Lion's mane
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom with white, icicle-like spines. Lab studies found compounds in it that raise nerve growth factor, but in people the evidence is one small memory trial and a few others.
No set daily amount
30 people in the best-known human trial, on memory in older adults
16 weeks long; the benefit faded after people stopped
- In food The mushroom itself cooked, where sold fresh
- In supplements Powders and extracts of fruiting body or mycelium
- Studied compounds Hericenones, erinacines raised nerve growth factor in lab cells
- Evidence in people Weak a few small trials
From published reviews of the human trials. No food figures: the food library does not measure lion's mane.
Where Lion's Mane Comes From
It is a food you can buy fresh in some markets, but most people who take lion's mane get it from supplements.
- Fresh lion's manegrown on sawdust or found on dead hardwood; sliced and pan-fried, its soft, stringy flesh is often compared to crab
- Dried lion's manesold in Asian grocery stores for soups and stews
- Supplementscapsules, powders, liquid extracts, and mushroom coffee blends, made from the fruiting body, the mycelium, or both; labels rarely say how much of each compound they hold
What Is Lion's Mane?
Lion's mane is a tooth fungus: instead of gills under a cap, it makes its spores on long hanging spines. It grows on wounded or dead hardwood such as oak and beech in North America, Europe, and Asia, and in Chinese and Japanese cooking it has been eaten for centuries.
Lion's Mane and Nerve Growth Factor
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein that nerve cells need to grow and survive. In the 1990s Japanese chemists found two families of compounds in lion's mane, hericenones and erinacines, that made cells in lab dishes produce more NGF. Rodent studies later found less nerve damage and better memory scores in animals given the mushroom.
Cell and animal results do not prove an effect in people. It is not known how much of these compounds reach the human brain after a capsule.
Does Lion's Mane Improve Memory?
The trial cited most often was run in Japan and published in 2009. Thirty adults aged 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment took lion's mane tablets or a placebo for 16 weeks. The lion's mane group scored better on a cognitive test by the end, and four weeks after they stopped, their scores had fallen back.
The effect lasted only as long as people kept taking it. Later trials in healthy adults and in people with mild Alzheimer's disease have been small and mixed, and none is large enough to say lion's mane protects memory.
Is Lion's Mane Safe?
- Allergya few case reports describe allergic reactions, including skin rash and breathing trouble
- Few people studiedshort trials reported few side effects, but safety in pregnancy, over years, and alongside medicines is unknown
For a memory herb with a different evidence base, see bacopa. Among mushrooms taken as extracts, reishi has been tested in more trials, with its own safety concerns.
Sources are listed at the end of this page. Not medical advice.
Lion's Mane Fruiting Body vs. Mycelium
In lion's mane, as in all mushroom supplements, the two parts of the fungus hold different compounds.
Fruiting Body
The shaggy white mushroom people cook. It is where hericenones were found, and it is what the 2009 memory trial used, as a dried powder.
Mycelium
The thread-like network the mushroom grows from, often farmed on grain. Erinacines are found mainly here. Products grown on grain can be largely grain starch, so a label that says only lion's mane does not tell you which compounds you get.
Tracking Lion's Mane in Caltide
- Not totaled yetCaltide does not add up lion's mane compounds yet. Mushrooms you cook still count: mushrooms in the food library come with their calories and full nutrient breakdown.
Related Nutrients
Lion's Mane Sources and References
The figures and claims on this page are checked against these sources.
Questions About Lion's Mane
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom that grows on hardwood trees. Instead of a cap and gills it has a mass of soft white spines that hang down like icicles.
It is not proven. In one small 16-week trial in Japan in 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment, those taking lion's mane scored better on a cognitive test than those on placebo, and the gain faded after they stopped. No larger trial has confirmed it.
They are lion's mane compounds that made cells produce more nerve growth factor in lab studies. Hericenones are found in the fruiting body and erinacines mainly in the mycelium, so the part a product uses changes what it contains.
Yes. It is cooked like other mushrooms, and its soft, stringy texture is often compared to crab. Cooked portions have not been tested for any effect on the brain.
Small short trials reported few side effects, but few people have been studied. A few allergic reactions have been reported, and its safety in pregnancy and with medicines is unknown.
Mostly from supplements: powders, capsules, extracts, and mushroom coffee blends. Fresh lion's mane is sold in some markets, but most people who take it never eat it as food.
Not yet. Caltide does not total lion's mane compounds. Mushrooms you log as food count toward your calories and nutrients.
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