hericium Erinaceus) mushrooms are used in the manufacturing process of mushroom coffee. 2
The Mushroom coffee has less caffeine level when compared to those traditional cups of coffee. It has only half the amount of caffeine content as standard coffee.
Cordyceps Sinensis is a fungal variety used in mushroom powder, which acts as a natural energy booster. The Chinese used this fungal variety as traditional medicine.
Where Does Mushroom Coffee Come From?
During the second world war, coffee was rationed for the people of Finland. They have to find alternative elements as a replacement for their favourite drink.
At this time, the Finnish people came up with Chaga mushrooms from birch trees. They soaked them and pressed them into a beverage.
Mushroom coffee has been extensively used in Asia and particularly in Chinese medicines for several centuries.
How To Make Mushroom Coffee?
Let us now see the making of mushroom coffee:
- Fill your cup halfway with dairy-free milk(or almond or oat milk) and fill the rest with water.
- Please keep it in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until it’s steaming.
- Blend it with 1 packet of mushroom coffee and 1 tablespoon of cacao butter, cacao powder, and plant-based collagen each. Also, add a half tablespoon of honey for taste. Blend it until it becomes frothy.
Serve the hot mushroom coffee by topping it with a pinch of cinnamon powder spread on top.
Mushroom Coffee Benefits
1. Provides a Good Night’s Sleep
A good night’s sleep is the solution for most of your physical and mental problems. It is an essential activity that plays a primary role in your well-being. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that results in various health issues that risk causing short-term or long-term illness.
Poor sleep has severe outcomes as it has the risk of causing Alzheimer’s disease. It can lead to diabetes, obesity, and a weak immune system. Having restful sleep is as vital as sustaining a healthy diet.
Mushroom coffee helps solve insomnia and other sleep disorders. Mushrooms stand sixth among the top 10 superfoods that help you sleep better. The compounds in medicinal mushrooms like Beta-glucans, triterpenoids, polyphenols, ergosterol, and glutathione generate sleep hormones in your body.
Reishi mushrooms also called “mushrooms of immortality” has compounds to improve sleep. Mushroom coffee has several health benefits: reduces inflammation, reverses liver damage, boosts your immunity, provides protection to the heart and improves brain function.
Mushrooms have the power to fight against cancer. It is recommended to consume mushroom coffee in the morning as late-night consumption can destroy your sleep quality.
2. Assists With Weight Loss
It is no surprise that you will find mushrooms in the list of top food items to reduce weight. Mushrooms are proven to normalize blood sugar levels. If you are looking for a good coffee diet, mushroom coffee is one of the best choices as it contains no salt, no sugar, and no fat.
Moreover, dieticians suggest people replace meat with button mushrooms to maintain a healthy diet. Restricting the calorie intake, it is good to drink 3 cups of coffee per day to support a healthy coffee diet.
A study was made at the University of Buffalo, which proved that mushrooms could regulate the body’s glucose level. Let us understand how it works. An amino acid called ergothioneine is present in mushrooms which is a powerful antioxidant.
When combined with phytonutrients, they can nurture cells, provide tissue protection, boost your body with great stamina and equalize your body’s blood sugar in less than 30 minutes.
Once your body gets stabilized with a regular glucose level, it helps generate balanced hormones essential for reducing unnecessary weight. Thus, resulting in weight loss.
Bored with regular vegetables and fruits? Try adding the mushroom seasoning at the end of cooking soups, pasta sauces, and popcorn. Learn more about mushroom seasoning in this article.
3. Boosts Immune System
Maintaining a healthy body lies in the hands of the immune system. The growth of antibodies plays a vital role in enhancing your immunity. Medicinal mushrooms can greatly boost your immune system and provide energy.
Mushrooms act as a nutrient powerhouse (including Niacin, Potassium, and Phosphorus). It comes up with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs.
Natural killer cells are a type of white blood cell that can fight infections and cancer in your body. Researchers found that mushrooms can increase the activity of white blood cells. These characteristics are found in Reishi mushrooms. Also, Reishi mushrooms have anti-cancer properties.
A test-tube study has shown that Reishi mushrooms have the power of killing cancer cells. It can decrease the growth of tumours in the large intestine. Reishi mushrooms are blessed with various health benefits. Reishi mushrooms increase a special type of white blood cells called lymphocytes3, reducing the risk of colorectal cancer. 4
According to National Cancer Institute, it is shown that antioxidants in medicinal mushrooms can help in preventing lung, breast, and other types of cancer. Mushroom coffee helps in improving your energy levels and supports immune system growth.
4. Supports Memory
Your brain starts to slow down with age. The weak nervous system causes memory loss and a lack of focus. It shrinks the neurons and harms the brain cells.
5. Good for Digestion
In general, people say that coffee can cause indigestion by disturbing the stomach and small intestine lining, making your morning cup of joe both a blessing and a curse. Mushrooms help in maintaining good digestive health, which counteracts the effect of coffee.
The bacteria present in mushrooms help digest the process and lower some of the stress on your tummy. The compounds prebiotics and polysaccharides contribute to the generation of healthy gut flora and bacteria.
The caffeine quantity is half the amount of caffeine content found in regular coffee.
6. Aids in Athletic Performance
Cordyceps mushrooms can greatly boost athletic performance by helping your body to utilize oxygen efficiently. It improves cardiovascular function by supplying more fresh blood and oxygen to the muscles faster.
The more cells obtain enough oxygen, the better your performance. Efficient use of oxygen increases blood flow in your body which improves athletic performance.
A study fed 20 older adults cordyceps supplements about 3 times a day. After 12 weeks, the adults noticed a great rise in their performance. They were able to do workouts for a longer time.
Reishi mushrooms are used in post-workout supplements, while Cordyceps mushrooms are used in pre-workout supplements. Mushroom coffee is low in calories and comes up with vitamin D to boost your energy levels.
Closing Thoughts
Are you searching for a coffee variety that has half the amount of caffeine content compared with regular coffee? Then, mushroom coffee is the best choice. But, don’t consume it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as the endocrine activity in medicinal mushrooms can affect the hormonal growth of babies.
As many mushrooms are toxic, do an analysis and confirm whether the organization has performed safety testing. Also, if you are affected with kidney or liver disease, consult your doctor before the intake of mushroom coffee as it could damage some organs.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is mushroom coffee good for you?
It typically lessens inflammation and assists the immune system. Additionally, mushroom coffee contains less caffeine, which generally promotes better sleep as well as reduces anxiety.
2. What is the point of mushroom coffee?
Adaptogens balance out the quantity of cortisol in your blood and saliva, like those found in mushroom coffee. So this drink might be able to help you cope with stress.
3. Does mushroom coffee taste like coffee?
The blend’s mushrooms exhibit more of a distinctive earthy flavour. Thus, the flavour of mushroom coffee is comparable to that of conventional coffee.
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- Bulam, Sanem, Nebahat Şule Üstün, and Aysun Pekşen. “Health benefits of Ganoderma lucidum as a medicinal mushroom.” Turkish Journal of Agriculture-Food Science and Technology 7 (2019): 84-93. ↩︎
- Nunes, Mateus D., et al. “Pleurotus ostreatus, mushrooms production using quick and cheap methods and the challenges to the use of coffee husk as substrate.” African Journal of Microbiology Research 11.31 (2017): 1252-1258. ↩︎
- LeBien, Tucker W., and Thomas F. Tedder. “B lymphocytes: how they develop and function.” Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology 112.5 (2008): 1570-1580. ↩︎
- Schwingshackl, Lukas, et al. “Food groups and risk of colorectal cancer.” International journal of cancer 142.9 (2018): 1748-1758. ↩︎
Last Updated on by ayeshayusuf
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