Magic Mushroom Drinks: Cocoa, Coffee, Elixir
I have a new love. it’s homemade flavored beverages—from teas to fruit syrups with fizzy water. And I have just added some new mushroom supplement beverages, sent to me from Four Sigmatic. I am calling them Magic Mushroom Drinks!
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Drinks
Four Sigmatic “was founded with the goal of cutting through all of the hype and helping people eat more of the world’s most scientifically studied superfoods, like mushrooms.” They wanted to make them easy to incorporate in your diet, “no more fads, no more pills, and no more capsules.” Their mushroom drinks were even named one of the top 10 products at Paleof(x), a holistic wellness conference this spring. Making healthy foods easy–what a concept! They even donate a portion of proceeds from each sale to Boarding 4 Breast Cancer, a non-profit foundation focused on breast cancer prevention.
I tried three different mushroom drinks—coffee, cocoa, and “elixir”. Hmmm, magic mushrooms… now in cocoa. Yup the 70’s girl in me sure came out for these. But seriously, there isn’t any of that kind of “magic” in these 😉 !
I’d already heard good things about the health value of mushrooms so I decided to do some internet research. When I looked up the mushrooms (Chaga, Reishi and Cordyceps) in these drinks, I found a variety of potential benefits from anti-inflammatory to antioxidant to immune boosting. Anti-inflammatory?? My arthritic left hip (which is what happens when you mix hip dysplasia with ballet) was almost jeté-ing for joy.
But how would they taste?
I decided to try the mushroom coffee first (being a serious coffee addict)—and I admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, even blended with both Chaga and Cordyceps mushrooms, it tastes like… coffee. Yes! Packaged in individual servings, it would be great for traveling or bringing to work. The only downside was the 7 oz. size (vs my usual 12+).
Coffee Mushroom Drink
Next I tried the cocoa containing Reishi which may benefit the immune system (see WebMD for more information). I mixed it up with hot water and spritzed it with some whipped cream. Yup, tastes like cocoa, imagine that. This would be perfect come fall!
Cocoa Mushroom Drink with whipped cream
Finally, I tried the elixir which contains the mushroom Chaga. Used in Russia as a folk remedy for ages, Sloan Kettering says that laboratory and animal studies show it may inhibit cancer, stimulate the immune system & reduce inflammation. Unfortunately, after blending straight with hot water, I found the elixir rather bitter. So I popped in a favorite tea bag, added a few drops of stevia and some tart cherry juice, then served it over ice for a nice iced tea. Problem solved. (I have since mixed this into coffee with success as well.)
Mushroom Drink Elixir in Iced Tea
I can’t wait to pull these into my normal beverage routine and see if I notice a difference. If you are interested in try for yourself, you can use the discount code: artofnaturalliving for 15% of on their website, good through July 31, 2016.
Disclaimer: none of this is intended as medical advice. Consult MD before use if pregnant lactating or under medical care.
