Immune System: How A Chaga Mushroom and Astragalus Coffee Blend Could Boost Your Body’s Defences

Immune System: How A Chaga Mushroom and Astragalus Coffee Blend Could Boost Your Body’s Defences

Nights are getting darker and mornings are getting colder. That can only mean one thing: the earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane. Obviously.

But it also means that your body is at greater risk of annoying infections that can scupper your day, week, month. You need your immune system to be in tip-top shape to reduce the chances of that happening. Surprise surprise, our solution involves throwing mushrooms at it.

The two components of our ‘Immunity’ mushroom coffee – chaga and astragalus, a fungi and an authentic Chinese herb respectively – both possess properties that can bolster your body’s defences. Mushrooms are old cap to us now, but we’re still mesmerised by the potential benefits they can offer, especially within this dynamic duo.

Read on for a deep dive into their immune-system boosting benefits*, benefits you can take advantage of whilst ditching those drab and tired instant coffee formulations at the same time...

The immune system: why keeping it happy is the best way to keep healthy

Image of a person holding a blanket to themselves after catching a cold

The immune system is our first line of defence against troublesome infections; it seeks to prevent them from infecting cells, and limits their efficacy if infection does occur. It’s an incredibly complex system that can be weakened by a number of things: poor nutrition, poor sleep, and stress.

As if these variables weren’t hard enough to control on their own, the body finds it harder to fight these viruses when it’s cold. It’s speculated that this could be due to cold air ‘diminishing the local immune response’ in the nasal passage.

So the cards are stacked against our poor immune system, and any help we can give it is invaluable. Enter the magnificent chaga mushroom…

Chaga Mushroom

Chaga mushroom

In the world of fungi, the Inonotus obliquus is a bit of a heavyweight. It might not look like much – in fact, if you were to walk past it in the forest, you likely wouldn't even recognise it as a mushroom. 

Sprouting from the sides of trees (generally in colder climates, and generally on birch) chaga mushrooms have long been used as a medicinal aid. The reputation of this adaptogenic wonder is steadily increasing, and it feels like we’re only now starting to unlock the potential benefits of this potent fungi. 

Chaga health benefits

Antioxidant

Anti-inflammatory

Anti-viral

Adaptogen

Stress regulation

Chaga’s immunomodulatory effects

The chaga mushroom is an adaptogen, which means it’s sort of hardwired to combat stress of a physical and mental nature. In terms of its immune-boosting acumen, a recent study found that the secret sauce lies in the extractable IOPS (Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide), ‘one of the major bioactive components’ in the organism.

That same study noted the immuno-stimulating activity of IOPS. This stimulation augments the ‘biological defence system’, giving it a better to chance to ward off nasty infections, and more effectively deal with them if they do break through. 

Astragalus Root

Astragalus root in a bowl

An immovable fixture in traditional medicine stretching back centuries, Astragalus Root has been used to treat a variety of different ailments. Just like chaga, astragalus is an adaptogen, meaning that our Immunity blend has a double dose of the invigorating good stuff*. 

The main chemical component of astragalus (APS) has a vast range of possible health benefits. Its antiviral efficacy is extremely exciting, with one study finding that treatment with APS ‘reduced the replication of avian influenza virus’, as well as subsequently enhancing cellular immunity to that virus. 

Astragalus health benefits

Antioxidant

Anti-microbial

Anti-viral

Adaptogen

Lowers cholesterol

Immunity Mushroom Coffee 

We've gone into detail on the respective health benefits of the two main components of our Immunity mushroom coffee blend. The really exciting stuff happens when they're jammed together. 

Specifically designed to help enhance your body's immune system*, it's a coffee that doesn't sacrifice form in place of function – it's a potent, flavoursome mix that has some familiarity through the Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, but still holds a foreign, exotic taste that will likely be a welcome shock to your instant-coffee addled tastebuds. 

How to use

To use your Immunity mushroom coffee, add roughly two teaspoons (4g) per serving to hot water or hot milk. Stir well to dissolve. 

Immunity coffee spread with ingredients

Our preparation guidelines 

It’s easy to wax lyrical about the healing power of mushrooms; all of it’s irrelevant if you have no idea where they come from and how they’re prepared. 

Our mushrooms are grown in hygienic, highly controlled conditions in the sunny state, California. We demand the very highest quality when it comes to the origin point of our products; our ingredients need to be flawless. 

Completely free from nasty GMOs, artificial preservatives and colourings, our products undergo rigorous testing in California and in Germany to ensure the absence of heavy metals. 

Essentially, our coffees taste good and are free from all the bad stuff. It's not just a mix we like – it's a mix we think is conducive to better health overall*.  

Healthy person extending arms joyfully

The immune system is a tricky thing to corral. When it comes to health optimisation, you should always work backwards from the non-negotiables: good sleep, good nutrition, physical exercise.

Once you’ve done that you can start tinkering with additional ways to supercharge your body, and we think our Immunity mushroom coffee blend is a fantastic place to end up. 

For the rest of our coffee range, hit the link. For more general 'shroomy goodness, check out our full collection

*Please note, Mycology Nutrition cannot guarantee the positive effects of its products. Results may vary. Our products are not designed to treat medical conditions or diseases.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.