Mushroom coffee is an alternative to drinking regular coffee. Eating mushrooms alone have many health benefits including boosting your immune system, potentially helping to lower your blood pressure, support weight management, boosting your brain health and can be a healthy plant-based alternative to meat. Research has suggested that since mushrooms are high in polyphenols, and other antioxidants, it has the potential to protect against neurodegenerative brain diseases like Alzheimers. Additionally, mushrooms are high in potassium which is a mineral necessary for our heart function, which most of us don’t eat enough. Since mushrooms are high in potassium, studies show it may help to lower your blood pressure, and reduce the risk for developing heart disease. 

Some mushrooms that may be found in mushroom coffee can be adaptogenic, which include Cordyceps, Shiitake, maitake, reishi, and lion's mane. Adaptogens help support your body to manage stress better, as well as anxiety, fatigue and overall well being. It helps your body to stay balanced in times of stress. Adaptogens are typically well tolerated but sometimes have side effects especially when there is an allergy which can include nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, or constipation. Other than that, adaptogenic mushrooms are a great extra boost that your body and mind may need to help you manage your stress. 

There are many different ways to make mushroom coffee. Typically, after the mushrooms are extracted, they are then dehydrated, and ground into a fine powder. This fine powder is then mixed into the ground coffee beans and there you have it, mushroom coffee! Mushroom coffee typically contains less caffeine than regular coffee, so it may be a good alternative if you get the jittery feeling, feel nervous, get headaches, or have a hard time falling asleep from the caffeine intake. 

Adding mushrooms into your coffee helps to add an extra nutrient boost to your coffee too! But, the amount of mushrooms present in the coffee can affect the amount of or lack of benefits, so it's important to be mindful of that. Additionally, the benefits of mushroom coffee are still up and coming so the research is not conclusive and not 100%. Overall, if you want to have less side effects from drinking coffee, control your caffeine intake, while possibly reaping the benefits of adding mushrooms into your coffee, then go for it!