There’s much debate surrounding caffeine’s benefits for health; one coffee alternative which has gained increased traction recently–not least thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow–is mushroom coffee.

This innovative drink combines organic Arabica coffee beans with medicinal mushrooms such as Chaga, cordyceps and lion’s mane to produce a potent combination. But does it work? We interviewed registered dietitian nutritionists for more insight.

Mood Booster

Four Sigmatic was one of the pioneers to introduce functional coffee boosted with mushroom extracts to consumers in the United States, and recently overhauled their brand to emphasize mushrooms as mood enhancers instead of cognitive enhancement. Tero Isokauppila, their Finnish founder and businessman behind Four Sigmatic’s revamp, believes they can help people find “balanced energy.” They believe they provide steady mental alertness instead of sudden caffeine crash effects.

According to Isokauppila, the lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms found in his company’s product possess mood-boosting qualities due to their adaptogenic properties, which help the body cope with stress and anxiety. Furthermore, these mushrooms could help regulate cortisol levels which have been known to contribute to anxiety and depression.

mushrooms not only help boost mood, they can also assist with focus and concentration. Their effects have been demonstrated in various tasks including memory recall and solving complex problems.

Isokauppila and his company have developed several products with coffee blended with various mushrooms. One popular blend is called Everyday Dose and features traditional coffee mixed with chaga and lion’s mane mushrooms as well as moringa powder, turmeric and ashwagandha for stress reduction.

Four Sigmatic’s coffee is known for enhancing mood while providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits from its combination of lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms, in addition to mood boosting qualities. Additionally, these may have anti-oxidant benefits.

According to Isokauppila, mushroom coffee products could potentially aid with weight loss, inflammation reduction and improving sleep quality. Mushroom coffee typically contains less caffeine than its regular coffee counterpart, offering an alternative for those needing to cut back but still enjoy drinking this beverage. If unsure about its suitability for themselves or anyone they care for he recommends consulting their physician first.

Energy Booster

Mushroom coffee is an energy-boosting beverage marketed to improve mood, focus and concentration. It aims to offer more of a balanced energy boost than regular coffee without causing the associated caffeine crash and subsequent fatigue that sometimes ensues. Mushroom coffee contains medicinal mushrooms mixed with other ingredients that can be mixed or frothed into hot or cold coffee drinks; some products only include mushrooms while others also provide coffee as an add-in.

Some of the key functional mushrooms used in mushroom coffee include Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Cordyceps and Reishi. These have been proven to support cognitive function, decrease inflammation and facilitate stress adaptation as well as contain nutrients which may boost energy levels and immune system performance.

Four Sigmatic has designed its blends with mushrooms cultivated organically and extracted with both water and alcohol for maximum bioactive compounds extraction. Furthermore, Four Sigmatic works only with ethical suppliers who uphold consumer transparency.

Current offerings by Four Sigmatic Coffee Products consist of six blends and one drink mix sold through e-commerce platforms such as Amazon as well as natural specialty retailers such as Whole Foods and Sprouts. Their Four Sigmatic Focus ground coffee blend contains Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Arabica dark roast coffee as well as ashwagandha, tulsi and holy basil extract to provide stress relief, improve focus and boost energy.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for them all! In any event, here we go again with another false start from them! Other blends available from the company are Mood Health Ground Coffee which contains chaga and turkey tail mushrooms, probiotics and yacon juice powder; Balance Ground Coffee made with Reishi and Chaga mushrooms, yacon juice powder, turmeric and black pepper; and Gut Health Ground Coffee featuring turkey tail mushrooms with algal oil, yacon juice powder and colostrum. Atlas+ Superblend from this brand combines Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Cordyceps with L-Theanine, Eleuthero Root Extract, Cinnamon Powder and Green Oat Extract to form one powerful blend. Jack Savage, founder of Everyday Dose, created his mushroom coffee company after researching non-stimulant treatments for ADHD. His initial blend combined lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms with L-theanine, ashwagandha, prebiotics and vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin).

Weight Loss

Even with its widespread appeal, there’s not sufficient proof that mushroom coffee can actually aid weight loss. While it may help improve your overall health by increasing energy levels and relieving stress levels, for effective weight loss it is still important to make healthy eating and exercise a top priority in your daily routine.

Mushroom coffee typically comprises of a blend of medicinal mushrooms powdered together with coffee and other ingredients to produce a beverage designed to be mixed or frothed using hot water, while possibly providing less caffeine than its traditional counterpart.

As part of its marketing, medicinal mushrooms are touted to provide many health benefits, including improving cognitive function and immune system support. These claims stem from research showing certain species like lion’s mane and cordyceps have shown the ability to promote brain health by increasing focus. Furthermore, their potential role in protecting against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases is currently under study.

Other mushrooms such as reishi and chaga have long been used to assist weight loss by increasing metabolism, suppressing appetite, and regulating blood sugar levels – and some dieticians have even recommended mushroom coffee as a weight-loss aid!

Before trying mushroom coffee, always consult with a healthcare provider first. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid mushroom products due to possible allergic reactions; those with existing health conditions should seek advice prior to changing their diets.

Mushroom coffee can be found both online and at certain specialty stores. Sold in cans or jars, this versatile product can be added to water or milk to create smoothies or lattes; alternatively it can also be added to tea, soup and shakes as a tasty condiment.

Though not FDA-approved, mushroom coffee has quickly become an incredibly popular health trend among celebrities and athletes alike. Marketed as an immune-booster, energy booster, and fat burner drink, mushroom coffee has not gone without critics; but should it really be part of our lifestyles or just another flash in the pan?

Immune System Support

Four Sigmatic recently revamped its branding to emphasize cognitive functions and mental wellness through its products. Their new labels reflect growing research about mushrooms’ benefits to brain health – such as Lion’s Mane mushrooms’ ability to foster neuronal growth and increase memory recall – while adaptogens such as ashwagandha and rhodiola provide additional relief by helping manage stress more efficiently while supporting balance within our bodies.

Four Sigmatics provides organic dark roast coffee blended with functional mushrooms such as Chaga, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane to produce drink blends and elixir mixes with maximum bioavailability for bioactive effects. Their dual extraction process guarantees this. Furthermore, all of their ingredients come from reputable and sustainable suppliers, while on their website is detailed information regarding each mushroom ingredient’s extraction processes and source locations.

Four Sigmatic products can be found online and in natural, specialty retailers like Whole Foods and Sprouts; Isokauppila reports their sales as being in the “eight figures” annually to CNBC Make It. Isokauppila was raised on a 13th generation family farm in Finland with an expertise in chemistry and nutrition before starting his business to bring functional mushrooms to modern consumers via beverage form – believing strongly in the healing properties of mushrooms to make them mainstream; in the meantime he takes great pride in taking his own wellness routine seriously: taking 30 to 40 minute daily nap on a portable mat that fits in his luggage for relaxation before heading off into business meetings!