I enjoy coffee, it’s not something I want to be dependent on but it does help me focus and keep my energy up when it’s low. I have been seeing a lot of advertisements about how regular coffee is destroying your gut health and how mushroom coffee is so much better. But is it? I see it being pedaled by a lot of MLM companies and I think overall it might be helpful but might not hold as much weight as they claim. Part of the reason I started a little hippie-ish was to separate the truth from fiction.
I think it would be dope to use mushroom coffee as it could be a gentler option if you don’t want a stronger coffee. However, some of the claims I have been hearing about mushroom coffee make it seem as if it’s a cure-all, that can’t be, can it? Let’s dive in and see if mushroom coffee is worth the switch.
What is mushroom coffee?
Mushroom coffee is made by combining medical mushrooms like Reishi, Chaga, Lion’s Mane, and Cordyceps1, with coffee beans. The mushrooms are typically dried and then undergo an extraction process that helps isolate the beneficial compounds. The mushrooms are then added to regular coffee beans and there you have it, mushroom coffee!2
It’s not uncommon for some mushroom coffee blends to have added ingredients like cacao, cinnamon, turmeric, sea salt, or MCT Oil. They typically add them to help enhance the flavor and/or boost the potential benefits of the blend. You can purchase mushroom coffee mostly in powder forms from the store or in some shops.3
What are the claims
The claims are where the flags start to pop their heads. While I would love for there to be a cure-all drink that will fix our issues most times there isn’t. For example, I watched one video saying that it wasn’t normal for your farts to smell and that mushroom coffee will fix that. That’s just not factual it’s perfectly normal to have smelly gas and if it is really bad then usually it’s diet base, and a drink can’t fix that. Some other claims are4:
- Sleeps Better
- Reduce Stress
- Reduces Inflammation
- Strengthens your immune system
- Supports memory
- Increases energy levels
- Relaxes sore muscles
Depending on the mushroom that what used in the coffee, it’s possible that the claims could hold true. Lion’s Mane has been proven to help with dementia, inflammation, as well as some digestive benefits. Most of these claims do need more research as they were tested on rodents and not humans so we don’t know how it will affect us just yet.5
Science benefits and cons
Let’s talk about the facts now. What has been proven by science and if the claims by the seller hold water or not? While researchers have been looking into adaptogens from medical mushrooms for their potential health benefits. Most of the results from these studies are based on animals or done in a lab with few clinical trials done on humans. That being said we can’t apply the results of these studies to humans or our diseases.6
Also, the studies aren’t specific to mushroom coffee so a lot of the benefits that they claim simply aren’t verified since the claims are on mushrooms or coffee not when they are combined.
The cons?.. well to be honest outside of not having any supported health claims there aren’t any. When I say there are not any supported health claims that means there aren’t any safe dosages and not really information about who will benefit from it or who should avoid it. Also since nothing is supported we also don’t know how it will interact with any medications a person is on. So if you don’t know, it’s best to ask a medical professional.7
Conclusion
So to answer the question is mushroom coffee better than regular coffee, the answer?… It depends. There’s no evidence proving that it’s harmful to you but there also isn’t real proof that it’s better than your regular coffee. It might be gentler than your average cup of joe but seeing how we don’t know how it affects humans it’s still up in the air.
Over all mushroom coffee is just coffee with some mushroom powder in it. It can possibly help with some ailments like inflammation, maybe relieve stress, and improve memory depending on what mushroom is in it, but none of these claims are truly backed up by human studies. So use it at your own discretion. It could be helpful but it could not be, but it could possibly be a better tasting coffee since they add flavor enhancers in it without adding a ton of sugar.
After doing the research for this article it made me a bit curious on if I would feel better by trying some mushroom coffee, you know, do a little human study of my own. I’ll keep you posted 🙂 until next time ✌🏾❤️
