Lion’s Mane Experiences (Hericium Erinaceus)

Could Lion’s Mane mushroom be worth the hype it’s getting? In this article, we take a look in the Lion’s Mane benefits, studies and my personal experiences with it. You will also learn how to improve Lion’s Mane bioavailability.

What is Lion’s Mane?

Lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom known for its nootropic benefits. Enhancing the secretion of Nerve growth factor (NGF) is the most beneficial benefits of Lion’s Mane. NGF is the holy grail of nootropics. This and all the other neurotrophins are responsible for easy learning and formation of new memories.

Nobel prize winner (for the discovery of Nerve growth factor) centenarian Rita Levi-Montalcini,1Rita Levi-Montalcini (22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian Nobel laureate who was recognized for her contributions to neuroscience. – Wikipedia used NGF daily as an eye drops. She used to tell that her brain was more active as a centenarian than it was when she was 40 years younger.

So it looks like the benefits of NGF are nothing to scoff at… Giving a hundred-year-old better brain than she had at 60. Bad news is that the real NGF eye drops are very expensive ($300 per day). That’s where Lion’s Mane comes into the picture.

A common saying about Lion’s Mane is that it gives “nerves of steel and memory of a lion“. It’s also known by names Hericium Erinaceus and Yamabushitake.

Lions Mane mushroom
Lion’s Mane mushroom (picture source2Wikipedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)

Quick scientific recap of the Lion’s Mane benefits

– Based on this study3Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, Hayashi C, Sato D, Kitagawa K, Ohnuki K. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010 Aug;31(4):231-7. doi: 10.2220/biomedres.31.231. PMID: 20834180. Lion’s Mane mushroom seems to decrease anxiety and depression symptoms.
– According to this study4Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009 Mar;23(3):367-72. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2634. PMID: 18844328. seems to halt and reverse (increased score on cognitive function scale) cognitive decline in 50-80-year-old Japanese men and women who suffered from mild cognitive impairment. The effect wasn’t permanent and the scores declined after 4 weeks of stopping the ingestion of Lion’s Mane.
– Lion’s Mane stimulates NGF synthesis, according to the study made with human astrocytoma cells.5Mori K, Obara Y, Hirota M, Azumi Y, Kinugasa S, Inatomi S, Nakahata N. Nerve growth factor-inducing activity of Hericium erinaceus in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Biol Pharm Bull. 2008 Sep;31(9):1727-32. doi: 10.1248/bpb.31.1727. PMID: 18758067. This was also proven with oral administration, when they fed mices with Lions mane powder there was an increase in the level of NGF mRNA expression in the hippocampus.
– Lion’s Mane can promote healing of the peripheral nervous system (according to animal studies6Wong KH, Naidu M, David P, Abdulla MA, Abdullah N, Kuppusamy UR, Sabaratnam V. Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Following Crush Injury to Rat Peroneal Nerve by Aqueous Extract of Medicinal Mushroom Hericium erinaceus (Bull.: Fr) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:580752. doi: 10.1093/ecam/neq062. Epub 2011 Aug 11. Erratum in: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Dec 16;2018:9820769. PMID: 21941586; PMCID: PMC3176599.).
– The pilot study made in Japan concluded that Hericenone and Amyloban components in Lion’s Mane might potentially improve sleep quality and lower anxiety.7Okamura H., Anno N., Tsuda A., Inokuchi T., Uchimura N., Inanaga K. The effects of Hericium erinaceus (Amyloban® 3399) on sleep quality and subjective well-being among female undergraduate students: A pilot study. Pers. Med. Universe. 2015;4:76–78. doi: 10.1016/j.pmu.2015.03.006.
– Another rat study concluded that topical Lion’s Mane speeds up wound healing.8Abdulla MA, Fard AA, Sabaratnam V, Wong KH, Kuppusamy UR, Abdullah N, Ismail S. Potential activity of aqueous extract of culinary-medicinal Lion’s Mane mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.: Fr.) Pers. (Aphyllophoromycetideae) in accelerating wound healing in rats. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2011;13(1):33-9. doi: 10.1615/intjmedmushr.v13.i1.50. PMID: 22135902.
– Mouse study concluded that high doses of Lion’s Mane might prevent ethanol caused liver damage.9Hao L, Xie Y, Wu G, Cheng A, Liu X, Zheng R, Huo H, Zhang J. Protective Effect of Hericium erinaceus on Alcohol Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:418023. doi: 10.1155/2015/418023. Epub 2015 Apr 16. PMID: 25960751; PMCID: PMC4415743.
– In this study10Vigna L, Morelli F, Agnelli GM, Napolitano F, Ratto D, Occhinegro A, Di Iorio C, Savino E, Girometta C, Brandalise F, Rossi P. Hericium erinaceus Improves Mood and Sleep Disorders in Patients Affected by Overweight or Obesity: Could Circulating Pro-BDNF and BDNF Be Potential Biomarkers? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Apr 18;2019:7861297. doi: 10.1155/2019/7861297. PMID: 31118969; PMCID: PMC6500611. made with overweight volunteers, 8-week oral Lion’s Mane supplementation improved mood, circulating pro-BDNF levels and sleep quality. Also decreased depression and anxiety was seen.

There is many sites that detail the benefits of Hericium Erinaceus in great detail. Here I’m focusing here on personal benefits that I have experienced and how to improve Lion’s Mane absorption.

The world-famous visionary mushroom educator Paul Stamets explaining Lion’s Mane video:

Lion’s Mane experiences

My first cup of Lion’s Mane tea (powder of water & alcohol extracts) wasn’t anything special. I didn’t feel really much anything and was very disappointed. Luckily I didn’t give up so easily. Little did I know what was about to follow…

Today Lion’s Mane has a distinct effect for me, especially when I use it with the hacks/tricks down below to improve absorption.

When the Lion’s Manes effect stabilizes it greatly increases my ability to focus and keep attention. Attention span seems to increase massively and word fluency & speed of access are greatly improved. Clarity is the word, I would use to best to describe the effects.

Without a doubt, I can say that Lion’s Mane increases my performance and greatly. Like other nootropics, it’s not a magic pill that can overcome bad unhealthy lifestyle but used with a healthy lifestyle the effects are nothing short of magical. If you aren’t getting results I would look to the next chapter…

How to increase Lion’s Mane bioavailability

If you aren’t getting any results with Lion’s mane, it might mean that you are consuming it wrong. To get a bigger bang for your buck it’s important to know how to use your Lion’s Mane.

I used to get no effects from Lion’s mane until I started using it with other compounds that increase blood flow in the brain. Next, we will look at how to increase Lion’s Manes bioavailability…

The most popular way to increase absorption of Lion’s Mane is to take it with flavonoid-rich dark chocolate, which has shown to improve brain blood flow.11Francis ST, Head K, Morris PG, Macdonald IA. The effect of flavanol-rich cocoa on the fMRI response to a cognitive task in healthy young people. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2006;47 Suppl 2:S215-20. doi: 10.1097/00005344-200606001-00018. PMID: 16794461.

Now I use Lion’s mane combined with cacao and beetroot extract (from iHerb) (beetroot is also effective in improving blood circulation study). Learn more about beetroot benefits here.

Both of these increase blood flow to the brain massively and results are from “different planet” altogether. I can’t even begin to describe the effects this combo gives me, the clarity and depth of thinking is way over my normal range.

Luckily there is easily usable products to get both of these compounds to your body: CocoCardio, organic cacao product combined with beetroot extract (iHerb).

Fat might also help with absorption, because most beneficial compounds are in the fat-soluble fraction of Lion’s Mane extracts (that’s why many Lion’s Mane products recommend to take it with food).

This is just speculation, but using fat as a carrier you might be able to bypass liver circulation and get more absorption that way. So using it with MCT-oil or coconut oil might greatly increase the results you get (this is my experience and it seems to work like wonder).

According to new research, Lion’s Mane and garlic’s allicin can have synergistic effects.12Kim MK, Choi WY, Lee HY. Enhancement of the neuroprotective activity of Hericium erinaceus mycelium co-cultivated with Allium sativum extract. Arch Physiol Biochem. 2015 Feb;121(1):19-25. doi: 10.3109/13813455.2014.974618. Epub 2014 Oct 30. PMID: 25354984. You could try odorless garlic allicin extract (iHerb) to boost bioavailability.

Another most simple procedure is to just blend your Lion’s Mane product with a high-powered blender in hot water (obviously only use a blender that is suitable for the temperature you are going to use).

It’s nearly a no-brainer that empty stomach and fasted state might help with noticing the effects. Like with alcohol, you surely get more effects when taken with empty stomach instead after a session of gorging.

There is also some evidence13Konno S. Synergistic potentiation of D-fraction with vitamin C as possible alternative approach for cancer therapy. Int J Gen Med. 2009 Jul 30;2:91-108. doi: 10.2147/ijgm.s5498. PMID: 20360893; PMCID: PMC2840554. that vitamin C might be beneficial in potentiating the effects of beta-glucans in medicinal mushrooms (or otherwise helping to aid in their efficacy). Haven’t really tested using vitamin C yet, but I’ll be sure to report more Lion’s Mane experiences in the future.

Lion’s Mane optimal dose

It’s difficult to determine the optimal dosage for Lion’s Mane because there is not enough human research on the subject yet.

But in general, the minimal effective daily doses begin at 500 mg per day (double extracted mushroom) Most popular recommendation is currently about 1500 mg per day.

The recommended upper limit for double extracted Lion’s Mane mushroom is 3000 milligrams per day.

Naturally, you can consume more powdered whole Lion’s Mane products as it is almost the same thing as eating the genuine mushroom. Bear in mind that the Lion’s Mane is not only medical but also edible mushroom and in Asia, it’s often eaten up as meat substitute.

In rats, no adverse effects have been observed even with 5000 mg per kg of body weight/day doses, however, in this study,14Park ID, Yoo HS, Lee YW, Son CG, Kwon M, Sung HJ, Cho CK. Toxicological study on MUNOPHIL, water extract of Panax ginseng and Hericium erinaceum in rats. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2008 Dec;1(2):121-7. doi: 10.1016/S2005-2901(09)60032-7. PMID: 20633464. they also used Panax ginseng and the exact amount was not revealed.

Lion’s Mane side effects

Lion’s Mane has no known side effects, but like with all mushrooms, allergic reactions are possible. There is at least one case where Lion’s Mane possibly caused an allergic reaction after 4 months of usage.15Nakatsugawa M, Takahashi H, Takezawa C, Nakajima K, Harada K, Sugawara Y, Kobayashi S, Kondo T, Abe S. Hericium erinaceum (yamabushitake) extract-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome monitored by serum surfactant proteins. Intern Med. 2003 Dec;42(12):1219-22. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.42.1219. PMID: 14714963.

The most prominent and well-known negative side of Lion’s Manes is that its benefits are not permanent. When you finish supplementing Lion’s Mane its benefits will also disappear in about 4 weeks. Most people certainly won’t notice or feel any withdraw symptoms, but some may experience “slow down” when the brain activity returns to normal.

Lion’s Mane products

I have spent considerable time searching and testing good Lion’s Mane products, and will surely test and add more products in the future.

Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane

lions mane experiences
Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane

Dual extracted lion’s mane with mint, star anise, and stevia. This is an excellent product with profound effects and good sweet taste. It also contains mint leaves, star anise, and stevia leaf extract.

This is the product to choose if you want the best chance to experience “the Lion’s Mane effect”.

Instant in this product means that you can mix it with water easily. It comes with 20 “instant packages”, each package contains 1500mg of double extracted Lion’s Mane mushroom, which is certainly an effective dose.

This product also makes adding lions mane to your regular beverages easy (for example coffee).
 
For some, this product might also taste very sweet if you’re accustomed to eating a sugar-free diet.

Also, I’m not exactly sure should you consume something very sweet every day although on other times you are restraining the use of sweet things (like other artificial sweeteners it might have some effects to your cut-bacteria which lead to elevating of blood sugar in the long run). Constant usage of sweet things might also strengthen the same brain structures that keep up the addiction to sugary things.

Nothing to worry about in occasional use but just a thing to consider if you are using this every day. There is also another Lion’s Mane coffee version (Amazon) which has no sweeteners, but it only contains 500mg of mushroom.

(If you are a regular reader of this site you might worry about the mint… Really there’s nothing to worry. Because it should be the safe form Mentha arvensis (aka wild mint) (not the one Spearmint one Mentha spicata which has been suspected of being anti-androgenic. See: How To Get More Testosterone Naturally).

Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane: iHerb.com / Amazon.com

Mushrooms coffee with Lion’s Mane: iHerb.com / Amazon.com

For international customers Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane is now available in iHerb also.

If you’re first-time customers on iHerb.com you’ll get 10% off from your first order (5% off for everyone). You get the discount code automatically from my links or using the code: KLJ962

While you will benefit from this, I also benefit by getting “iHerb credits” which I can use towards my next orders. Thank you!

California Gold Nutrition Lion’s Mane

When choosing Lion’s Mane powder you should pay attention to whether the product is made of whole fungus (whole mushroom) or from mycelium grown on wheat or rice. Powders made from whole mushrooms can be a good choice, but products made from rice grown mycelium are mainly rubbish (mycelium grown on rice or wheat does not necessarily give the same health benefits as a whole mushroom).

Fungiology Organic Lion’s Mane powder is made from all parts of the mushroom. The powder is light brown colored and has a typical Lion’s Mane taste. Cheap (contains about 165 servings) and easy to take a powder for example in daily coffee. Contains a scoop which you can use to take the 600 mg daily dose 1-3 times per day.

Plain mushroom powders without extraction aren’t usually very bioactive for humans, so you might want to at least boil it up to a tea or coffee. The effect is not as strong combined to an extracted Lion’s Mane product (for example Four Sigma Foods instant). You can strengthen the effect by making a hot water or alcohol extract from the powder (read more about making mushroom extracts).

Fungiology Organic Lion’s Mane (Hericium Erinaceus) (iHerb) Fungiology Lion’s Mane is now called as “California Gold Nutrition, Lion’s Mane” however, it’s only available as capsules from iHerb.com

A Similar pure mushroom powder can be found from Amazon.com

Host Defence Lion’s Mane

lions mane mushroom extract
Host Defence Lion’s mane mushroom extract

Most people believe that this is definitely one of the best Lion’s Mane products on the market as the founder of this company is the world-famous visionary mushroom educator and book author Paul Stamets.

Host Defence Lion’s Mane is extracted 3 times (triple extraction method), hot & cold water plus ethanol extraction makes sure that mushrooms polysaccharides, antioxidants, and metabolites are bioavailable for human use.

The disadvantage of this product is that it has not been made from the whole mushroom, as it’s the only mycelium grown in brown rice (and added fruiting body extract). This fungus rice is boiled and then extracted with alcohol in order to obtain all the active ingredients. On the positive side, mycelium and fruiting body products can have more triterpenes (hericenone and erinacine) that stimulate NGF.

You can get Host Defence Lion’s Mane from iHerb or Amazon.com

It’s also available in capsule form, which is good for maintenance dose 500mg daily (Only freeze-dried mycelium).

Conclusion

Lion’s Mane is really promising according to animal studies. And if the Lion’s Mane provides even 1% of its alleged benefits, it would certainly be foolish not to take it. Personally, Lion’s Mane is a no-brainer supplement to use every day, as the cost is only about 1 USD per day.

It’s like I’m feeling that I’m wasting time and money if not using it. We experience the world through our nervous system, so it’s good to do everything in our power to enhance it. Nowadays I even bring Lion’s Mane to holiday trips, it’s just too good to pass on it.

3 thoughts on “Lion’s Mane Experiences (Hericium Erinaceus)

  1. Hi there, so I used to swear by this mushroom until I ended up with colitis from taking it. It took a long time to figure out it was the Lion’s mane doing it. But then I waited 3 months after my last hospital visit to try some again and have never been so ill with stomach pain, nausea, vomiting etc.

    I cannot understand why i am suddenly allergic to this mushroom and if anyone else out there has had any similar problems. As I say I took this herb fine previously and noticed the benefits.

    1. Hi Sonya, I too had a bad reaction to eating fresh lion’s mane mushrooms. Made a stir fry with vegetables in a little coconut oil. Ate about half of the dish the first afternoon. I developed a headache which intensified over the next day (when I ate more of the dish for lunch). I also got stomach pain, low back pain (which was reminiscent of the colitis I had that landed me in the ER a few years prior). I have leaky gut and have been going thru ups and downs with my gut issues, but eating this mushroom was a setback. I had constipation for a couple days and couldn’t sleep for two nights. On the third day I was feeling so bad (some nausea, stomach and back pain, achy feeling, headache, constipation) and just wanted to sleep. The headache was persistant and I finally tried to cleanse (used dandelion root tea as an enema) to get some relief. I believe it was the mushroom and until I read your post couldn’t find anyone else who had felt ill from eating them. I have dried the rest of the mushrooms that I bought at the store (quite pricey) and not sure if I want to risk using them. Maybe the amount taken at one time is critical – but how much is too much?

  2. Everybody’s biology is different, and for me personally, Lion’s Mane alone, and even with beetroot extract & cacao oil didn’t have an affect.

    +1 for using Lion’s Mane with MCT-oil. I had some left over from trying bulletproof coffee and it made Lion’s Mane so much more powerful, to the point where the effects were pronounced and comparable to prescription stims.

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