Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are nutritional powerhouses, offering many health benefits and supporting heart, immune and blood sugar health, antiviral and antimicrobial effects, plus low carb intake with plenty of protein and rich vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients – not to mention high amounts of soluble fiber which promote regularity and digestive wellbeing. You can enjoy eating oyster mushrooms whole, using as a powder extract, creating tinctures or tea from them or creating other creative recipes with them!

Oyster mushroom tea is a delicious way to experience all of its healthful benefits. Mushroom tea can be easily created by decocting mushrooms in hot water and then straining out any residue before sipping as a beverage or adding it into other food and drinks. There are various methods used for creating mushroom tea, while different recipes may incorporate additional ingredients, including herbs such as fennel, licorice root, peppercorns or cinnamon into this delicious beverage.

To create mushroom tea, chop your desired mushrooms into small pieces and combine with hot water in a large pot. Bring to a boil before simmering for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, stir in any other ingredients you wish. Strain and serve! Reishi mushroom is often the go-to choice when creating this delectable treat; other varieties like lion’s mane, chaga wood ear and oyster mushroom may be added for variety and extra flavour!

Mushroom tea is another delicious beverage to add to the Kombucha fermenter’s repertoire. Easy and fun to create, mushroom tea makes an enjoyable change from its typical recipe.

To successfully cultivate oyster mushrooms, it’s best to start them on a substrate such as straw, sawdust, cardboard or coffee grounds. The substrate provides the medium that promotes mycelial growth – the source of nourishment for mushroom mycelia – thus enabling their proliferation. When selecting a substrate material it must be clean and free from competing microorganisms – straw hay and wheat straw being popular choices while sawdust has also proven successful; for greater results prefer grain spawn over sawdust as it usually yields greater yields.

Pleurotus ostreatus may exert its stimulating effects due to beta-glucans present within it; these slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates into your system. A 2020 study using rats showed that an oyster mushroom extract helped reduce oxidative damage to arterial cells that can lead to atherosclerosis due to the amino acid ergothioneine’s antioxidant effects.