Mushroom Coffee?  Herbal Coffee?  Mushroom Hot Chocolate?  No way, you say?

Coffee.  Caffeine.  Morning Cuppa.  Chai.  [Black] Tea.  What is it about those deep dark flavorful aromas that we love to fill our sit down and sip time?  Why is it that with all the energy-boosting methods out there, we turn to caffeine the most?  With the push of a button, that's all we need now for our favorite flavor.  Around every corner you see another coffee shop popping up to fill this addiction.

Kicking the coffee habit during pregnancy or breastfeeding is a great idea...  putting that idea into a practice can be another story, though.  I'm a sucker for the smell of coffee... the flavor... the depth.  I could just sit in a coffee shop just for the smell.  My favorite ice cream blend is chocolate & brownies with a scoop of coffee ice cream.  It is simply intoxicating.  Nevertheless, I cannot drink it regularly.  I will use it after a long birth, or a stressful night.  I'll use it when it gets super cold and there's snow all around and I just want that experience standing on my porch in the crisp morning.  Autumn is a weakness for me, for sure.  And that's why I have this Mushroom Herbal Coffee blend.  I can get my fix, and feel nourished while doing it.

While the consensus is one cup of coffee per day during pregnancy or breastfeeding may be OK... it is not the ideal.  Caffeine, and acidic foods, in any addictive manner can be detrimental to adequate hormonal balance and overall health.  It causes a draining affect on the body and creates a dependency for circulation and tension-relief.  Coffee and black tea can deplete the body of nutrients through their diuretic affect, even when they're decaffeinated.  Coffee and black tea can make it harder to stay hydrated, which effects multiple health aspects, and can effect your milk supply.  Starting out the parenting journey with overall healthy sleep and nutritional habits will be crucial to your future health.  Want to sleep when the baby sleeps?  Need to mellow out your moods?  Try this delicious mushroom herbal coffee alternative to help you break the caffeine, and preservative habit.

This is not just another herbal coffee blend.  This mushroom coffee mix is naturally decaffeinated and nourishing on multiple levels, wonderful for all ages, and can spice up any cool night around the fire.  That being said, as with all herbs that stimulate the digestive and diuretic nature of the blood - they can be overdone.  You can use these blended with coffee to slowly work your way to reducing the caffeine in your daily routine.  Then you can reduce the amount you're relying on these types of drinks altogether where they eventually turn into a treat now and then.  Anything that makes you feel as if you need it to function, be motivated, or relax daily is detrimental to your overall health.  Use sunshine, movement, sleep, and social connection along with a well-balanced habit of whole foods whenever possible to nourish your mind and body, and these treats for now and then or special occasions.

Mushroom Herbal Coffee Key Ingredients

Roasted Dandelion Root - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Dandelion is well known as a liver-supporting herb able to help the body detox while not depleting the body of potassium like many diuretics.  While non-roasted dandelion is the best medicinal form, using a roasted dandelion (even 1/2 roasted and 1/2 not) is a key ingredient in this mushroom herbal coffee blend for a bitter rich flavor.

Roasted Chicory Root - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Chicory root has long been used as an herbal coffee replacement and additive.  You'll see this soft blue colored flower blanket the roadsides through the summer as with most liver-supporting herbs, it grows well in poor soil working to improve the soil conditions for future plants, just as it can improve the conditions of the body for future health.

Roasted Chicory Root gives this blend a dark rich color and the bitterness you know well from your favorite cup of ahh.

Roasted Carob - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

While there are many coffee alternatives, unfortunately, some do lack the rich flavor that we know so well in coffee.  Roasted carob helps to bring back that richness in this mushroom herbal coffee blend.

Carob is often used as cocoa replacement.  You can get it in powder or chopped form, and even sweetened carob chips for cookies.  We're using the chopped form here for flavor and boldness.  It isn't quite as rich as cocoa, but brings a depth to this blend with many nutrients included such as magnesium and calcium.

Burdock Root - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Burdock root, like dandelion root, is wonderful for the liver and detoxification system.  If you're experiencing skin-eruptions and other skin-conditions in pregnancy, burdock is a great support to the liver so it can do its job of removing toxins.  It also has a nice bitter flavor, building up that coffee replacement profile.

Ground Milk Thistle Seed - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Milk Thistle Seed doesn't give this blend much flavor at all; maybe a little nuttiness if anything.  This addition is almost purely for the work it does on the liver.  While most of the other herbs in this blend support the liver through their diuretic and elimination nature, milk thistle has the added benefit of actually improving the liver's ability to regenerate so it functions better overall.  The beauty of the liver is that it has the ability to improve its function and even reverse diseases that are often thought of as incurable.  Because so many in our world aren't nourishing themselves by not only reducing meats, repetitive foods (mono-diets), and reduced processed foods alongside adding healthy doses of greens and a variety of whole vegetables and fruits, they become more and more reliant upon supplementation, medication, and intervention.  Our body only functions if we nourish it well and regularly.  Balanced nourishment (through food, movement, sleep, spiritual and social connection) are the foundation to full-body function.  With that foundation, milk thistle can improve the time the liver regenerates and may also support the body's ability to prevent pregnancy complications like acne, mood imbalances, PUPPS, cholestasis, HELLP and pre-eclampsia.

Reishi Mushroom - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

It is a common belief that a pregnant woman has a decreased immune system.  What if, they were simply not nourishing their body and due to the extra energy to gestate a baby, they became more susceptible to illness?  Reishi is very nourishing to the entire immune system helping you to avoid and fight off viral infections and other disease.  Reishi, like many mushrooms, has a mild flavor and gives this blend more depth.

Cordyceps Mushroom - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Cordyceps are packed with antioxidants and are also thought to improve muscle efficiency in the body, including the circulation system.  They can also help to balance blood sugar levels, something many women are concerned for during pregnancy.  Cordyceps, in powder form, build texture in this blend with more flavorful depth.

Maca Powder - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

Maca is known for improving the health of the blood.  It is high in potassium, b-vitamins, vitamin c, manganese, and iron (even protein).  Maca can also help to balance moods.  The Maca Powder in this herbal coffee blend has a sweet buttery flavor to the mix.

Raw Cacao - Mushroom Herbal Coffee

While not a part of the basic blend, adding raw cacao gives this a mocha or hot chocolate option for kids and adults alike.  There is conflicting information as to if cacao actually contains caffeine or if it only contains a substance that stimulates similarly to caffeine.  Regardless, it adds a bit of an energy boost and depth of flavor.  Why raw cacao?  Because it has more nutrients.  There really isn't a big different in the roasted form many are familiar with (cocoa), but we keep it raw for the deeper flavor.  In fact, a lot of the this vs. that are looking at the differences in chocolate vs. cacao - two completely different products.  That's like comparing eggs vs. cake.   It does depend on where you get your cacao or cocoa from, but we prefer to stick with raw cacao for this blend when we can.  Cacao is high in magnesium and antioxidants, improving the nutrient profile of this mushroom herbal coffee blend.

I hope you enjoy this easy peasy mushroom herbal coffee mix and share your favorite way to enjoy with me on social media!