How to Make Soothing and Potentially Therapeutic Mushroom Tea at Home

An Introduction to Mushroom Tea

Mushroom tea has become an increasingly popular health beverage in recent years. Made by infusing dried mushrooms in hot water, mushroom tea offers a variety of potential health benefits.

Mushrooms like chaga, reishi, lion's mane, cordyceps, and turkey tail contain compounds that may help fight inflammation, balance blood sugar levels, support immune system health, and even protect brain function.

Drinking mushroom tea is an easy way to incorporate the nutrients and bioactive substances found in medicinal mushrooms into your diet.

Nutritional and Medicinal Benefits of Mushroom Tea

Research shows that edible and medicinal mushroom species contain a wealth of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and beneficial plant compounds. Here are some of the top scientifically-studied benefits of medicinal mushrooms:

• Anti-inflammatory effects
• Immune-boosting properties
• Antiviral and antimicrobial actions
• Anticancer effects
• Neuroprotective benefits
• Blood sugar balancing properties
• Cardiovascular benefits
• Liver protection
• Adaptogenic and anti-stress activity
• Increased energy, stamina and athletic performance

The rich nutritional profile of mushrooms explains many of their health impacts. Mushroom tea made from chaga, turkey tail, reishi and other species provides us with B vitamins, vitamin D, potassium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, amino acids, and antioxidant plant pigments like polyphenols.

Choosing the Best Mushrooms for Tea

With over 2,000 edible mushroom species growing across the world, how do you know which kinds make the best tea?

Some of the top mushroom varieties used to produce healing teas include:

• Chaga: Potently anti-inflammatory, immune supportive and DNA protective
• Reishi: Adaptogenic, balancing, and calming with extensive health benefits
• Lion’s mane: Supports brain health, memory, focus and cognitive function
• Cordyceps: Boosts energy, endurance, athletic ability, and vitality
• Turkey tail:Packed with antimicrobial substances to support immune defense
• Maitake: Regulates hormones and metabolism, balances blood sugar
• Shiitake: Anti-cancer and cholesterol optimizing properties

These mushrooms have the strongest evidence behind their medicinal effects. But many other mushroom types also make nutrient-dense teas.

How to Make Delicious Mushroom Tea at Home

Ready to tap into the health powers of medicinal mushrooms? Making refreshing mushroom tea at home is simple.

Ingredients

Making basic mushroom tea calls for just two ingredients:

• Dried medicinal mushrooms
• Water

For best flavor, you can optionally add:

• Fresh lemon juice
• Raw honey
• Ginger, cinnamon, licorice root or other herbs
• Tea leaves (green, oolong or herbal blends)

Equipment

To brew mushroom tea, you’ll need:

• Tea kettle
• Teapot, French press or other heat-safe brewing container
• Fine mesh strainer
• Cups or mugs for serving

Instructions

Follow these simple steps to make the perfect cup of shroom tea:

1. Bring water (filtered, spring or mineral is best) to a rapid boil in a tea kettle
2. Add approximately 1⁄4 oz dried mushrooms per cup of tea to your heat-safe brewing container
3. Pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms
4. Let steep for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours to fully extract the medicinal compounds
5. Strain the solids from the finished mushroom tea
6. Add lemon, honey or other preferred flavors
7. Enjoy your nourishing cup of mushroom tea, either chilled or warmed

Repeated boiling of mushroom tea will intensify its healing powers but may lead to a more bitter taste.

Mushroom Tea Recipe Variations

Once you have the basic mushroom tea technique down, feel free to get creative with ingredients!

We recommend starting simple with a single mushroom type to learn its specific effects and taste. Then you can begin blending mushrooms and adding herbs, sweeteners, or green and black teas to produce your own signature healing tea recipes.

For example, combining reishi and chaga mushrooms makes an adaptogenic tea that’s excellent for daily stress support. Or lion’s mane mushroom pairs well with matcha green tea. Adding licorice root can boost the antimicrobial power of turkey tail mushroom tea.

Potential Side Effects and Safety Precautions

For most people, drinking mushroom tea poses little to no risk. But like with all foods and supplements, side effects are possible:

• Digestive upset or reactions to particular mushroom types in sensitive individuals
• Blood thinning effects in high amounts, especially with reishi mushroom
• Stimulant or sedative effects depending on the mushroom and dose
• Allergic responses are rare but possible
• Negative drug interactions, especially with immune modulating medications

Consult your integrative healthcare provider before making mushroom tea if you are taking any over the counter or prescription medications.

To avoid complications, start slowly with mushroom tea. Only use high quality mushrooms from reputable suppliers.

Who Should Avoid Mushroom Tea

The following groups should exercise caution with mushroom tea:

• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• People with autoimmune conditions
• Anyone with a compromised immune system
• People taking blood thinners or immunosuppressant drugs
• Anyone with a mushroom or fungus allergy

For children, the elderly, those with chronic diseases or taking medication, consult a doctor or registered dietitian before consuming medicinal mushrooms.

The Bottom Line on Mushroom Tea Benefits

Mushroom tea made from reishi, chaga, lion’s mane and other healing fungi can be a nutrient-dense addition to your wellness routine.

Compounds found naturally in medicinal mushrooms offer a spectrum of evidence-based health benefits, from fighting inflammation to defending against chronic diseases. Drinking mushroom tea allows you to easily access these powerful nutrients.

Of course, research on many of the touted medicinal mushroom benefits remains in preliminary stages. Well-designed clinical trials in humans are still needed on certain mushroom species and their isolated compounds.

But considering their safety record, lack of side effects for most people, and clinically demonstrated advantages, mushroom tea certainly looks to be overall good for health.

So think about brewing a cup of chaga reishi tea or lion’s mane matcha next time you want to relax with a soothing and potentially therapeutic drink!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.