So you’ve heard about a powerful and popular nootropic boldly named ‘Lion Mane’. Reducing symptoms of ADHD, Dementia and Parkinsons Disease. Enhancing your focus, memory and cognitive superpowers. Sounds good? But where do you start?
I’ve been reviewing some of the leading products offering a plethora of different ways to take Lion's Mane and making some bold health claims. But before we start there are two important things to keep in mind. 1) I’m only reviewing the literature and won’t be passing judgment on the taste or my experience of the medicinal effect. 2) We make and sell our own products with Lions Mane and other functional mushrooms. Although I won’t be reviewing any of them here, I do have a bias and it’s important to be aware of this.
Now, without further ado.
British Supplements are a popular online herbalist offering fairly priced medicinal products such as Lions Mane capsules. Delving into the product details we can see the percentage of polysaccharides are estimated to be 40% and the concentration ratio of powder to extract is 20:1. This sounds very impressive. However, without a breakdown of polysaccharides into the respective alpha and beta glucans, we cannot be sure of the quality of the polysaccharides. If for example they contain fibre or rather if the high extract ratio actually denotes a high concentration of active compounds.
Each capsule contains a relatively small 372.6 mg of Lions Mane extract. As well as additional ingredients which are described as an ‘uptake blend’. This includes ginger which likely has some vitamin C in it which could help with the absorption of Lions Mane’s medicinal qualities.
The origin of the mushrooms is not specified nor is there mention of any third party testing, the quality of materials (e.g. organic) or as to why water extraction only is preferred.
Bristol Fungarium makes functional mushroom tinctures using locally grown, organic mushrooms. The genetic strain apparently came from a wild Lions Mane growing on a nearby tree. The tinctures are a common way of ingesting medicinal extracts and the website claims that these are better utilized by the body than extract powders such as in the form of capsules. Whilst I am aware that many herbal tinctures are taken by applying droplets under the tongue and thus quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, Bristol Fungarium actually recommend applying theirs to ‘a glass of water, juice or a warm drink’. I’ll be sure to chase down the source of the claim and update this page in future.
Bristol Fungarium’s Lion's Mane is dual extracted from the mushroom fruiting body and therefore encompasses alcohol. This does make it less suitable for children as well as certain groups of adults, but unfortunately at present no alcohol free glycerine based option is available. The extraction ratio here is 1:4 meaning each 1 ml of tincture contains 250 mg lion's mane from which there is no information about the levels of active compounds.
London Nootropics rose to notoriety after being featured on the popular television show Dragons den. Their ‘flow mushroom coffee’ contains 466mg of Lion's Mane 8:1 ratio dual extract in each sachet. There is limited information regarding compounds other than a brief statistic detailing 25% beta-glucans. My assumption is that this makes a better headline figure than alpha glucans and testing for other beneficial compounds is difficult and/or expensive.
Instant Coffee is a great way to take mushroom extracts because of the flavour profile, convenience and alignment of benefits. Individual sachets may help to maintain consistency with each serving however, does create excess packaging.
There is very limited information about the origin of their mushrooms, source of their coffee and quality of the raw materials. They also remain tight-lipped about the specifics of the ‘natural flavourings’ in the product.
Urban Farm It offers an alternative in the form of a Lion's Mane Fruiting block for at home cultivation. For most people seeking nootropic benefits of an extract. This is probably not the right option for you. The lead time, cultivation, drying and extraction processes will likely cost and consume far too much time and the likelihood of something going wrong is high. However, if you are looking for a fun at home science experiment then step this way!
Final Thoughts
There is one glaring omission in all the above and that is the price. Lions Mane and other functional mushroom extracts are difficult to produce and are often done so in far off countries like Brazil, Vietnam and mostly China.
Buying pure mushroom extract powders (rather than combined products containing them) can be slightly cheaper. Doing one's own extractions from Lions Mane powder may be a feasible option, although it is very messy and time consuming.
There are also a number of other places you will likely find Lions Mane. You might try to do an online search for a 'homeopathic store near me', 'naturopath' or shops offering Chinese medicine. You may even find a local mushroom grower or herbalist can offer more tailored advice for your specific needs.
In what ever way you choose to enjoy Lion’s Mane, I hope you found these words informative. Please drop a comment below and let us know what other questions you have about Lion’s Mane and Functional Mushrooms.
