Chaga, A Great Substitute for Coffee

No matter how hard you try to ignore it, your morning just seems lonely without coffee! There's a myriad of reasons why one might have to stop drinking coffee. Whether it's a medical issue, trying to create healthier habits or discovering a caffeine sensitivity, no one really wants to give up their favorite morning pick-me-up. Chaga and other functional fungi make a fantastic coffee substitute or addition, and here's why…

"Starting my day with Birch Boy's hot or iced tea with tinctures. The rest of the day is pure sunshine no matter what." - Sue

Most of us use coffee to help us wake up in the morning. This usually means we chug down a cup (or two) in the morning and experience a crash and cravings around mid-afternoon. Too much caffeine can lead to headaches, dehydration and anxious feelings. How do we break this cycle? With fungi! Chaga contains long-chain polysaccharides which help your body turn food into energy. These polysaccharides provide long-lasting, natural energy that endures throughout your day. This natural energy is buzz-free, jitter-free, crash-free, and non-addictive. For an extra boost, add a bit of coconut oil or butter into your morning Chaga Tea. Many people find that Chaga provides a highly motivational energy, making you WANT to do things like organize your closet, do your dishes and check your email.

If you’re not ready to make a full switch, try Chaga in addition to your coffee. You can add Best chaga Tincture to your coffee, or you can use Chaga mushroom Tea in place of water while brewing your coffee.

Do you find yourself unable to fall asleep at night? Tossing and turning in bed with no sleep in sight? It might be time to reduce your caffeine intake and nightly screen time! There are many reasons for poor sleep, but caffeine consumption and an inability to relax and quiet the mind can be big factors. Switch your coffee out for Chaga and reap the benefits of reduced caffeine consumption. Chaga is an adaptogen, which means it helps support your body’s homeostasis. This means that when drank in the evening, Chaga can help you chill out after a long day. For ultimate relaxation and sleep support, try our Reishi Tea or Reishi Tincture which supports restful sleep and provides mellow relaxation.

There are various reasons why one would want to or have to reduce or eliminate their caffeine intake. Here’s our guide to using Chaga as a coffee alternative and what fungi to add if you need extra support. We strongly encourage each person to find the right routine for them, but use this information as a starting point.

First, let’s look at the reasons people use coffee. Some coffee users just love their morning ritual of sipping on a warm beverage. Others need the extra boost of energy to get ready for their morning. Some people use coffee to bust brain fog and get mentally ready for their day. Another reason people use coffee is because they find it hard to get out of bed. Some people are frequent night owls and use coffee to replace lost sleep. Why do you use coffee?

• Ritual Use - If you like the ritual of having a warm beverage in the morning, try swapping your coffee for Chaga Tea (or if you have a sweet tooth, Maple Chaga Tea.) Try any of our delicious recipes for extra fun.

• Energy Support - If you need the energy provided by coffee, try our Chaga Tincture and add to an energizing herbal tea, like a citrus variety. For an additional boost, incorporate Lion’s Mane Tincture into your morning routine.

• Brain Support - If you use coffee to get your brain ready for the day, use Chaga Tincture and Lion’s Mane Tincture. Lion's Mane is a nootropic, helping to support healthy focus and mental clarity.

• To Get Out of Bed - If you use coffee to get your body ready for the day, use a combo of Chaga and Maitake Tinctures.

• Make Up For Lost Sleep - Nothing can truly make up for lost sleep, but Reishi can help you get more from your sleep and help prep your body for a restful evening. Try Chaga and Lion’s Mane Tinctures in the morning and Reishi tea or Reishi Tincture in the evening.

Caffeine can have some nasty side effects including headaches, frequent bathroom visits, high tolerance to caffeine, jitters, and more. Even with these side effects, some of us are just coffee-lovers! We're not saying we want you to quit caffeine; we love adding our Chaga Tincture to coffee. We just want those who can't have caffeine to know that Chaga is a stellar alternative. Here’s some ways you can mitigate the side effects of caffeine, while still enjoying your morning coffee.

1 - For a few drops of wellness, add your favorite Birch Boys Tincture to your coffee to help support immunity, provide antioxidants and maintain homeostasis in addition to the specific benefits from each tincture.

2 - Drink at least as much water as you have coffee, but preferably twice as much. Coffee is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate more frequently, removing water from your body. Make sure to stay hydrated when drinking coffee.

3 - Caffeine can sometimes cause headaches. If you start to experience headaches, try reducing your caffeine intake little by little, eventually to no more than 1 cup a day.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Did you swap out caffeine for fungi? Even if you didn’t, let us know how you use Chaga in the comments below!