Mushroom Powder for Smoothies

Mushroom powders are all becoming extremely popular, mainly due to the plethora of scientific research indicating that these functional mushrooms are beneficial.

Cordyceps, lion’s mane, chaga, reishi, and many more types of mushrooms can have great impacts on your well-being. As you'll see further below, some can help you wake up and provide you with focus, some have antioxidant benefits, and some are great for post-workout recovery. 

There would appear to be a mushroom powder for virtually every situation. Here’s everything you need to know about using mushroom powder for smoothies.

Key Takeaways

• Many adaptogenic or functional mushrooms are known for having a multitude of mental and physical health benefits.
• Reishi, chaga, cordyceps, and lion’s mane can all provide the human body with many different benefits, such as increasing antioxidant levels, delivering energy to muscles, relieving fatigue, cognitive benefits, and more.
•  Keep reading to find out the various benefits that specific mushroom powders have, and which mushroom powders you want to look out for to reap certain rewards.

Find out why chaga mushrooms are so good for weight loss and how to consume chaga powder for the best effects.

Why Put Mushroom Powder in Smoothies?

If you are wondering why you would put mushroom powder in your smoothies, what you're really asking is what all of the different benefits of functional mushrooms are. Let's take a quick look at some of the biggest health boons you get from functional mushrooms.

Antioxidants

Some functional mushrooms contain antioxidants, such as triterpenes or triterpenoids, which may help provide you with immune-boosting benefits. Substances rich in antioxidants help prevent the body from suffering oxidation caused by free radicals. 

Not only does this benefit the immune system, but it may also benefit brain health. Antioxidants are also known for preventing a wide variety of diseases.

ATP and Energy Delivery to Muscles

There are also other mushrooms, such as cordyceps, which have the ability to deliver more energy to the muscles and throughout the rest of the body. 

Evidence suggests that cordyceps may help to increase the production of ATP, otherwise known as adenosine triphosphate, which helps deliver more energy to the muscles. 

This can help athletes improve their physical performance, energy levels and fight fatigue. Find out what some other great energy boosters are right here!

Cognitive Enhancement

If we are talking about brain health, functional mushrooms can help on this front. 

For instance, there are two specific compounds, erinacines and hericenones, both of which can be found in the lion's mane mushroom, and these are responsible for stimulating the synthesis of NGF, otherwise known as nerve growth factor. This protein is responsible for the survival and development of neurons or brain cells.

There are also some functional mushrooms that help to increase levels of BDNF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, another reason why cognitive abilities may benefit from functional mushrooms. 

Besides preventing cognitive decline with old age, another cognitive feature that may improve thanks to functional mushrooms is memory retention. Keep reading here if you need some great ways to help you focus!

Anti-Viral

There is also some pretty strong evidence that suggests that mushrooms help boost the immune system, which is thought to be thanks to a variety of compounds, including polysaccharopeptide (PSP), polysaccharide-K (PSK), and antioxidants. 

There is evidence that suggests that consuming certain functional mushrooms can help improve the production of white blood cells, which in turn protect the body from various types of infection.

Sleep Aid

What is interesting to note is that although there are plenty of functional mushrooms out there that can help provide people with increased energy levels, there are also many that can help you sleep better at night. 

Here's a study that suggests that the lion’s mane mushroom may help you get a better night's sleep. This study demonstrates how reishi mushrooms may also help you get a good night’s sleep.

Anti-Inflammatory

Yet another benefit that functional mushrooms bring to the table is that they also have anti-inflammatory properties, which may reduce inflammation throughout the human body. Inflammation can affect everything from your brain to your joints.

Better Mood

There is also some research that suggests that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of various functional mushrooms may also help protect the brain cells and brain nerves from hormone-induced damage, therefore potentially reducing mood-affecting conditions linked to stress or anxiety. 

They may also be able to help preserve the activity and functionality of various mood-controlling neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

How to Choose the Best Mushroom Powder for Your Goal

Now that we know the main benefits of various functional mushrooms let's talk about choosing the best mushroom powder for your goal. If you're looking to make a mushroom smoothie, then you need to have the right types of mushrooms to achieve the goals that you're looking to accomplish.

Waking Up and Focus

Cordyceps are a great way to go if you are looking for higher energy levels. There are studies that show that cordyceps can help the body use oxygen in a more efficient manner, which ultimately helps to enhance blood flow.

Better blood flow and more oxygen should also lead to better energy levels. Furthermore, more oxygen and blood flowing to your brain should help you focus better.

We then have lion’s mane, a mushroom that helps produce more NFG and myelin, both of which are very important for brain health. There are various studies that indicate that this mushroom has the ability to improve memory and overall cognition, as well as concentration.

Reishi may also be a good option to consider here, as it is shown to help sharpen focus, potentially because it helps people sleep better at night. On that note, this mushroom may also be able to help alleviate symptoms associated with anxiety, which can also help with focus.

Boosting Antioxidants

If what you are looking for is a healthy dose of life-saving antioxidants, look no further than the chaga mushroom. The chaga mushroom is well known for being loaded to the brim with a variety of natural antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

As mentioned above, antioxidants are very important for human health for a wide variety of reasons, with immune health being just one of them. 

A very special mushroom known as Ganoderma is known for having some of the highest antioxidant contents in the world! Lion’s mane and turkey tail functional mushrooms both have plenty of antioxidants as well!

Post-Workout Smoothie

As mentioned above, cordyceps are one of the best types of functional mushrooms to go with if you need higher energy levels and post-workout recovery. 

Once again, the reason for this is that cordyceps mushrooms are known to help increase ATP or adenosine triphosphate levels, effectively helping your muscles heal faster while providing you with more energy throughout the day.

Other mushrooms can help on this front, such as chaga, which is shown to help increase the reuptake of glucose into cells, providing you with greater energy. There are also studies that suggest that chaga mushrooms help to produce larger stores of energy in muscles and the liver.

You may also want to check out the reishi mushroom on this front, as it is known for helping to protect against oxidative stress, which can result from extreme exercise. It does so by increasing the amount of antioxidant enzymatic activity in the body, which also has other benefits.

Smoothie Immune-Supportive

What is interesting to note is that virtually every single functional mushroom out there helped to support the immune system in one way or another. Chaga, cordyceps, maitake, oyster, and reishi, among others, can all help to modulate and strengthen the immune system. Click on each of the links to find out exactly how these mushrooms can help to boost your immunity!

Smoothies for Bedtime

As we mentioned in the above section, if you want a good night’s sleep, two of the best functional mushrooms to consider include lion’s mane and reishi. 

It's interesting because these mushrooms are known for providing energy throughout the day but also have benefits that help you sleep throughout the night. This may very well be related to these mushrooms’ potential ability to regulate your mental state and reduce both stress and anxiety.

How to Layer Your Smoothie

If you don't layer your smoothie properly, it might not form a homogeneous mixture and could end up being chunky. 

Therefore, you should always start with your liquids first, then add your powders and sweeteners, leafy greens, soft ingredients, fresh seeds, nuts, and fruits. Finally, the last ingredients should be anything hard or frozen.

How VYU Can Make Your Smoothie Routine Easy

VYU makes your smoothie routine easy thanks to TUNE IN. This is a state-of-the-art drink supplement, a powdered mix of adaptogenic substances, including a wide variety of functional mushrooms.

It contains a blend of cordyceps, lion's mane, and other beneficial ingredients, including, but not limited to, ashwagandha extract, Rhodiola rosea root extract, various B vitamins, alpha GPC, and much more. What's so beneficial about this supplement drink mix is that it contains a wide variety of great ingredients and is very easy to use.

You simply have to mix it in with water, juice, or any other liquid to consume it. It comes in two great flavors, Pink Lemonade and Tropical Punch, both sweet and enjoyable, without extra sugar or caffeine. If you're looking for a bit of a mental and energy boost throughout the day, then TUNE IN is certainly worth considering.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking to make a delicious morning smoothie that can provide you with many benefits, adding some powdered mushrooms is recommended. 

As you can see from above, depending on the specific functional mushroom in question, there are many different benefits that both your mind and body can reap. There's also the fact that functional mushrooms can actually taste great as well.

Mushroom Powders: FAQs

Are Mushroom Powders Actually Good for You?

As you can see from the multitude of research that we have presented above, every indication is that mushroom powders are good for you.

Can You Put Mushroom Powder in a Drink?

Yes, the vast majority of mushroom powders are designed to be mixed in with a drink, such as water or juice.

What Should You Mix Mushroom Powder with?

Mushroom powder should be mixed with either juice or water, but some people may even mix it with coffee or tea.

Can You Put Raw Mushrooms in a Smoothie?

Yes, you can always put raw and plain mushrooms in a smoothie, although there will certainly be quite an earthy flavor.

How to Make a Mushroom Smoothie?

To make a mushroom smoothie, add your powdered mushroom mix of choice, and then choose your liquid, such as water or juice, and a couple of different fruits. You may also add some extra minerals and vitamins in the form of greens, such as kale or spinach.

Can You Put Mushrooms in a Smoothie?

Yes, you can put mushrooms in a smoothie, particularly powdered mushrooms.