How best to use medicinal mushrooms can be a little confusing, we hear you! This was one of the main reasons we crafted our Adaptogenic Blends Dawn, Day and Dusk, to offer a simple and delicious way to enjoy the benefits of medicinal mushrooms.
As food substances, medicinal mushrooms are incredibly versatile and can be incorporated into endless recipes. In this journal entry, we delve into different ways to enjoy your mushies and experience their elevating health benefits.
Medicinal Mushrooms as a Tonic Tea
Our preferred way of enjoying our mushies is straight up with a ¼ teaspoon added to a warm cup of water to make a tonic tea. This allows you to not only experience the flavour and the qualities of the individual mushrooms but allows you access to the benefits in an unadulterated form.
It’s also so incredibly easy. Pop the kettle on, add your mushroom extract, stir a couple of times and you’re ready to sit back and enjoy your mushroom tonic tea. Our Inner Atlas extracts are 100% pure mushroom with no fillers and a high extract ratio; in the case of Chaga the extract ratio is 20:1 meaning 20 kg of raw Chaga creates 1 kg of extract powder. These combined factors mean our extracts are 100 % water-soluble.
With their rich, dark flavour profiles, two of our favourite mushies to enjoy in this way are Chaga and Reishi. In modern history, Chaga has been noted as being used across the Baltic Regions as a coffee substitute - what we call a Chaga Long Black is always a mid-morning go-to for us. And we make no secret about our devotion to a cup of Reishi right before bed to help promote a peaceful sleep.
Medicinal Mushrooms in Coffee or Tea
One of the first ways we started enjoying medicinal mushrooms all those years ago was by adding them to coffee, and this widespread trend is only growing. With their anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant profiles, medicinal mushrooms can go a long way to help mitigate some of the unwanted side effects of caffeine.
We don’t tend to have a coffee every day to give our adrenals a chance to relax, but let’s face it, some days just call for one. If it’s a coffee day for us at Inner Atlas HQ we love adding some Cordyceps and maybe a bit of Turkey Tail. Their flavour profiles work well with coffee and come with immune and performance benefits.
Mushies also work really well in a cup of herbal or English Breakfast tea. We particularly love Reishi in tulsi or chamomile tea to help enhance the relaxing benefits.
Medicinal Mushrooms in Juice or Smoothies
Medicinal Mushrooms are an effortless addition to your favourite juice or smoothie and another easy way to incorporate mushies into your daily routine. Our breakfast of choice is a smoothie loaded with berries, nuts and avocado. For inspiration check out our Rise and Shine Smoothie with Inner Atlas Dawn Blend including Cordyceps and Turkey Tail.
Medicinal Mushrooms in Savoury Meals
Our fully-extracted Inner Atlas mushies aren’t sensitive to heat meaning you can cook them into any recipe and experience the benefits. Your mushies can be blended in or made the star of the recipe adding to the flavour profile. We often add Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail to soup stocks and we’ve also shared our favourite salad dressing recipe with Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Ginger and Carrot. It’s super warming and vibrant and elevates any mix of leafy greens.
Medicinal Mushrooms in Dessert
Medicinal mushrooms often aren’t the first thing we think of when we go to create something sweet, but they can be used to supercharge any recipe with their phytonutrients, antioxidants, beta-d-glucans and minerals. We particularly love combining the rich dark flavours of Reishi and Chaga with chocolate, check out our Dreamy Chocolate Hazelnut and Reishi Brownies and thank us later! The slight salty tones of Lion’s Mane work really well with caramel-like flavours, and as for Tremella, well where do we start? With its quietly sweet, malty flavour Tremella is a dessert all on its own. We must admit we often eat Tremella directly out of its pouch, using a clean spoon each time of course. Another favourite of ours is sprinkling Tremella over our favourite coconut yoghurt, and if we’re feeling a little indulgent, adding a dash of maple syrup. It gives us crème brulee vibes!
Adaptogenic Blends
Last but not least our Inner Atlas Adaptogenic Blends were created for you to enjoy medicinal mushrooms with ease. Stir 2 heaped teaspoons into a warm milk of choice (we love coconut) for a delicious cacao latte in the case of Dawn and Dusk, and maca latte in the case of Day Blend.
Can I Combine Medicinal Mushrooms?
A question we get asked is if medicinal mushrooms can be combined. The answer is absolutely! Different medicinal mushrooms work in synergy with each other so we’d encourage you to consider their individual benefits and work from there. It’s important to consider the dosage and adjust the quantities of each mushroom you’re taking so as to not overdo it in one sitting. ¼ - ½ teaspoon at a time is a great place to start. And if you’re new to medicinal mushrooms we’d recommend starting out with just one or two varieties so you’re able to notice the potential benefits. Often when we’re trying something new there’s a tendency to get excited and take all the mushies all at once, but then it can be a little harder to identify which mushie you feel is really working for you.
Let us know in the comments below how you enjoy your mushies. The more creative the better. We’d love to hear from you!
