Not All Types of Mushrooms Are Created Equal — Different Mushroom Tea Recipes for Different Moods

April 21, 2020

For many, mushrooms may be best used as an addition to a pizza or thrown into a stir fry.

However, did you know that mushrooms are some of the most nutrient-dense edible organisms on the planet?

In fact, some mushrooms have no culinary tradition but have been brewed exclusively as a tea for centuries to reap the benefits of nourishing antioxidants, vitamins, and adaptogenic chemicals, to name a few, that can benefit your health in a number of ways.

Mushroom tea recipes leveraging the nutritional characteristics of the different types of mushrooms are one of the best ways to benefit from all that mushrooms have to offer. They’re delicious, and hot water can make it easier to digest the mushrooms and absorb their precious nutrients.

Mushroom tea is also a great way to get the nutrients into your daily routine quickly and easily.

However, not all types of mushrooms are the same. Each mushroom tea recipe is unique, providing its own benefits. So, depending on what kind of mood you’re in, the mushroom tea recipe that suits your fancy may vary. As a whole, though, medicinal mushrooms have been highly revered for their immune-supporting benefits.

Let’s look at some key differences between types of mushroom teas and how each can benefit you.

Local & Organic Are the Key to All Mushroom Teas

First, we should start with something basic: local and organic mushrooms are essential to enjoying mushroom tea benefits.

Why?

To start, imported mushrooms from non-local sources can be sourced from anywhere. You have no idea whether the mushrooms in non-local teas are coming from a proper & healthy farm or if it’s coming from a place with contaminated soil, water, or other subpar conditions.

Locally sourced mushrooms give you a better guarantee that they’re coming from a trustworthy and healthy source.

The same idea applies to organic mushrooms. Non-organically grown mushrooms could be processed, absorb harmful toxins and chemicals from the growing process, and overall become contaminated with chemicals and processing compounds that you do not want to be putting in your body.

All of our mushroom tea recipes at Tamim Teas have locally sourced and organic mushrooms for these reasons. We strongly believe that organic mushroom tea is the most healthful and safe way to ingest mushrooms.

Energy: Chaga & Maitake

Are you looking to replace your daily cup of coffee with a healthier kind of morning drink? There are numerous studies that showcase the harmful effects of caffeine on the body, including jitters, caffeine “crashes”, addiction & withdrawal symptoms, headaches, increased blood pressure, and more [1].

However, many of us still need that energy boost in the morning (...and afternoon) to get us going. For those of us who need a little liquid energy, mushroom tea recipes containing maitake and/or chaga mushrooms are going to be your best bet.

Chaga mushrooms provide an amazing energy boost without the crash or addiction of caffeine or coffee. One study found that animals given chaga mushrooms fatigue less quickly and found that their overall endurance was extended [2].

Maitake mushrooms are another functional mushroom well-known for their energy-boosting qualities. Scientists hypothesize that this is because maitake mushrooms are packed with B vitamins, which are linked to energy and metabolism [3].

Tamim Teas has a few mushroom tea recipes containing chaga and maitake. Our Chaga Chai is one of our most popular blends and perfect for your morning pick-me-up. And our Lion-Maitake Clarity is perfect for an energy boost to get ready to focus on a busy day ahead.

Relaxation: Reishi

Perhaps you are looking for something that’s a little more soothing to help the troubles from your day (or week) melt away.

For that, reishi mushroom tea is going to do the trick.

A steaming cup of Tamim Teas’ Reishi Delight can help you unwind & destress. How?

Studies show that participants who regularly ingested reishi mushrooms found that their anxiety decreased and they generally found their wellbeing improved [4 and 5].

But who says you can’t have the best of both worlds? Sometimes you need a bit of an energy boost, but you don’t want to feel jittery and hyper like you can with coffee or soda.

That’s why we created our Reishi-Chaga Boost to give you the benefits of less fatigue with the added bonus of relaxation.

Focus: Lion’s Mane

Have a ton of work to get done one day? Trying to finish that book you started a year ago? What about a big presentation you have to work on?

To get dialed into your tasks for the day with laser focus, try a mushroom tea recipe with lion’s mane mushroom. In its long history, Buddhist monks were known to use lion’s mane to help them focus and meditate for days, weeks, and months at a time [6].

Modern science supports this idea that lion’s mane helps you focus. One study showed that lion’s mane mushrooms have the potential to improve memory, focus, and cognition [7].

Another study found that lion’s mane has the potential to decrease compounds in the brain that can lead to reduced focus & cognition as we age [8].

“Clarity” is right in the name of our Lion’s Mane Tea Blend (Lion-Maitake Clarity) making it the perfect companion for long nights of studying or a long day at your desk.