Mushroom Teas: A New and Emerging Health Trend
Surely, no matter how much you love coffee, a sip of it every morning can get pretty boring at one point.
So, what else can you drink to counteract the bitter taste of morning coffee?
Well, good news for you.
A new health trend is mushroom tea, which might be a good alternative for your daily morning boost. It is richer in variety than coffee, as mushroom tea is not made from one specific tea.
It is made by many people, giving you a flavorful, soothing, and thirst-clenching morning drink like nothing you've ever had before.
Mushroom teas are not only tasty but are also known to have a lot of healthy benefits. For one, drinking mushroom tea as soon as you wake up has positively affected your mental health.
As such, it improves the body's ability to respond to and handle stress, strengthens the immune system, and boosts gut health.
For a thousand years, mushroom teas have been popular in tea ceremonies. They are also commonly used because of their health benefits, and in some cases, they are used to treat or alleviate the symptoms of certain diseases.
However, it has only recently been able to make a name on its own and emerge as a new health trend, especially among health enthusiasts and social media.
So, if you are considering hopping on to the trend, let us get into detail about mushroom tea first and the health benefits it contains.
Shall we? In this article, we will provide a little more about mushroom tea, its benefits, and the best ways to prepare your mushroom tea.
Mushroom Tea and Its Components
Mushroom tea combines mushrooms and water, typically made by extracted, powdered, or pulverized mushrooms. Depending on the mushroom used, mushrooms are edible pieces with medicinal and psychedelic components. That’s also why most people see mushroom tea as more of a health supplement than a regular beverage.
Mushroom tea is everywhere, so you can conveniently find them at local grocery stores. You can buy powdered mushroom extract blended with green tea or any other type of tea. If you love coffee, you can buy a mushroom with a coffee blend to better suit your taste. You can even pair it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make the drinking experience extra special.
Making mushroom tea isn’t about buying fresh mushrooms and incorporating them into hot boiling water. You get significantly more effects if you buy ready-made mushrooms in powdered form to make your mushroom tea. As such, these extracted powders of mushrooms are much more concentrated than those of fresh produce.
You should also know that local brands infuse tea with various mushrooms. Chaga, Lion’s Mane, and Reishi are popular due to their adaptogenic herb qualities. These specific types of mushrooms help our bodies adapt to stress, making them important for maintaining good mental health.
So, how does mushroom tea calm our body's stresses? It can calm the central nervous system as an adaptogen, resulting in a much-moderated response to cortisol, a stress hormone. Mushroom tea is so powerful that it is known to help us better deal with external, environmental, and emotional stresses.
The Different and Specific Types of Mushroom
As mentioned above, different and specific types of mushrooms are used in teas. Listed below are some of the popular ones:
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Reishi Mushrooms
Reishi is perhaps the most popular type of mushroom. It has a reddish-brown color and a varnished kidney-shaped shape. This type of mushroom is known to be one of the most packed adaptogenic mushrooms that can enhance your body’s overall response to stress.
It is also known to help regulate blood sugar and enhance the body’s immune system. Since it is rich in anti-stress components, it promotes healthy sleep and lessens mood swings and fatigue. -
Chaga Mushrooms
Another popular type of mushroom is chaga. It has an irregular shape and a dark color that almost resembles burnt charcoal. Chaga mushrooms are known to have potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Mushrooms can also help lessen arthritis symptoms and control blood pressure. Chaga has also been scientifically proven to slow down the progression and growth of cancer. Drinking mushroom tea based on chaga is a good way to boost your immune system. -
Cordyceps
Next on the list is the Cordyceps mushroom, which is known to live on certain pillars in China. Like Chaga, it is rich in anti-inflammatory properties. It is also known to fuel the body’s production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an important component that boosts the energy levels of our muscles.
As such, drinking mushroom tea based on Cordyceps is a good way to boost exercise performance and productivity. This is also why it is recommended that athletes increase their endurance, agility, and overall performance. -
Lion's Mane
The Lion’s Mane is a type of mushroom distinguished for its long, off-white spines. It is a powerful drink that provides many health benefits for your mental well-being. For one, it lowers your risk for any type of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Second, it can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. What’s more, it also can repair nerve damage. Like any other mushroom, Lion's Mane is rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting properties. -
Maitake Mushrooms
Maitake, also known as “Hen of the Woods,” is a mushroom native to China, Europe, and North America. It is distinguished by its strong, peppery, and earthy flavor. Maitake is another energy-inducing tea that produces more fatty acids in our bodies.
Moreover, it is known to help keep our arteries strong and healthy. Generally, it is a good drink to combat high cholesterol levels, improve artery functionality, and lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases. -
Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake is another type of mushroom that originated in native Asia but is now consumed worldwide. It is widely used in traditional medicine for its medicinal properties, which can treat and heal certain illnesses. Shiitake also has many health benefits.
As such, shiitake mushrooms help maintain and support a healthy immune system. They protect the body against cell damage, improve white blood cell production, and help fight microbes. Like the ones above, shiitake mushrooms are very rich in anti-inflammatory properties. They are also low in lipid content but rich in protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. -
Turkey Tail
Second to last is a type of mushroom called Turkey Tail. It is distinguished by its disc-like shale and varying display of colors. This mushroom is a powerful anti-cancer drink that can lower one's risk of contracting gastric, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer.
Many cancer patients use turkey tail to improve their bodies' responses to cancer medicines and radiation. Essentially, it is a good drink for cancer treatment. In addition to cancer, Turkey Tail is also helpful in increasing muscle strength, decreasing body fatigue, preventing Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), and providing many other health benefits. -
Tremella
Lastly, we have another type of mushroom here: Tremella. It is distinguished by its white, flowery, and frond-like appearance. Consuming Tremella has many major benefits, including healthy and glowing skin. It is known to generate and support good hydration processes in the body.
Tremella extract is often used as a topical cream on the skin. It is rich in antioxidants and has anti-aging properties, giving you a youthful look. In addition to its skin benefits, it is also proven to positively affect hair. It locks and strengthens hair follicles, keeping hair hydrated and healthy!
Preparing Your Mushroom Tea
Preparing mushroom tea is just like preparing; you simpYouater and pour your mushroom powder into it —mix, stir, and—mix a good sip. Alternatively, you can simp it. Alternatively, dip your tea bag into the boiling water and leave it there for a few minutes until the water changes color.
Apart from the conventional methods of preparing mushroom tea, you can also try to do it naturally.
First, get a set of the produce of your chosen mushrooms. Brew it and infuse it into the boiling water. Give it eight (8) to twelve (12) hours to simmer before straining. Needless to say, the extraction process is a crucial part of the preparation. Otherwise, you might accidentally consume raw mushrooms. Additionally, functional mushrooms must be extracted to be “bioavailable” for human consumption. So, it might take a while, but you should follow the long extraction process to ensure your safety.
Another method is to make mushroom tea from scratch yourself. Before this, though, you need to go through coursework or training and learn the basics of mushrooms before starting your quest.
This is so you will gain sufficient knowledge about mushrooms in general, including the accurate identification of mushrooms and which specific types of mushrooms will work better for you. It usually takes skilled and highly knowledgeable people to correctly identify the functional mushroom varieties. If you do this step mindlessly, you might accidentally rat wild mushrooms, and doing so can pose very dangerous health threats to your body.
So, unless you are willing to go through that kind of rough patch, it is best to purchase mushroom teas and other products and just mix and infuse them together at home. You can easily buy extracted mushrooms at your local supermarket. This is the best way to prepare your mushroom tea without exerting more energy, money, time, and other resources. Just go get one good sip of mushroom flavor.
Potential Side Effects of Mushroom Tea
On the other hand, side effects are associated with drinking mushroom teas.
According to various reports, some people who regularly consume mushroom teas experience mild to moderate digestive distress.
Moreover, there are very limited research studies that can pinpoint the safety and recommended dosage for mushroom tea, making it even more dangerous. Hence, you should drink mushroom teas moderately and with health caution.
If you have existing comorbidity or other health conditions, you should always consult with your doctor before drinking or adding mushroom tea to your daily routine.
Generally, mushroom teas are safe if consumed moderately and in normal amounts. However, certain medications may interrupt certain processes or react negatively to certain chemicals, especially in blood thinners. Due to a lack of research studies, it is also best to avoid drinking mushroom tea if you are pregnant or a breastfeeding mother.
Furthermore, certain types of mushrooms are rich in oxalates — which is not exactly bad, but when taken in high amounts, it can become dangerous to health. Additionally, there are mushrooms with blood-thinning effects, so they might not work well with certain medications. Not only that but there are also specific mushrooms that can negatively impact immunosuppressants or chemotherapy drugs.
In retrospect, drinking mushroom tea may contain a lot of health benefits, but it can still generate negative effects on your body if consumed recklessly. That’s why you should always check with your healthcare provider and discuss your medical conditions and the medical supplements you are currently taking. In this way, your doctor can give a piece of better and clearer advice on whether you should drink mushroom tea.
It is also important to note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate mushroom teas. This gives you all the more reason to consult your doctor and seek professional advice before hopping into the trend.
Final Verdict: Should You Join The Trend on Mushroom Teas?
Now, it’s time to ask yourself the most important question: should you join the new wellness trend of mushroom tea? There is no wrong or right answer to this.
You will decide based on your preference, taste, condition, and specific set of compromises. Although mushroom teas have many health benefits, most of them are not backed by research or scientifically proven to this day.
Still, if there is one thing to be sure about, it is the fact that adding mushrooms to your diet is a good way to provide your body with essential nutrients and boost your overall health.
So, if you’ve consulted with your doctor and drinking mushroom tea makes you feel better, go for it and join this new trend.
On a side note, you can use Berkey water filters to blend purified water with your daily mushroom tea to make it much healthier. What else makes a good partner for mushroom tea besides clean and reliable drinking water?
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Since mushroom teas are more expensive than your regular green tea, you can also check out other teas that will better suit your budget and taste —and, more importantly, a tea that will give you just as many health benefits.
In conclusion, mushroom tea can be a healthy addition to your routine if you do it moderately, cautiously, and with medical guidance.
If you don’t have any medical conditions that may cause a reaction when you drink mushroom tea, feel free to enjoy it. If you like how it tastes and feels good, why not?
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