Shiitake and Maitake Coffee: Benefits, Evidence, and Safety

Shiitake and maitake coffee is coffee blended with two edible mushrooms rich in beta-glucans, a type of fibre studied for immune support. One small human trial and a lot of lab and animal work are encouraging, so these mushrooms may support normal immune function, but they are not proven remedies.

Most functional mushrooms in coffee are unusual. Chaga grows on birch trees, cordyceps was once a rare caterpillar fungus, and lion's mane looks like a white pom-pom. Shiitake and maitake are different. They are ordinary kitchen mushrooms that people in East Asia have cooked and eaten for centuries, and you can find both in many supermarkets today.

That makes them the most familiar ingredients in a mushroom coffee blend, and also the most likely to be overlooked. This guide explains what each mushroom is, why they end up in coffee, what the research really supports, where it stops, and the few safety points worth knowing.

What are shiitake and maitake?

Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is a brown, umbrella-shaped mushroom that grows on decaying hardwood logs. It is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world and is prized for its deep, savoury umami flavour. Researchers are mainly interested in three things it contains:

1. Lentinan, a beta-glucan (a long chain of glucose molecules) that has been studied for decades for its effects on immune cells.
2. Eritadenine, a compound that has lowered cholesterol in animal studies.
3. Ergosterol, which turns into vitamin D when the mushrooms are exposed to sunlight or UV light.

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) grows in large, frilly clusters at the base of oak trees. In English it is often called "hen of the woods" because the overlapping caps look like ruffled feathers. Its name in Japanese is usually translated as "dancing mushroom." Its best known compounds are:

1. Beta-glucan fractions that researchers have labelled D-fraction and MD-fraction, studied for immune activity.
2. SX-fraction, a glycoprotein studied in animals for effects on blood sugar.

Both mushrooms are caffeine free and both are eaten as food, which matters for safety. Decades of normal culinary use give them a more reassuring track record than mushrooms that are only ever taken as supplements.

Why put shiitake and maitake in coffee?

There are a few practical reasons these two show up in mushroom coffee blends:

1. They cover the immune role. In a blend, lion's mane is usually there for focus and cordyceps for energy. Shiitake and maitake are the mushrooms most associated with immune research.
2. They taste good. Both have a mild, savoury, slightly nutty taste. In a dark roast their flavour mostly disappears into a rounder, earthier cup.
3. Coffee is a daily habit. Any benefit from beta-glucans would likely depend on regular intake, and few habits are more regular than a morning coffee.
4. They do not change the caffeine. The coffee still works the way you expect. The mushrooms simply ride along.

How do shiitake and maitake compare?

The two are similar in what they offer, which is why they are often paired. The main differences are in the specific compounds studied and the depth of the research.

Feature	Shiitake	Maitake	Regular coffee
Scientific name	Lentinula edodes	Grifola frondosa	Coffea arabica or robusta
Common name	Shiitake	Hen of the woods	Coffee
Key compounds	Lentinan, eritadenine, ergosterol	D-fraction and MD-fraction beta-glucans, SX-fraction	Caffeine, chlorogenic acids
Main research focus	Immune cell activity, cholesterol (animals)	Immune activity, blood sugar (animals)	Alertness, focus, exercise output
Caffeine	None	None	Yes
Best human evidence	One small trial in healthy adults eating the whole mushroom	Small early trials, mostly in patients	Very large
Taste	Savoury, umami	Earthy, slightly peppery	Depends on roast
Main caution	Rare skin rash from raw or undercooked shiitake	May lower blood sugar; possible interaction with blood thinners	Too much caffeine

What does the evidence actually show?

Honest summary: shiitake has one small, well run human study showing changes in immune markers when healthy adults ate the mushroom daily. Maitake has mostly lab, animal and early patient research. Neither has been shown to prevent illness in everyday life.

What the research reasonably supports:

1. Shiitake changed immune markers in healthy adults. In a 2015 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 52 healthy adults ate cooked shiitake every day for four weeks. Researchers measured more active immune cells and higher levels of an antibody found in the gut lining, along with some lower markers of inflammation. It was small and short, and it used whole mushrooms as food, but it is the best human data for either mushroom.
2. Beta-glucans interact with immune cells. Across many lab and animal studies, beta-glucans from both mushrooms bind to receptors on immune cells and appear to change how those cells behave.
3. Lentinan has a medical history in Japan. A purified, injected form of lentinan has been used in Japan alongside standard cancer treatment. That is a drug given by a doctor, not a food or a drink, and it tells us nothing about drinking shiitake in coffee.
4. Maitake has early patient studies. Small trials, including one in women treated for breast cancer, found that maitake extract changed immune measurements in blood. The effects went in more than one direction, and the trials were too small to show any clinical benefit.
5. Animal research points to cholesterol and blood sugar effects. Eritadenine from shiitake lowered cholesterol in rodents, and maitake fractions lowered blood sugar in diabetic animals. Neither has been confirmed in good human trials.

What the evidence does not show:

1. It does not show fewer colds or infections. No reliable study shows shiitake or maitake coffee reduces how often you get sick. A change in an immune marker is not the same as better health.
2. It does not show that either mushroom treats or prevents any disease. Claims that shiitake or maitake cure cancer, diabetes or high cholesterol are not supported. The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved either as a treatment.
3. It does not show weight loss. No good human study shows these mushrooms help people lose weight or burn fat.
4. It does not show an energy boost. Both are caffeine free. Any lift from shiitake or maitake coffee comes from the coffee.
5. It does not tell us the right amount in a coffee. The shiitake study used whole mushrooms eaten as food. There is no established amount of shiitake or maitake powder in a drink that has been shown to produce the same changes.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. Shiitake, maitake and other functional ingredients may support normal wellbeing but do not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Talk to your doctor before adding a new supplement, especially if you are pregnant or nursing, take medication, or have a medical condition.

Are shiitake and maitake safe?

Because both are common foods, they are generally considered safe for most healthy adults in normal amounts. A few specific points are still worth knowing.

1. Shiitake rash. A small number of people develop an unusual itchy, whip-like skin rash, called shiitake dermatitis, after eating raw or undercooked shiitake. It is linked to lentinan and usually clears on its own within days to weeks. If you have ever reacted this way, avoid shiitake in any form.
2. Blood sugar. Maitake lowered blood sugar in animal studies. If you take diabetes medication, ask your doctor before adding maitake regularly.
3. Blood thinners. There is at least one published case report of a change in blood clotting results in a person taking warfarin alongside a maitake extract. If you take a blood thinner, check with your doctor.
4. Immune conditions. Both mushrooms are studied for effects on immune activity. People with autoimmune conditions or who take immunosuppressant medication should ask a clinician first.
5. Pregnancy and nursing. Eating cooked mushrooms as food is normal, but there is not enough research on concentrated mushroom powders and extracts in pregnancy.
6. Mushroom allergy. Anyone allergic to mushrooms or moulds should avoid them.

Does the form of the mushroom matter?

Yes, and it is the most useful thing to check on a label.

1. Fruiting body or mycelium. The fruiting body is the mushroom you would cook. Mycelium is the root-like network, often grown on grain in a lab. Mycelium products can contain a lot of leftover grain starch, which lowers the share of beta-glucans. A label should say which part is used.
2. Extract or ground powder. Beta-glucans sit inside tough cell walls made of chitin. Hot water extraction pulls them out, much as cooking does. A plain ground powder may deliver less of what researchers studied.
3. Amounts. A product that lists the amount of each mushroom tells you more than one that only lists names.
4. A short, clean list. Sugar, sweetened creamers and fillers work against the point of a functional cup.

How should you drink shiitake and maitake coffee?

Treat it as a coffee you enjoy that also carries two familiar food mushrooms, not as an immune treatment.

1. Stay within your normal coffee routine. One or two cups a day is plenty. There is no evidence that more helps.
2. Drink it earlier in the day. That timing is about the caffeine, not the mushrooms. Caffeine has a half life of around five hours in most adults, and good sleep supports your immune system far more than any ingredient can.
3. Keep it simple. Skip syrups and sugary creamers. Our guide to the 3 PM energy crash explains why sugar works against steady energy.
4. Keep eating them as food. Cooked shiitake and maitake are tasty, inexpensive and the form used in the best human study. A mushroom coffee is an extra, not a replacement.

How do shiitake and maitake fit with other functional mushrooms?

In a multi mushroom blend, each mushroom tends to cover a different area of research. That is the logic behind combining them.

- Lion's mane is studied mainly for focus, memory and mood. See our lion's mane coffee guide. - Cordyceps is studied for energy and exercise capacity. See our cordyceps coffee guide. - Chaga is studied for antioxidant activity. See our chaga coffee guide. - Shiitake and maitake are the beta-glucan rich food mushrooms, studied mainly for immune support.

A blend spreads its total mushroom content across several ingredients, so each is present in a smaller amount than in a single mushroom product. For a full breakdown of what goes into these blends, read what is in mushroom coffee, and for the wider immune picture see mushroom coffee and immunity.

Which Lean Joe Bean coffee contains shiitake and maitake?

Our Superfood Coffee is the mushroom blend. Its ingredient list includes shiitake and maitake alongside lion's mane, cordyceps and chaga, plus MCT, collagen protein, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, green tea, L-theanine, Siberian ginseng, guarana, an HSO probiotic and added vitamins and minerals. The product page does not give a separate amount for each mushroom, so we do not claim it matches the amounts used in research. It dissolves in water, so it makes a quick morning cup. You can compare mushroom blends on our mushroom coffee page.

Our Weight Loss Coffee is a different formula built around dark roast coffee, green coffee bean, Super CitriMax, Chromax, Garcinia cambogia, green tea, ginseng and L-carnitine with chromium. It contains no mushrooms, so it is not the one to choose if you want shiitake or maitake.

The bottom line

Shiitake and maitake are the most down to earth mushrooms in a mushroom coffee: familiar foods with a long culinary history and a real, if early, body of immune research behind their beta-glucans. The best human study is small, used whole cooked mushrooms, and measured immune markers rather than fewer illnesses. Enjoy shiitake and maitake coffee as a pleasant daily habit that may support normal immune function, keep cooking the mushrooms too, and check with your doctor if you take diabetes medication or blood thinners. If you would like to try both in one cup, start with our Superfood Coffee.

Frequently asked questions

What is shiitake coffee good for?

Shiitake coffee combines the alertness of caffeine with shiitake, an edible mushroom rich in beta-glucans such as lentinan. A small human study found that eating shiitake daily changed immune markers, so it may support normal immune function. It is not proven to prevent illness or treat any condition.

What are the benefits of maitake mushroom coffee?

Maitake, also called hen of the woods, contains beta-glucan fractions studied for immune activity and a fraction studied in animals for blood sugar. Most research is in labs, animals or small patient groups, so any benefit in a coffee is possible rather than proven.

Do shiitake and maitake contain caffeine?

No. Both mushrooms are caffeine free, so all the caffeine in shiitake and maitake coffee comes from the coffee itself.

What does shiitake and maitake coffee taste like?

Both mushrooms have a mild, savoury and slightly nutty taste. In a medium or dark roast they mostly blend in, and many people notice a rounder, earthier cup rather than a mushroom flavour.

Is it safe to drink shiitake and maitake coffee every day?

For most healthy adults, normal amounts are unlikely to cause problems because both are common foods. A small number of people get a skin rash from raw or undercooked shiitake. People on diabetes medication or blood thinners should check with a doctor before using maitake regularly.

Does shiitake or maitake coffee help with weight loss?

There is no reliable human evidence that shiitake or maitake causes weight loss or burns fat. The coffee can be a low calorie part of a balanced routine when you skip sugary add-ins, but it should not be bought as a weight loss product.

How are shiitake and maitake different from lion's mane, cordyceps and chaga?

Shiitake and maitake are everyday food mushrooms studied mainly for immune support through their beta-glucans. Lion's mane is studied for focus, cordyceps for exercise energy, and chaga, a hard growth on birch trees, for antioxidant activity.

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• Mushroom Coffee for Weight Loss

Related reading

• Chaga Coffee: Benefits, Evidence, and Safety
• Cordyceps Coffee: Benefits, Evidence, and How to Use It
• Lion's Mane Coffee: Benefits, Evidence, and How to Use It

Ready to put this into practice? Explore Lean Joe Bean Weight Loss Coffee and Superfood Mushroom Coffee.