What exactly is the point of sipping mushroom tea, anyway?
Bianca Tamburello is a registered dietitian nutritionist at FRESH Communications.
What Is Mushroom Tea?
Photo:Kristina Kuptsevich/Getty Images
Simply put, mushroom tea is a beverage of hot water infused (or steeped) with mushrooms.
But we’re not talking about your everyday culinary mushrooms like creminis, buttons, or portobellos.
The most common medicinal mushroom varieties found in these warming beverages include reishi,chaga, andlions mane.
You may also see cordyceps, tremella, turkey tail and shiitake mushrooms included as well.
Types of Mushroom Teas
Mushroom tea can appear a few different ways.
Others require a more traditional steeping process where youre not actually ingesting the mushrooms themselves.
Some varieties will include actual tea leaves, while others dont.
These have a slight nutritional leg up as youll be consuming more of the fiber from the mushrooms.
Brands here includeMUD/WTRandOm Mushroom Superfood.
What Does Mushroom Tea Taste Like?
Mushroom tea tends to have an earthy, umami flavor.
Sometimes, it can taste slightly bitter.
Other ingredients like ginger, lemon, and honeycommonly mixed into teacan also change the flavor of the tea.
Honey, for example, can help sweeten an otherwise bitter tea, making it more palatable for some.
7 Mushroom Tea Benefits
Mushroom tea benefits are plentiful.
Here are seven of the biggest reasons to consider drinking more mushroom tea.
Many will also have adaptogenic properties.
There are over 70 naturally occurring adaptogens that we know of today.
it’s possible for you to use powdered mushroom in teas because it includes fiber.
Improves Sleep
Mushrooms have been shown to help improve sleep.
Lion’s mane mushrooms have proven to improve sleep disturbance and overall well-being, for example.
Meanwhile, blushing wood mushroom, was shown to improve sleep quality.
Boosts Immune System
We now know that mushroom tea can help improve the microbiome.
Is Drinking Mushroom Tea Safe?
2018;13(1).
2022;9:1078060. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1078060
Bell, L. et al.
“A review of the effects of mushrooms on mood and neurocognitive health across the lifespan.
“Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
Cirlincione, F. et al.
“Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials.
“International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
2017;18(9):1906. doi:10.3390/ijms18091906
