Adaptogenic Mushroom Coffee

What is mushroom coffee?

Mushroom coffee is a mix of coffee and extracts of medicinal mushrooms, such as Cordyceps or Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), and other adaptogens that work synergistically. I believe that most of you, who read articles on our blog, know what adaptogens are (1).

There is an absolutely fantastic book on adaptogens written by the founder of Anima Mundi, Adriana Ayales. You can find it in English here.

Adaptogens?

If you have somehow missed the information, don’t worry. I will explain it simply: Adaptogenic plants, mushrooms, and even legumes contain substances that can literally adapt to your internal environment (2). In every moment, they provide us exactly what we need.

This means that adaptogenic coffee blends can help us reduce stress, while also minimising the negative effects of coffee and enhancing the positive ones (3). However, even here the universal principle that states that the difference between medicine and poison is in the dose is applicable. So no, you cannot drink 10 coffees in a day and expect no undesirable effects. You can overdose even with such a beneficial drink. There will be a notable difference, however, if I drink my optimal dose of “normal” coffee or treat myself to adaptogenic mushroom coffee. Put simply, mushroom coffee does not cause the typical jitters and fluctuations in energy levels associated with coffee drinking, as its effects are more stable and spread over time. There will be neither such a dramatic rise nor slump in energy.

There is currently no formula capable of providing a synthetic substitute for this phenomenon.

Adaptogenic plants include Rhodiola rosea or ginseng, for instance. Mushrooms that count as adaptogens as, for example, chaga, lion’s mane, or Cordyceps. Mucuna pruriens - velvet beans - is a representative of legumes among adaptogens. We will dedicate more space and time to adaptogens in our next articles and videos. They certainly deserve special attention and in-depth coverage.

Medicinal mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms have been gaining popularity over the last couple of years, and it is logical - they belong to the group of adaptogens, which help us reduce stress in today’s rushed world. They literally adapt to our internal environment and help our body to better manage stress of all kinds - physical, mental, and emotional (4).

At Systers we took our time to find a company that we believe meets our high standards of moral values and philosophy of production. It is London Nootropics, gentlemen from London. Their microground coffee blend contains 6% freshly ground coffee, while the rest is made up of dried instant coffee powder and is tested for heavy metals, toxins, and mould.

However, the production process is not as simple as you might think. It is not a question of happening upon chaga growing on a birch on your forest walk - assuming you are lucky enough to find one - drying the mushroom and then consuming it or dropping it in alcohol.

Mushrooms’ cellular structure differs from that of plants. The main building blocks of plant cell walls are the easily digestible cellulose. That means we can obtain nutrients from plants easily. Mushrooms, on the other hand, have chitin cell walls that our body cannot break down and absorb easily. If you wish to draw the benefits of medicinal mushrooms, the beneficial substances contained in them must be extracted. What does such a process look like?

These London gentlemen use an 8:1 fruiting body dual-extract of lion’s mane with 21.1%* beta-glucans and a pure 10:1 fruiting body dual-extract of Cordyceps with 0.379%* cordycepin and 25.4%* beta-glucans. It is important to ensure that lion’s mane and Cordyceps contain a high amount of beneficial active compounds, which are beta-glucans, hericenones, hericerins, erinacines and cordycepin. All ingredients are of course organic.

I really like the combinations these guys came up with. They have three main players:

MOJO: Premium coffee, Cordyceps mushroom extract, Siberian ginseng extract

FLOW: Premium coffee, lion’s mane mushroom extract, Rhodiola rosea extract

ZEN: Premium coffee, ashwagandha root extract (KSM 66 - the best one in the market, here you can find it separately on our e-shop), broad spectrum water-soluble CBD (0% THC)

I would recommend drinking MOJO from autumn to spring, as it contains Cordyceps. Traditional Chinese medicine teaches us that this mushroom should be used preferably in winter months. My favourite variety is FLOW because it contains lion’s mane, an utterly fantastic mushroom that increases the neuroplasticity of the brain, improves focus and has so many benefits in general, that I will dedicate at least one entire animated video to it. It also contains my favourite adaptogenic herb with nootropic effects, Rhodiola rosea (5). An absolutely ideal combination! One cup of this coffee is enough for you to create all day long, like a unicorn.

Nootropics

What does it mean when some plant or mushroom has nootropic effects? What are nootropics? You will hear a lot more about these substances because they are becoming increasingly popular, mainly the natural ones, such as coffee, Rhodiola rosea, or Brahmi. It is really true, caffeine is considered the most popular nootropic in the world. First let’s take a look at what nootropics are.

Nootropics are compounds that have the capacity to improve cognitive functions, focus, memory and mental clarity, while also protecting our brain during their work. Isn’t it brilliant? Sometimes they are called smart drugs, but not all smart drugs are nootropics (more about it in a different article) (6, 7).

Why mushroom coffee?

There are several reasons why adaptogens, such as medicinal mushrooms, and coffee are a perfect pairing. The first reason is that adaptogenic coffee provides all the benefits of regular coffee while minimising any undesirable side-effects. Caffeine is a nootropic, it increases our alertness and attention by blocking adenosine receptors (that cause sleepiness). On the other hand, it can also increase our cortisol levels (our stress hormone), resulting in nervousness or anxiety, especially in persons whose nervous system is overloaded due to everyday stress and who need to reduce the amount of stimulants. Adaptogens may help regulate our cortisol levels, allowing us to enjoy our coffee, get the benefits of caffeine, and also minimise stress (8)!

In all honesty, we live in a hectic world. I meet ever more people whose nervous system is overstimulated. There are even people among them, who work with passion and feel completely fulfilled, live a healthy life, even meditate.???? This is often not enough, though, and such overload can result in burnout. To have more energy, we don’t necessarily need to stimulate our nervous system incessantly. On the contrary, balance is the path to success.

Another reason is that caffeine is absorbed quickly and we can feel its benefits within 15 minutes of consumption, but it can also lead to undesirable effects described above, such as jitters.

When you have a meeting and your partner keeps shaking their leg, tapping their foot, or keeps fidgeting, you might not trust the person very much. There is a reason for that. Their nervous system is probably overstimulated or overloaded, they are therefore nervous, lack inner peace, and so their capacity for rational thinking is decreased. No wonder we tend to trust people who exude inner peace more than people who appear fidgety.

Adaptogens, such as medicinal mushrooms, can offer us stable energy levels without such undesirable side-effects. Cordyceps, for example, is known for its ability to boost our ATP, the energy molecule, which makes it the ideal pick-me-up before athletic performance or when we feel tired. We use Cordyceps on our winter expeditions, we serve it to the participants before breathing techniques because oxygen then travels to cells more efficiently (9). As I mentioned before, however, this mushroom should ideally be consumed from autumn to spring. I recommend taking a break in the summer.

What does mushroom coffee do?

Mushroom coffee provides a healthier alternative to regular coffee, is just as delicious with a slightly earthier taste. It can help reduce stress and boost your immune system. Medicinal mushrooms are also anti-inflammatory and contain a high amount of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are elements we need to neutralise the free radicals in our bodies, they protect us from cell damage. And that’s not all! They boost our overall health and also contribute to prevention of heart disease and cancer (10). Medicinal mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine in Japanese and Chinese cultures for centuries. It is no wonder that they are so popular today. I am looking forward to presenting to you our mushroom academy that our Systers team are preparing. You can follow us on our YouTube channel.

Does mushroom coffee contain caffeine?

Yes, mushroom coffee contains caffeine, which is a nootropic in itself, and that allows us to get the benefits of regular coffee, such as increased alertness and attention, while also minimising the side-effects, such as jitters and anxiety.

Overall, you may find out that you consume less coffee and less caffeine, as adaptogenic coffee can provide stable levels of energy and focus throughout the day, and you are less likely to experience that unpleasant sensation when the caffeine is running out and we crash.

We still recommend watching your caffeine intake if you know you are sensitive to its effects. It is a good idea to have a DNA caffeine sensitivity test to know whether you can metabolise caffeine quickly or, on the contrary, if you belong to the group of people who take longer to metabolise it. Caffeine is reported to have a half-life of 3-8 hours which means that half of the consumed amount is still in your bloodstream hours after consumption. This can of course affect your sleep. Coffee drinking is therefore not recommended after 2 p.m. This depends on what time you go to bed and how fast you metabolise caffeine, though. If you want caffeine to stay longer in your body, you can combine your coffee with grapefruit juice.