Lion’s mane is the multitasker of the mushroom world. Also known as Yamabushitake or Hericium erinaceus, this powerful mushroom packs a punch: it can improve memory, help the heart, ease injury, fortify the stomach… and add a little something-something to a soup or a broth, for good measure.
In the wild, you’ll find this light-colored mushroom growing long dendrite-like spines that hang in a way that looks like – you guessed it – a lion’s mane. This funky fungus grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere; think North America, Asia, and Europe.
Careful when you see it in the wild, however. In some places in Europe, it’s endangered. Foragers: stick to supplements.
Though lion’s mane and other medicinal mushrooms have been studied and consumed for centuries, most of the studies on the ‘shroom are small, though promising. Below are 9 scientifically-backed uses for Hericium erinaceus, along with the studies that examined them.
To help you navigate this article, we've divided it into two sections. Feel free to hop to the one that's most interesting to you:
Let’s dive in:
Lion’s mane as a nerve generator and memory stimulator is well-documented, and in fact, some of the few published human trials for this mushroom’s use fall into this category. Folks concerned about Alzheimer's, nerve damage, and more: read on.
Anyone who has experience with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or dementia knows the devastation of nerve degeneration. Alzheimer’s comes for the memory centers first–affecting places like the hippocampus–and then slowly chips away at a person’s reasoning capabilities, language, social relationships and behavior after it makes moves to the cerebral cortex.
People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will experience confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, and eventually a loss of language and independent function.
Our brains are complicated, so researchers are still trying to pinpoint exactly how Alzheimer’s happens, but there’s a number of things going wrong in the dementia brain. Understanding what’s going on *up there* will help us figure out how lion’s mane can help:
One thing scientists are pretty sure about: the process that kickstarts dementia and Alzheimer’s can begin a decade prior to symptoms popping up, making preventative care key.
Studies that examine lion’s mane’s effect on memory are small, but promising. More research is needed to confirm or clarify, but here’s what we know.
Researchers are beginning to find links between chronic inflammation and mental health diagnoses like depression and anxiety. It might seem like a weird like, but it’s actually got a biological purpose: as humans evolved, the depressive symptoms that came with the body’s anti-inflammatory response were natural tools in our infection-fighting toolkits.
But now, depression as a result of inflammation (think inflammation resulting from diet, gut health, lifestyle choices, and more) isn’t so useful. Lion’s mane has the potential to interrupt this response. How?
Head on over to our guide about lion's mane for depression if you want to learn more.
A handful of animal studies point to lion’s mane as a powerful tool in stimulating nerve growth, making it a MVP for nervous system injury recovery. In the same way it can help improve symptoms of dementia, studies show that it may be helpful to previously-healthy brains on the mend. But since brain injuries can take a long time to heal, lion’s mane’s ability not just to stimulate nerve growth but to speed it up is key. Let’s take a look at how this mighty mushroom can help your neurons.
Women are notoriously absent from scientific studies, especially when it comes to taking a closer look at periods and menopause. Science’s understanding of how the world affects these two complicated cycles (and how those cycles affect things like physical activity, inflammation, and mental health) is surprisingly limited, which means this section is limited, too.
Just one small study suggests that lion’s mane could help women going through menopause feel less irritable and anxious. A small study of 30 women showed a significant reduction in complaints of irritability, depressive symptoms, and anxiety during a 4-week long supplementation period. The authors of the study suggest that this is the result of lion’s mane’s ability to stimulate nerve growth factor synthesis, which helps create or strengthen pathways in the brain.
At the very heart of many modern diseases is one of two things: chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Heart disease? Autoimmune disorders? Cancer? Gastric diseases? Inflammation, baby. And oxidative stress? That’s a fancy word for the process that breaks down DNA and causes things like cancer (there it is again!), diabetes, and more. Lion’s mane is a known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which means it has a load of serious health benefits.
First, a lesson: ulcers in the digestive tract are usually the result of one of two things: bacteria overgrowth (specifically from the bug H. pylori) and damage to the layer of mucus that lines the stomach. (Despite common belief, stress and spicy foods don’t cause ulcers, but you can bet that they can make them worse.) So where does lion’s mane come in?
We’re all familiar with cancer. This disease is characterized by an uncontrollable replication of cells after DNA sustains damage. Lots of things can cause cancer: smoking, certain chemicals in our food and air, toxic elements in water, even too much red meat.
Cancer treatments aim to stop this uncontrollable replication of cells in its tracks, usually by killing whole swaths of them through chemotherapy. And while our friend lion’s mane can’t hold a candle to chemo, it can certainly shine a light of its own. Here’s how:
Did you know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the United States? This ubiquitous term could mean anything from problems with the heart’s blood vessels, valves, a heart infection, heartbeat rhythm problems, and more. Put simply: when you have more stress put on the heart, it’s not going to respond well. Lion’s mane might be able to ease some of that stress in some cases. Here’s how:
When a person has diabetes, it means their body doesn’t have control over its blood sugar levels, leading to high highs and low lows. There are two types: Type I (in which the body doesn’t produce insulin) and Type II (in which the body can’t respond to insulin as well). Lion’s mane can help.
As a bonus, lion’s mane may also have the potential to heal wounds. One study that compared the length of time it took to heal when a wound was washed with sterilized water vs when it was dressed with topical applications of lion’s mane extracts found that the latter significantly decreased the time it took to heal. Strides on this, like studies on lion’s mane and menopause, are limited. We’ll update this section as we know more.
For almost all of the research cited here, barring a few on Alzheimers and menopause, studies were done in-vitro (a.k.a., in a test-tube with human or animal cells) or on animals, such as mice or rats. Research on lion’s mane – and the overall health benefits of medicinal mushrooms – is limited, and more research in human trials is needed to support the above benefits.
Consult your doctor before taking lion’s mane for dose recommendations, possible interactions between lion’s mane supplements and any medication you’re currently taking, and general guidance.
Let’s talk mushroom basics. There are two major “parts” of a mushroom: the mycelium and the fruiting body.
The fruiting body: What you know as a mushroom – the classic cap and stem – is referred to by mycologists as the “fruiting body.” This part of the ‘shroom tends to pack the biggest nutritional punch, especially in strains that are cultivated by us humans.
The mycelium: Mycelium is the web-like structure that kind of acts like the fruiting body’s roots. It has similar nutrients to the fruiting body, and in some cases can add a few new ones to the mix. One of those cases is lion’s mane. The only problem with its nutritional value is that it’s typically cultivated by people using starch, and when it's harvested, it’s not separated from that starch. That means that most mycelium supplements are actually mostly yeast… not exactly health-beneficial.
So, which to use?
You’ll notice in the above studies that there is a mix of use cases: both fruiting body and the mycelium is administered. According to this book, many studies give lion’s mane in a 4:1 mycelium to fruiting body ratio. (We know! It’s a bit of a different approach.)
But that doesn’t let you off the hook for checking the product you’re about to buy: mycelium that’s cultivated in starch might not have enough time to absorb all of the nutrients necessary to make it a beneficial supplement. Our recommendation: look for that certificate of analysis (more below).
For a complete guide to mycelium vs fruiting body, check out this guide.
Reminder: for studies on lion’s mane, human research is limited. In the above studies cited, dosage varies widely. Humans, however, have been consuming lion’s mane and using it for medicinal purposes for millennia.
Some studies used the following dosages:
For more dosage information, check out this guide.
Keep your eyes peeled for a few things when you’re shopping for a lion’s mane product:
Dual extraction products, in which extraction from both hot water and ethanol is involved, are favored in instances where a mushroom has high levels of both water-soluble and non-water soluble compounds, like reishi, and like our friend lion’s mane. Read more about mushroom extraction here.
If you're interested in finding the lion's mane product that's right for you, we've put together a list of the best mushroom supplements on the market -- check it out here.
Side effects of lion’s mane supplementation appear to be very, very limited. There is one study that suggests it might increase the risk of asthma-like symptoms. These symptoms were reported in only one man, who is the focus of this study. In animal trials, there seem to be no reports of negative side effects, and in human trials, though limited, there are no consistent reports of negative side effects. Check out this article for more information on possible side effects.
Thinking of trying lion’s mane? This multitasking mushroom is a powerful addition to any diet. We suggest starting with these recipes.