Lion's Mane is a medicinal mushroom recognised for its neuroprotective properties. Research suggest that Lion's Mane may support cognitive function, alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and promote nerve regeneration. Discover third-party tested Lion’s Mane results highlighted below.
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Lion's Mane is a unique type of mushroom, large in size which grow a high quantity of soft spines measuring up to 4cm long. When fully formed, the entire mushroom resembles a lion's mane. This mushroom is also traditionally known as Hericium erinaceus.
One of the main potential benefits of Lion's Mane are it's neuroprotective properties that may protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. This 49 week double-blind, placebo control study split participants with mild Alzheimer’s Disease into two groups. One group took 1 350mg capsule of Lion's Mane with 5mg of erinacine. The control group took placebo capsules. After 49 weeks, the Lion's Mane group saw improvements in their final cognitive assessments whilst the placebo group assessments saw a significant decrease. The study concluded that Lion's Mane "is safe, well-tolerated, and may be important in achieving neurocognitive benefits".
Evidence of neurodegenerative protection was backed up by another Japanese study , where researchers saw that supplementing with Lion's Mane at 3000mg per day "significantly increased scores on the cognitive function scale compared with the placebo group".
There are a number of animal studies showing that Lion's Mane supplementation can improve symptoms of depression. However, there are a lack of human studies in this area. One small study There are a number of animal studies showing that Lion's Mane supplementation can improve symptoms of depression. However, there are a lack of human studies in this area. One small 4 week study explored the effect of Lion's Mane on menopausal women. The researchers divided thirty females into two groups. One group took cookies with containing Lion's Mane and placebo group ate cookies without supplementation. After 1 month, the Lion's Mane group reported fewer feelings of irritation and anxiety.
Whilst we try to focus on human studies where possible, animal studies and studies In vitro (isolated in glass) have suggested additional benefits to Lion's Mane supplementation. These include:
More research in humans need to be done to support these claims.
Dosages for Lion's Mane are widely varied. This human study used Lion's Mane supplementation up to 3000mg, split into 4 servings per day. The researchers found "no adverse effect" at this dosage. However, the optimal dosage for the average population remains unknown.
The timing of a Lion's Mane serving will depend on the desired outcome. If the objective is increased cognitive function, then supplementing in the morning may take advantage of that benefit throughout the day. If the desire is to use Lion's Mane as purely a neuroprotective insurance policy, then supplementing in the evening may be beneficial. During sleep, the brain activates the glymphatic system which repairs and maintains the brain. Taking Lion's Mane before sleep may help stack these neuroprotective mechanisms and cause a synergistic effect.
In the human studies, benefits for depression and anxiety were seen from just 4 weeks of supplementation. If you’re experimenting supplementing with Lion's Mane for depression and anxiety, keeping a daily journal may be an effective way to track improvements over the course of 4 weeks.
For improved brain function, human studies have documented improvements from 8 weeks. We recommend taking an online cognitive test such as CogniFit once before starting a course of supplementation with Lion's Mane, and once again at 8 weeks to check for any improvements.
The human studies of Lion's Mane have not reported any side effects or safety concerns and is genreally considered safe for human consumption. Some anecdotal reports suggest that Lion's Mane can cause mild stomach discomfort. However, those allergic to mushrooms should avoid Lion's Mane all together.
Like other types of mushroom, Lion's Mane grow in most organic substrates. Common substrates include hardwood sawdust or straw. The substrate is sterilised before the Lion's Mane spawn is inside introduced. The substrate then needs to be incubated in certain dark and warm conditions to allow the Lion's Mane mycelium to colonize and grow.
This entertaining clip of Amazon Prime Video show, Clarkson's Farm demonstrates the growing process for Lion's Mane. Warning, you may hear some bad language in this clip.
Lion's Mane is a unique type of mushroom which resembles a Lion's Mane when fully formed. Human studies have reported that Lion's Mane may have neuroprotective properties that may protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. Other human studies report that Lion's Mane may benefit people with low mood and depression. Other animal studies have found that Lion's Mane may be beneficial for a wide range of benefits including improving diabetes and fighting cancer. Potential benefits may be seen within just 4 weeks and Lion's Mane is generally considered as safe for human consumption. Like with ingesting any new supplement or compound, we would advise testing and journalling to keep track of any changes over the initial period of supplementation.
Due to the ease of growing and sourcing Lion's Mane, products are widely available both online and in-stores. While safety concerns may seem low risk, it is still important to purchase from reputable brands to ensure the product is in fact Lion's Mane. Below are a list of handpicked products we are confident in recommending for the supplementation of Lion's Mane.
We’ve compiled a list of trusted brands that sell Lion’s Mane in our tool above. Highlighted cards display that we have secured testing certificates from third parties from that product. Click the white information button to see more detail on the item and find links to download the Lion’s Mane third-party testing certificates.
Along with the information on this page, we also display links to purchase that could support cognitive health and focus products through either Amazon or a brands direct website. Some of these links are affiliate links where our website will receive a commision fee from Amazon or direct brand for introducing any potential sale. Whilst this helps us maintain our vision and service, our main focus is to provide value to our audience through education and sourcing of safe products. We also urge our audience to understand their health in detail by routinly undergoing tests by blood sample or other means.