Lion's mane mushroom tea is quickly becoming a favored beverage among health and biohacking enthusiasts seeking to boost their brain health.

Perhaps most popularized by famous mycologist Paul Stamets, this medicinal mushroom has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Today, it's being studied to prevent and relieve dementia, boost immunity, and improve general cognition.

How to Make Lion's Mane Mushroom Tea 

First, you'll need to obtain a high-quality lion's mane mushroom powder, such as our Shroom #4 Lion's Mane Mushroom Extract. A few things make our lion's mane stand out in terms of quality.

First, while sourcing mushrooms in China may seem suspicious, we source ours from trusted suppliers who grow and process their mushrooms in high-altitude mountainous regions far from the contaminants of congested cities. The growing process excludes grains, mycelium, and starch. We source log-grown fruiting bodies only.

We use our signature hot water triple-extraction process to extract the beneficial beta-glucans and other beneficial components of lion's mane mushroom. Through working with small farmers who've participated in generations of sustainable growing practices, we ensure only the best of the best lion's mane.

Once you've obtained a high-quality lion's mane, follow these steps to make a delicious tea.

Lion's Mane Milk Tea Latte

Lion's mane tastes good. Many report it tastes something like cocoa powder. Regardless, beginners to mushrooms may wish to start with a tea that emphasizes taste and masks the earthy tones of a lion's mane.

Making lion's mane mushroom tea with milk is a good choice for a tasty morning or evening beverage. Experiment with ratios and adding other ingredients to boost the benefits of your routine drink further.

1. Heat your plant milk of choice in a pot over the stove.
2. Place the hot milk in a blender. Add a serving (approximately half a tsp) of lion's mane powder into the blender.
3. Add a low-glycemic sweetener such as stevia, xylitol, raw honey, or coconut sugar to the blender.
4. Add any other ingredients to boost the benefits of your tea (think our Wild Cocotropic or a serving of Wild Cocoa Butter for a creamier consistency)
5. Blend for 7 seconds. Pour into a mug.
6. Enjoy with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Simple Lion's Mane Mushroom Tea

Here's a simple take on a lion's mane mushroom tea. It only requires lion's mane powder and hot water.

1. Boil hot water in a kettle or pot over the stove.
2. Let the boiling water stand/cool off for 30 seconds.
3. Place hot water (off the boil) and a serving of lion's mane in a cup.
4. Stir thoroughly.

That's it. Simplicity. Feel free to use a blender or our blender bottle if you want a more straightforward stirring process. Also, note that a few lemon pairs nicely with this tea.

Lion's Mane Tea with Golden Milk

Golden Milk is an Ayurvedic treasure with a host of benefits. This recipe uses our Wild Golden Milk Powder fused with lion's mane for an authentic superfood tea.

1. Heat plant milk or water over the stove.
2. Add the water/milk, a serving of golden milk powder, and a serving of lion's mane to a blender cup.
3. Blend for 7 seconds.
4. Pour and add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top if desired.

Check out some more ways to use lion's mane in drinks.

The Benefits of Drinking Adaptogenic Mushrooms

Mushrooms such as reishi, chaga, turkey tail, and, yes, lion's mane are frequently purchased for their immune-enhancing properties. Though more research is still required, researchers are going as far as admitting that such mushrooms can even help treat cancer. Check out our article on Turkey Tail benefits.

Lion's mane can help with the immune system but is usually sought out to boost cognition. More specifically, here are the top benefits of lion's mane.

Immune Health

Research into the immunoenhancing properties of lion's mane is underway, and the results look promising. The polysaccharides within lion's mane hold an extraordinary power at inducing T cell production. Increases in macrophages, a mobile white blood cell type, are also noted.

Cognitive Impairment

Lion's mane seems to heal the brain.

In a study examining Japanese men and women diagnosed with cognitive impairment, researchers found that the subjects taking lion's mane "showed significantly increased scores on the cognitive function scale compared with the placebo group."

The study is a relatively recent, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial wherein the lion's mane group (as opposed to placebo) took "four 250 mg tablets containing 96% of Yamabushitake dry powder three times a day for 16 weeks."

Studies like this explain why lion's mane could be promising for not only mild cognitive impairment but Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Neurotrophic Properties

Tying into our last point, research shows that a lion's mane can promote the growth of neurons. The linked study reveals that lion's mane from Malaysia "contained neuroactive compounds which induced NGF-synthesis and promoted neurite outgrowth."

NGF stands for nerve growth factor. NGF is a neuropeptide involved in the growth and maintenance of new neurons. Since its discovery and isolation in 1956, it's been found to improve brain health and immunity.

Final Words on Lion's Mane Mushroom Tea Benefits

Mushroom tea benefits range from improving immunity and enhancing thinking. Consumers should use lion's mane mushrooms daily for the best results.

As in the research provided, participants were active, consistent consumers. This is how they got the beneficial effects noted.

Although we examined how to use lion's mane mushroom in tea form, it can also be used in capsules, in smoothies and other drinks like coffee, and even sprinkled over food.