If you’ve been following my work for a while, you’ll know I’m a huge proponent of adrenal adaptogens (plants and mushrooms which help to balance your stress response). I regularly recommend them in my clinic to support hormonal balance, particularly for those with high stress lifestyles or experiencing perimenopausal symptoms such as anxiety and brain fog (1). 

One way I personally introduced adaptogens into my daily routine is with Pardasa’s seamoss and chaga gel and now Pardasa have raised the bar, once again. 

They’ve created a deliciously smooth mushroom coffee (100% Arabica nonetheless) designed to provide you with energy, clarity and balance, with the added benefits of being infused with sea moss and combined with maca and ashwagandha. 

So let’s look at the benefits of this alternative to your morning brew….

This coffee packs the mighty punch of a trio of well researched mushrooms:

  • Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis)

  • Lion’s mane (Hericium Erinaceus) 

  • Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Cordyceps will be bringing the energy! Studies suggest that supplementing with this species of mushroom will improve exercise performance and wellness (2). They found significant increases in metabolic and ventilatory thresholds (meaning you can train at a higher intensity before lactic acid kicks in).

Lions mane’s secret power is clarity. Studies have shown that it contains particular compounds that stimulate the growth of brain cells. It’s also been found to reduce symptoms of memory loss (3, 4, 5, 6). 

Chaga’s adaptogenic properties bring a unique sense of balance, levelling out your stress response and mood. This is particularly beneficial when drinking a stimulant like caffeine, meaning this coffee blend can enhance the cognitive benefits of caffeine without the jitters! (7). 

These mushrooms are also packed full of antioxidants and host many other benefits such as immune support (8), heart health (9) and blood sugar balance (10)


Now what really sets this coffee apart from other mushroom coffees, is that it’s also infused with sea moss which is packed full of nutrients such as vitamin C, magnesium, iodine and omega 3. Furthermore, when seamoss comes into contact with water it forms a mucilage which gives the coffee it’s smooth creamy texture.

This mucilage is a type of soluble fibre which feeds your good gut bacteria, can help to alleviate irregular bowel movements (constipation/diarrhoea) and can also slow the absorption of glucose (sugar) by lining the digestive tract. In theory, this could also slow the absorption of caffeine, again further reducing any caffeine-induced jitters.

Finally, this superpowered drink also contains maca and ashwagandha, two other well researched adaptogens which I regularly use in my clinical practice (11,12). 

This mushroom coffee is an adaptogenic all round win for me. 

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REFERENCES:

  1. Chen, S et al. ‘Effect of Cs-4 (Cordyceps sinensis) on Exercise Performance in Healthy Older Subjects: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial’ Journal of Alternative Complement Medicine. 2010 May; 16(5): 585–590. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110835/

  2. Kushairi, N et al. ‘Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.:Fr.) Pers. Suppresses H2O2-Induced Oxidative Damage and LPS-Induced Inflammation in HT22 Hippocampal Neurons and BV2 Microglia’ Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 August; 8(8): 261. lhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6720269/

  3. Tsai-Teng, T et al.’Erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelium ameliorates Alzheimer's disease-related pathologies in APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice’ Journal of Biomedical Science. 2016 Jun 27;23(1):49.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27350344/

  4. Zhang, J et al. ‘The Neuroprotective Properties of Hercicium erinaceus in Glutamate-damaged Differentiated PC12 cells and an Alzehimer’s disease mouse model’ International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2016 November; 17(11):1810. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5133811/

  5. Cheng, J et al. ‘High molecular weight of polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus against amyloid beta-induced neurotoxicity’ BMC Complement Alternative Medicine. 2016 June; 16:170.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895996/

  6. Panossian A, et al. ‘Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress - Protective Activity’ Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010 Jan 19; 3(1): 188 -224. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991026/

  7. Boolani, A et al. ‘Caffeine-Containing, Adaptogeni-Rich Drink Modulates the Effects of Caffeine in Mental Performance and Cognitive Parameters: A Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial’ Nutrients. 2020 July;  12 (7): 1922. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7399841

  8. Ook Kim, Y et al. ‘Immuno-stimulating effects of the endo-polysaccharide produced by submerged culture of Inonotus obliquus’ Life Science. 2005 September 23;77(19):2438-56. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15970296/

  9. Liang, L et al. ‘Effect of the Inonotus Obliquus Polysaccharides on Blood Lipid Metabolism and Oxidative Stress of Rats Fed High-Fat diet in Vivo’ 2nd International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Informatics. 2009, China. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5305591

  10. Sun, J et al. ‘Antihyperglycemic and antilipidperoxidative effects of dry matter of culture broth of Inonotus obliquus in submerged culture on normal and alloxan-diabetes mice’ Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2008 Jun 19;118(1):7-13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18434051/

  11. Speers, A et al. ‘Effects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on Stress and the Stress-Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia’ Current Neuropharmacology. 2021 September 14; 19(9): 1468- 1495. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8762185/

  12. Gonzales, G. ‘Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands’ Evidenced Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2012: 193496. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21977053/