Herb library · Mushroom · Hericium erinaceus
Lion's mane
A white, shaggy mushroom with dangling spines, eaten as food and sold as a supplement for memory, focus and mood. A handful of small trials in people have mixed results; it has not been linked to liver injury.
Traditional use
An edible mushroom that grows on dead hardwood trees across the Northern Hemisphere, most abundantly in East Asia. It has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, generally as a tonic for stress, anxiety and low mood. Today it is sold widely to improve memory and thinking.
What studies show
- Limited
Mild cognitive impairment: in one Japanese trial of 30 adults aged 50 to 80, 3 grams a day of lion's mane powder for 16 weeks improved scores on dementia symptom scales compared with placebo. The trial was small.
- Limited
Focus and stress in healthy young adults: a 2023 pilot trial of 41 people found faster performance on one attention task an hour after a dose and a trend toward less stress after 28 days, with other results null. The authors say it was too small to draw conclusions.
- Insufficient
Anxiety, depression and other uses: LiverTox says the brain-protective and other effects seen in cells and animals have not been shown to any great extent in people.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteIn longer trials, mild stomach discomfort, nausea or diarrhea occurred in fewer than 1 in 10 people. LiverTox has found no reports of liver injury.
- AllergyAt least one acute allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction to lion's mane taken by mouth has been described.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
Sources
- Lion's Mane (LiverTox) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- The Acute and Chronic Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Stress and Mood in Young Adults (2023) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.