Four Sigmatic

Four Sigmatic was created by a group of friends with a passion for medicinal mushrooms. They left their well-paid jobs with companies like Google, Citibank, and Hewlett-Packard to work on their “mushroom mission.” Born in the country with the world’s highest coffee consumption, the founding fun guys of Four Sigmatic took a centuries-old tradition of brewing mushroom tea to the next level. Mushrooms and adaptogens are some of the world’s most nutritious foods. But they get shiit(ake) on constantly for fickle taste opinions. 

In 2012 their journey began in the Nordic country. Since then, they have expanded to offer their goods to more than 25 countries in less than four years. In 2014, the co-owners relocated the Four Sigmatic headquarters to the U.S., where it was re-established in January 2015. Although it’s still a small employee-owned startup, Four Sigmatic truly believes that good things come in small packages, and that with passion and hard work, they can make a real difference in global health through the power of mushrooms.

How Four Sigmatic makes their mushroom drink mixes

Mushrooms in liquid form may sound like a weird concept, but indigenous people have been drinking mushrooms in the form of tea and soup for thousands of years. Although it’s not the easiest thing to get mushrooms from the forest to your cup, Four Sigmatic has mastered the process with these four steps:

1. Foraging

The first thing Four Sigmatic does is thoroughly search the wild forests of the world to find the very best exotic medicinal mushrooms. In addition to foraging, they harvest supplies from their massive farms, where the growing conditions are as close to the natural habitat as possible.

2. Dual extraction

Once harvested, the mushrooms are carefully dried and extracted to include hot water and fat-soluble compounds. Only the newest, high-end extraction methods are used to guarantee the best bioavailability of nutrients.

3. Spray-drying

After the solid matter turns into this powerful liquid extract, it goes into an evaporation period. In this step, most of the water is removed, while the active components become concentrated. Next, this thick mushroom “tea” is put into a large spray-drier that uses pressurized hot air to remove every last drop of liquid, which results in 100 percent pure powder.

4. Combining the recipe

The mushroom extract powder is then combined with other natural ingredients to help add a tasty flavor and even further enhance the effects. Last but not least, each batch goes through a long in-house, third-party laboratory testing to ensure the quality and safety of each product. From there, it gets shipped to your home. All you have to do is add hot water and enjoy.

Types of mushrooms used by Four Sigmatic

There are a plethora of medicinal mushrooms around the world that all have different healing properties, but four of them rise above the rest. To make their drinks, Four Sigmatic focuses on these powerful little fungi:

Reishi

Arguably one of the most iconic mushrooms on the planet, reishi has been called “queen healer” and the “medicine of kings.” Ancient Taoists loved the fungi and believed that consuming it helped their followers find their spiritual center and embrace a sense of calm. Four Sigmatic reishi drinks are a natural way that may help your body relax and get the rest you need.

Cordyceps

An adaptogen that has been used by practitioners of Chinese and Tibetan medicine for thousands of years, cordyceps may help generate natural long-lasting energy. Stimulants like caffeine can give you a boost of alertness, however, it often ends abruptly with a crash. But with Four Sigmatic, the cordyceps create sustainable energy without leaving you feeling tired right after.

Lion's mane

Named for a beard-like appearance that resembles the mane of a lion, these mushrooms are slowly becoming the new craze with medical researchers. It’s believed that these mushrooms potentially have neuroregenerative properties and may be used for Alzheimer's. With that said, Four Sigmatic lion’s mane drinks may help improve memory and concentration.

Chaga

Used as a folk medicine in Russia for centuries, chaga mushrooms are dense in detoxifying antioxidants. They also are an excellent source of anti-inflammatory properties, meaning that Four Sigmatic chaga mushroom drinks may provide some relief from body aches and pains, while detoxing your system.

Of course these are all claims that require more ongoing research. Always check with your doctor before beginning any new regimen.