Tea can help improve your mood, support detoxification, ease stress and anxiety, aid digestion and bolster the immune system – and when combined with mushroom extracts the benefits can become even greater. As these powerful ingredients steep into your beverage they release numerous nutritional and medicinal compounds – elevating mushroom tea from health food trends into an effective healing beverage.

Mushroom tea differs from Camelia Sinensis tea in that its tannins and delicate leaves require specific steeping requirements, but mushroom tisane does not. Instead, this type of tisane may be steeped for much longer and typically contains root, seed pod, stem bark or flower-based herbs that have tougher cells that can tolerate boiling hot water without becoming negatively impacted.

Brewing mushroom tea can be made simple using either a mushroom tea bag or decocting. When using a mushroom tea bag, simply open and pour your tea over boiling water and allow to steep for three to five minutes before straining out of pouch.

If you’re making a brew from scratch, chop your mushrooms into small chunks before placing in a large pot with boiling water. For an enhanced experience and health benefits, consider adding ingredients such as sage, rose hips, chaga or birch polypore for added flavor and health benefits when dealing with tougher or rubberier mushrooms.

Simmer your tea for at least 20 minutes for optimal nutrient absorption, to allow its flavors to deepen while also dispersing its beneficial compounds evenly throughout your brew. This will also allow fuller-flavor development while dispersing vital micronutrients more evenly into the drink.