Mushroom tea has quickly become a go-to beverage among wellness enthusiasts. Not only can its immunity-enhancing properties add value to our health routines, but mushroom tea can also improve sleep, balance blood sugar levels, increase energy and promote gut health through stimulating beneficial bacteria to form in our digestive tracts.

Reishi, chaga, lion’s mane turkey tail and cordyceps mushrooms are some of the more commonly consumed medicinal mushroom tea varieties, each providing its own distinct flavor while providing various health-promoting properties. Mushroom tea may be consumed alone or combined with other supplements to maximize its potential.

To create mushroom tea, begin by heating filtered water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and reducing it until you achieve a gentle simmer. The hot water softens the cell walls of mushrooms, dispensing their powerful nutrients into the liquid. Furthermore, temperature plays an integral part as some compounds dissolve at different rates: polysaccharides and beta glucans can best be released when exposed to warm to hot temperatures, while fat-soluble triterpenes and metabolites require cooler temperatures for release.

Once your tea has reached your ideal temperature, turn off the heat and allow it to steep for approximately 20 minutes before stirring or straining out of its steeping basket. This allows the mushrooms to release their powerful nutrients, which your body is then easily able to absorb. Depending on what type of mushroom tea you make (reishi is often sweetened with honey for an earthy and woody flavor while maitake mushroom tea can be enhanced by adding citrus fruits like orange slices).

Some experts advise cycling between different mushroom varieties throughout the week in order to target specific health benefits, while others integrate mushroom tea into other wellness practices like exercise, meditation or certain dietary approaches. Listening closely to how your body responds is also key: some find reishi mushroom tea beneficial in managing stress while cordyceps mushroom tea is often reported as increasing energy.

Make a cup of mushroom tea every day using an infuser, loose-leaf teabag, or premium extract powder from Antioxi. Heat-stable double extract powders like Antioxi’s are best used when mixed into hot or cold drinks; loose-leaf blends and bagged teas should ideally steep at 85-90degC for 10-20 minutes in order to maximize effectiveness and reap maximum health benefits; alternatively brew in your refrigerator then drink warm.