Mushrooms have long been touted for their medicinal qualities, making mushroom coffee an increasingly trendy wellness trend. Comprised of functional mushrooms combined with coffee beans, the beverage claims to boost cognitive function, boost immunity, and lower stress levels; but is mushroom coffee really all it’s cracked up to be?

Mushroom-infused drinks are nothing new: Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have long used mushrooms as adaptogens to help manage stress, fatigue, and illness in their patients.

These beverages contain various species of mushrooms such as Lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps and turkey tail that have been shown to lower cortisol levels and therefore cause less inflammation while providing better sleep. One prominent claim made for such beverages is that they help alleviate chronic stress while improving overall wellbeing.

But while adaptogens present in mushrooms can offer numerous potential health advantages, research on them remains limited and it remains unknown how consuming them as beverages – like mushroom coffee – might impact human health. Oxalates found in chaga may lead to digestive issues and increase the risk of kidney stones for some people while polyphenols found in reishi may reduce inflammation and may help protect against heart disease – though more research needs to be conducted with humans before any definitive statements can be made regarding these findings.

Notably, most mushroom coffee does contain caffeine – though significantly less than traditional java. Menning reports that an average cup of mushroom coffee typically contains 40-60 milligrams – this amounts to half as much as regular coffee but more than decaffeinated beverages.

Peterson notes that mushroom coffee’s low caffeine content means it is generally well tolerated by most, providing a gentler energy lift without the usual “jitters and crash” associated with high-caffeine drinks. Still, she advises speaking to your physician first before including mushroom coffee into your diet, particularly if you have certain health conditions or take medications.

If you want an easier way to incorporate adaptogens into your diet, there are options available online and at select health food stores that allow you to purchase adaptogens in powder form – perfect for adding them into a personalized coffee bean or powder blend! When purchasing mushroom-based products make sure they have been certified organic so as to safeguard both the environment and yourself.