Mushroom coffee, what it is, benefits, caffeine and safety

A mushroom coffee label can list lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps in one scoop. The trials tested these mushrooms on their own, as capsules, powders or extracts, rather than in coffee [1].

Mushroom coffee is coffee mixed with dried mushroom powder or extract. Small trials of lion's mane have found improvements on some memory and thinking tests, though not on others [1]. The coffee part works like any coffee, caffeine included [2].

What is mushroom coffee?

Mushroom coffee is ground or instant coffee blended with powdered mushrooms. Common choices are lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps. Some blends add other ingredients, such as cacao or adaptogen herbs.

The mushroom part can be the fruiting body, the part you'd see on a tree, or the mycelium, the root-like threads. Mycelium is often grown on grain, and tests of some grain-grown products found they were mostly grain [3].

Chaga isn't a cap and stem at all. It grows as a black, cracked lump on birch trees.

What are the benefits of mushroom coffee?

Mushroom coffees are sold for focus, energy and calm. Each mushroom has its own evidence, from trials of the mushroom on its own rather than in coffee.

• Lion's mane. Small trials found improvements on some memory and thinking tests, with mixed results overall [1]. Early
• Cordyceps. Small exercise trials found better endurance in some and no change in others [4]. Mixed
• Chaga and reishi. We found no trial of either in a coffee or other drink.

No health claim is authorised in Great Britain for lion's mane, chaga, reishi or cordyceps [5]. So a pack can't legally promise that the mushrooms improve focus, energy or immunity.

Our guide to cordyceps covers its trials in more detail.

What does lion's mane coffee do?

Lion's mane is in many mushroom coffees. Its trials gave it as capsules, tablets, powder or food, at 1 g to 10 g a day [1].

In a UK trial, 41 healthy adults who took 1.8 g a day in capsules for 28 days were quicker on a thinking task an hour after their first dose. Their other test results didn't change [6]. In a Japanese trial, 31 adults over 50 who took 3.2 g a day of powdered fruiting body for 12 weeks improved on one of three memory and thinking tests [7].

The closest trial to a drink mixed 3 g of a lion's mane extract into a drink, taken once. Hand skill improved on one test, with no overall change across the tests [8]. Our page of lion's mane studies lists the trials in people, with their doses and lengths.

We found no study of how hot brewing affects lion's mane compounds.

Does mushroom coffee have caffeine?

Yes, if it's made with real coffee. The mushrooms themselves don't add caffeine. A cup of instant coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine [2].

Some blends use less coffee in each serving, so they have less caffeine. Others are coffee-free and use cacao or chicory instead. Check the caffeine per serving on the label.

The NHS advises no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy [2].

Is mushroom coffee safe?

Lion's mane hasn't been linked to liver injury. Trials reported mild stomach complaints, and there's at least one report of an allergic reaction [9].

Chaga is high in oxalate. Case reports describe kidney damage in people who took large amounts of chaga powder for months. In one, a 72-year-old woman had taken 4 to 5 teaspoons a day for 6 months [10]. If you have kidney problems or kidney stones, speak to your GP first.

Cordyceps may add to the effects of diabetes medicines and blood thinners, as our cordyceps guide explains. So check with your GP or pharmacist if you take them.

We found no safety studies of mushroom coffee in pregnancy or breastfeeding, so it's best avoided then.

How to choose a mushroom coffee

Read the label for four things.

1. The mushrooms. Look for each species by name, such as Hericium erinaceus for lion's mane.
2. The part. Fruiting body, mycelium, or mycelium grown on grain [3].
3. The amount. The weight of each mushroom in a serving, rather than just the blend total.
4. The caffeine. The milligrams in a serving, if you're cutting down.

Where Nooroots fits

Nooroots doesn't make a mushroom coffee. If you'd rather keep your coffee and your lion's mane separate, Nooroots Ashwagandha + Lion's Mane pairs lion's mane fruiting body extract with KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract, in two caffeine-free capsules a day. It's made for calm focus and calm resilience on demanding days. Our guide to lion's mane covers the mushroom itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is mushroom coffee good for you?

Small trials of the mushrooms on their own, mainly lion's mane and cordyceps, have found improvements on some tests and not others [1][4]. We found no trial of mushroom coffee itself.

How much caffeine is in mushroom coffee?

It depends on how much coffee is in each serving. A cup of instant coffee has about 100 mg, and blends with less coffee have less, so check the label [2].

Is mushroom coffee safe to drink every day?

One lion's mane trial gave it daily for 12 weeks, and trials reported mild stomach complaints [7][9]. Large amounts of chaga over months have been linked to kidney damage in case reports [10].

What does lion's mane coffee do?

Trials of lion's mane in capsules and powders, rather than in coffee, found improvements on some memory and thinking tests, with mixed results overall [1].

Does mushroom coffee help you lose weight?

No health claim for weight loss is authorised for any of the mushrooms used [5], and we found no trial of mushroom coffee for weight loss.

Is mushroom coffee better than normal coffee?

Some blends use less coffee per serving than a cup of instant coffee, which has about 100 mg of caffeine [2]. Beyond caffeine, no trial has compared them.

Read more in our guide to cordyceps, one of the mushrooms used in many blends.

References

Every study here is listed so you can read it yourself. This guide is for general information and doesn't replace advice from your GP or pharmacist. We check it again at least every six months.

1. Menon A, Jalal A, Arshad Z, Nawaz FA, Kashyap R (2025). Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition 12: 1641246. PMID 40959699
2. NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy (caffeine). Page last reviewed 15 June 2026. Accessed 26 October 2026. nhs.uk
3. Sweeney LC et al. (2026). Advances in enzymatic measurement of β-glucan in mushrooms, yeast, algae, and dietary supplements. Journal of AOAC International, published online 18 May 2026: qsag041. PMID 42152188
4. Shu MY, Zhang XC, Zuo L, et al. (2025). Effects of fungal supplementation on endurance, immune function, and hematological profiles in adult athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition 12: 1670416. PMID 41280379
5. Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, spreadsheet of 19 May 2026. Accessed 26 October 2026. gov.uk
6. Docherty S, Doughty FL, Smith EF (2023). The acute and chronic effects of lion's mane mushroom supplementation on cognitive function, stress and mood in young adults: a double-blind, parallel groups, pilot study. Nutrients 15(22): 4842. PMID 38004235
7. Saitsu Y, Nishide A, Kikushima K, Shimizu K, Ohnuki K (2019). Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus. Biomedical Research 40(4): 125–131. PMID 31413233
8. Surendran G, Saye J, Binti Mohd Jalil S, et al. (2025). Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (lion's mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study. Frontiers in Nutrition 12: 1405796. PMID 40276537
9. LiverTox (updated 5 January 2024). Lion's mane. LiverTox: clinical and research information on drug-induced liver injury. US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. PMID 38289992
10. Kikuchi Y, Seta K, Ogawa Y, et al. (2014). Chaga mushroom-induced oxalate nephropathy. Clinical Nephrology 81(6): 440–444. PMID 23149251