Lion’s mane
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom that contains hericenones, erinacines and other compounds. It is mostly studied for cognition.
Also listed as Hericium erinaceus, Monkey's Head, Houtou (infrequent), Igelstachelbart
What happened in people with cognitive impairment?
A trial randomized 30 Japanese adults aged 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment. Over 16 weeks, tablets containing mushroom powder improved cognitive-scale scores compared with placebo. Scores declined after treatment stopped. This is an encouraging small study, not evidence of dementia prevention. 1
Does it help healthy adults focus?
A 2023 pilot with 41 healthy adults tested 1.8 g daily for 28 days against placebo. One attention task was faster after the first dose; the later reduction in reported stress narrowly missed conventional statistical significance. Some other findings were null or negative. 2
In a 2025 crossover trial with 18 healthy young adults, a single 3 g dose of a 10:1 fruiting-body extract did not improve overall cognition or mood. A pegboard task improved, suggesting a possible task-specific effect worth testing again. 3
Selected tasks improved, while broader cognitive measures did not consistently benefit. 2 3
Other questions
Sleep, infection prevention and relief of brain fog are outside this profile’s evaluated outcomes.
Effects by health goal
Open an effect to see the studies behind its rating. Bars show the size of the effect; the letter grades the evidence.
Cognition4 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
No study is linked to this rating.
Longevity1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Stress & Mood1 effect
Sleep1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Immune Support1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
All studies
2 publications are linked to Lion’s mane, newest first.
Primary studies reviewed by the editorial guide
Mori et al. — Hericium erinaceus in mild cognitive impairment
- Year
- 2009
- Design
- 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- 30 Japanese adults aged 50–80 with mild cognitive impairment
- Findings
- Cognitive-scale scores improved during supplementation.
- Limitations
- Small clinical sample; specific dry-powder preparation.
Surendran et al. — Acute Lion’s Mane effects on cognition and mood
- Year
- 2025
- Design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial
- Participants
- 18 healthy adults aged 18–35; one dose
- Findings
- No overall cognition or mood benefit; mixed task-specific results.
- Limitations
- Very small and acute; some authors had commercial ties.
Sources
- Improving effects of Hericium erinaceus on mild cognitive impairment Phytotherapy Research, 2009
- Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025