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As a holistic nutritionist and someone who is deeply curious about how to optimize the human experience, coffee consumption fascinates me. Is it good, is it bad?
Coffee is the most widely consumed drug in North America—and its effects on the body are numerous. It alters our brain chemistry, affects our pH, can demineralize the body, stimulates the nervous system and adrenals, activates liver detoxification processes, has a half-life in the body and can affect our sleep. To its benefit, coffee contains antioxidants, enhances energy, improves brain functions like mood, memory, energy levels, and alertness, and enhances dopamine and the firing of neurons, among other things.
Read: Our Guide To Medicinal Mushrooms: Depression, Immune Support, & More
By adding adaptogenic mushrooms like reishi, chaga and cordyceps to your morning brew, you receive all those benefits while counteracting some of coffee’s stimulating effects. My personal experience has been that a cup of black brewed coffee or an Americano gives me the jitters and makes me crash, however, when I combine it with a full fat coconut milk, medicinal mushrooms, and other beneficial ingredients, I get more of a sustained energy. That’s why I launched Rainbo, a sustainably cultivated medicinal mushroom company. Use our tincture—or create your own—to give this trending new brew a try.
Ingredients
8 oz. brewed coffee (organic, fair trade beans & an AeroPress are my go-to)
1⁄4 cup full fat coconut milk, or milk of choice
4 droppers mushroom tincture (Rainbo’s 11:11 tincture is what I use. Find something available to you: chaga, reishi, lion’s mane and/or cordyceps tincture)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp true cinnamon
1 tsp maca
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp honey or maple syrup (I use Rainbo’s Forest Juice, a medicinal mushroom-infused maple syrup)
Directions
Brew coffee with a pinch of sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender
Blend on high
End result will be a frothy and delicious cup of coffee