Mushroom Monday - Fungi Tea Routine

Looks like its another #mushroommonday deep in the heart of winter.

It has been snowing like crazy here so I haven't been able to forage wild mushrooms lately. Instead I have to post a daily routine involving mushrooms. This is my morning mushroom tea. The recipe involves making a spiced chai tea base then adding mushroom powder along with cocoa, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, honey and almond milk. It may look kind of weird (mud drink) or sound like it may taste weird but it is actually similar to a nice Indian chai tea in taste.

The main ingredient is this organic mushroom powder composed of 10 different mushroom species that all have medicinal qualities.

The mushroom powder itself has a bland taste with an aftertaste of mushroom aroma, kind of similar to saw dust lol but it mixes well with chocolate and tasty spice flavors so you can hide the sawdust flavor quite easily.

Here is the full list of mushrooms in this concoction. Most of them I can actually find or grow them myself.

Lion's Mane - I can find it wild and grow it indoors as well. This supports memory, focus and clarity with nerve regenerative properties.
Reishi - I have found wild specimens and have grown it from kits. This is clinically proven to reduce blood pressure and it has many other anticancer properties.
Cordyceps - This is one I have not found wild and can't grow it because it is a complex mushroom grown on caterpillars lol. This one gives you a clean energy boost similar to vitamin B12.
Turkey Tail - This grows everywhere around here. This one helps your immune system and provides vitamin d and anticancer properties.
Chaga - I can only find this out in the wild far up north. Chaga is useful for killing cancer cells.
King Trumpet - These can be found in stores and can be grown from kits. This is a good source of protein and it has anti-oxidants.
Maitake - I find these in fall but they can also be bought from the store easily. These are tasty and they help keep blood sugar in check.
Antrodia Camphorata - This is a strange polypore mushroom that I have never seen for sale or encountered in the wild. The reason for this is that it grows in Taiwan on a specific species of tree, very expensive and rare. Apparently its good for your liver.
Shiitake - This is a very common mushroom easily found in stores and grown from kits. This one has many health benefits for detoxing the body.
Agaricus Blazei - This is a mushroom from Brazil that is farmed for its health benefits. There is lots of research pointing to its reduction in prostrate cancer.

I also add turmeric and black pepper to the tea to get an anti-inflammatory benefit, it is as potent as taking an aspirin or even an aleve. The cinnamon I add is for taste but it also helps reduce blood pressure. Overall it is quite a healthy and tasty tea.

Here is some lion's mane I grew from a kit. This is quite versatile, you can cook it, dry/powder it or even make tinctures from it for its medicinal qualities.

Here is some reishi I grew from a kit. This isn't tasty at all but once you powder it the taste is neutral and can be hidden with more powerful spice tastes.

Here is some turkey tail, very common around here. Just peel it off the tree then let it dry and powder it.

This is what wild Maitake looks like. This specimen is a bit old but you can get perfect specimens from the store easily or even grow them from a kit. The older dried species can be harvested to powder for tea.

The powder I buy at the store is quite expensive but lasts a long time. I suspect it is super expensive because of the rare mushrooms in it like Antrodia Camphorata or Agaricus Blazei. For the most part it would be quite easy to make this powder yourself and save yourself $25 bucks a bag.

That's all for now, happy #mushroommonday :-)