Mushrooms have recently gained much-deserved attention as an effective replacement for caffeine, providing many potential health advantages over directly consuming mushrooms or their powder. While direct consumption does have its own set of benefits, drinking tea made from whole or ground mushroom powder may provide another effective means of reaping its many advantages – for instance improving immune function, helping treat cancer prevention, improving exercise performance and overall performance enhancement. Mushroom tea has even become so popular that an industry has sprouted around it! Before adding mushroom teas into your daily routine though it’s essential to understand all its scientific aspects before adding it into your daily regimen – for that we consulted registered dietitians to assess if these trendy beverages actually measure up against their claims.

What Is Mushroom Tea? Mushroom tea is a beverage created by steeping various mushrooms – often functional fungi such as Reishi and Chaga – into hot water for several minutes to produce an aromatic beverage suitable as morning wake-up, afternoon pick-me-up or bedtime beverage. Many choose to create their own mushroom tea from fresh or dried mushrooms in hot water while commercial products also utilize similar ingredients.

Mushroom teas may contain psilocybin, a psychoactive compound with possible psychedelic effects. Microdosers tend to favor these beverages as a method for precisely dosing themselves with this compound; usually taking 30-60 minutes after ingestion as tea depending on metabolic and environmental factors.

Mushroom teas have long been touted for their anti-cancer, immunity enhancing, weight management and blood sugar controlling properties, among other touted properties. While some research backs these claims up – for example one study conducted by Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found reishi extract may boost immunity while fighting fatigue; MarketWatch reports citing another research paper as saying cordyceps may aid in improving exercise performance but more studies must be completed before making this claim definitively true.

Though evidence for mushroom’s health benefits is growing, it’s always advisable to speak to your healthcare provider or dietitian before adding mushroom supplements into your diet. Certain varieties can be dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and they could interact with medications or cause side effects; talking to an healthcare provider about mushroom tea could help determine whether it’s suitable for you while keeping you safe.