Lion's mane
mg/day extract
Hericium erinaceus mushroom extract as a dry powder or a concentrated extract. It is the mushroom dose used in cognition trials.
Trials use a dry powder or a 10:1 extract for weeks to months and then memory or attention tasks. A kitchen garnish or a mixed herb pack that happens to contain the mushroom is a different product.
Also called Hericium erinaceus, Yamabushitake, lion's mane mushroom.
Connected relationships
Randomized trial · Contested
Lion's mane→Cognitive performance
Higher Lion's mane moves Cognitive performance only in some conditions. Read the mechanism.
Mori 2009 found that 3 g a day of Yamabushitake powder for sixteen weeks raised Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale scores versus placebo in 30 people with mild cognitive impairment; scores fell after the powder stopped. Docherty 2023 saw a faster Stroop after one 1.8 g dose in 41 young adults and little chronic change.
Sources
- K Mori et al. (2009). Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
- S Docherty et al. (2023). The Acute and Chronic Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Stress and Mood in Young Adults: A Double-Blind, Parallel Groups, Pilot Study.
- G Surendran et al. (2025). Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study.