What Science Says About Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)

Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has gained attention as a functional mushroom for brain health, mood, and overall well-being. But what does the research actually show?

Below is a summary of human clinical trials on Lion’s Mane, what doses were studied, and what outcomes were observed.

1. Cognitive Function & Neuroprotection

  • Mild Cognitive Impairment Study (MCI):
    A Japanese double-blind trial gave adults with MCI 750 mg/day of dried Lion’s Mane fruiting body for 16 weeks.
    ✦ Result: Significant improvements in cognitive test scores during supplementation. When participants stopped, scores declined again.

  • Early Alzheimer’s Disease:
    In Taiwan, patients took ~1 g/day of erinacine-enriched Lion’s Mane mycelia for 49 weeks.
    ✦ Result: Cognitive performance and daily functioning improved compared with placebo.

  • Healthy Adults (short-term use):
    In younger participants, 1.8 g/day for 4 weeks showed only minor benefits (slightly faster reaction times). A single 3 g dose had no effect, suggesting Lion’s Mane works best when taken consistently over time.

2. Mood & Sleep

  • Menopausal Women (Japan, 2010):
    Participants consumed 2 g/day of Lion’s Mane cookies for 4 weeks. Compared with placebo, women reported lower levels of anxiety, irritation, and palpitations on standardized mood scales.

  • Healthy Adults (Italy, 2019):
    A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial gave participants 1.5 g/day of a fruiting body + mycelium blend for 8 weeks.
    ✦ Results: Significant reductions in depression and anxiety scores (30–50% improvement).
    ✦ Importantly, participants also reported better sleep quality and less disturbance, and some benefits persisted even after supplementation stopped.

Together, these studies suggest Lion’s Mane may help regulate mood and support more restorative sleep, especially when taken daily for several weeks.

3. What This Means

The evidence from human trials points to a few key takeaways:

  • Consistency matters: The strongest improvements in cognition, mood, and sleep occur after 4–16 weeks of daily use. One-off or very short-term supplementation shows little effect.

  • Mood + Sleep Support: Early trials show Lion’s Mane may reduce anxiety and depression symptoms and improve sleep quality, particularly in stressed or overweight populations. While larger studies are still needed, this aligns with its traditional use for calming the nervous system.

  • Cognition + Neuroprotection: Benefits for memory and focus appear most reliable in older adults or those with mild cognitive impairment, but there’s growing evidence it could support long-term brain health more broadly.

  • Dosing Guidance: Across studies, effective doses were in the range of 750 mg – 2 g/day, which is equivalent to ~1–2 pumps of our extract (460 mg per pump) depending on the outcome you’re aiming for.

4. Bringing It Back to Our Extract

Each pump of our Liquid Lion’s Mane Extract delivers ~460 mg of high-potency Lion’s Mane (20:1 ratio). That means just one daily pump gives nearly 3× the minimum effective serving seen in human trials.

  • Alcohol-free — crafted with organic glycerin.

  • Water-soluble — blends seamlessly into coffee, tea, or smoothies.

  • Farm-grown in Austin, TX — USDA Organic Lion’s Mane.

We’ve been working on this for nearly a year, and this is our first release: 200 bottles only.

PRE-ORDER* Lion's Mane Liquid Extract - 8 fl oz PRE-ORDER* Lion's Mane Liquid Extract - 8 fl oz
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