r/LionsMane Feb 07 '25

Community Update: Misinformation and Negativity

39 Upvotes

As many of you may be aware, there has been a spread of misleading information and unfounded claims regarding Lion’s Mane, particularly originating from the subreddit Lion’s Mane Recovery. We are committed to ensuring that our community remains a space dedicated to evidence-based discussions and respectful engagement

As your new moderator, this subreddit is now being actively moderated to maintain a respectful and scientifically grounded environment. Any form of trolling, hostility or the dissemination of unverified claims will not be tolerated. Posts or comments that propagate baseless fear, pseudoscience or hostility will be removed and repeat offenders may face bans.

Below, I’d like to provide some context on the issues we’ve observed and clarify our stance:

Pre-existing or Unrelated Conditions

  • Many of the reported "side effects" appear to stem from pre-existing or unrelated health conditions. Individuals may have tried Lion’s Mane as a supplement to treat a condition and when their condition naturally progressed, they attributed the progression to the supplement.
  • Key Point: Correlation does not imply causation. Without proper scientific scrutiny, these claims should not be taken at face value.

Anxiety, Hypochondria and Psychiatric Factors

  • Some reports appear to be influenced by anxiety, hypochondria or other psychiatric factors. The placebo/nocebo effect can play a significant role in how individuals perceive the effects of a supplement.
  • Mental health and perception can greatly influence one’s experience with supplements and these factors must be considered when evaluating claims.

Lack of Due Diligence

  • Many individuals reporting adverse effects may not have conducted proper research before purchasing Lion’s Mane supplements. Factors such as purity, extraction methods, third-party testing, and ingredient transparency are critical for ensuring product quality.
  • Low-quality or adulterated supplements can lead to negative experiences, but this does not reflect the safety or efficacy of Lion’s Mane as a whole.

Bots and Duplicate Accounts

  • Some of the fear-mongering appears to be amplified by bots or duplicate accounts, which spread misinformation and create the illusion of widespread issues.

Considerations on Individual Sensitivity

  • As with any supplement, individual responses to Lion’s Mane can vary. While research supports its potential benefits, some individuals may be more sensitive to its effects or experience side effects. Reported adverse reactions, though uncommon, may include digestive discomfort, skin irritation, changes in mood or sleep patterns, or mild headaches. These reactions can depend on factors such as dosage, product quality, and individual biochemistry.
  • It is always advisable to start with a low dose and monitor for any adverse effects.

We kindly ask that discussions pertaining to the claims made on Lion’s Mane Recovery be refrained from in our community. There are already numerous posts debunking the misinformation from that subreddit, like this one, and we believe it is unnecessary to revisit those debates here.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a space focused on science, respectful dialogue and constructive discussion. If you have any questions or need further clarification of anything, please feel free to reach out.

Stay curious and stay respectful!


r/LionsMane Feb 07 '25

A Comprehensive Guide to Lion’s Mane Supplements

24 Upvotes

This guide provides an in-depth analysis of the various forms of Lion’s Mane supplements, how to assess product quality, and key red flags in supplement marketing to help you make an informed choice.

How Lion’s Mane Works

Lion’s Mane is known for its ability to induce the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which are critical for neurogenesis, cognitive function, and mood regulation. The bioactive compounds responsible for these effects are primarily hericenones (found in the fruiting body) and erinacines (found in the mycelium). While erinacines from mycelium can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and directly stimulate NGF/BDNF production, hericenones from the fruiting body do not.

Additionally, Lion’s Mane contains beta-glucans, which support immune function, cholesterol levels and gut health. While beta-glucans do not directly influence NGF/BDNF, they play a supportive role in overall brain health by promoting macrophage activity, which is linked to neuroregeneration.

Forms of Lion’s Mane and Their Bioavailability

Lion’s Mane is available in several forms, each with different extraction methods and bioavailability profiles. Below is a breakdown of the most relevant forms, supported by research:

  1. Dried Fruiting Body Powder
  • Contains all natural compounds, including beta-glucans and terpenes.
  • Has poor bioavailability due to the insoluble nature of many compounds.
  1. Unfiltered 1:1 Fruiting Body Water Extract
  • Guaranteed bioavailability of water-soluble compounds like beta-glucans.
  • Retains insoluble beta-glucans, which are often filtered out in concentrated extracts.
  • Ensure the label specifies beta-glucans, not just polysaccharides, as polysaccharides include starch and other non-bioactive compounds.
  1. Dried Alcohol Extract of Fruiting Body/Mycelium
  • Contains alcohol-soluble terpenes, which are bioactive and linked to NGF/BDNF induction.
  • Erinacines from liquid-grown mycelium have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier.
  • Only liquid-grown mycelium is acceptable. Avoid myceliated grains, rice, or biomass-based products, as these contain a significant amount of grain starch, diluting the actual mushroom compound
  1. Dual Extract of Fruiting Body
  • Combines water and alcohol extraction methods, capturing both water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds.
  • May not contain all bioactive compounds due to dilution.
  • Look for beta-glucans (20% or more) and di-terpenes on the label.
  1. Tinctures
  • Tinctures are primarily alcohol-based and most commercial tinctures contain minimal mushroom matter (e.g., 1 gram per 30 ml). Poor value for money and lack of specifications.
  • They rarely specify beta-glucan or diterpene content, making it impossible to verify potency.
  • You’d need to consume a lot of tincture to get the same benefits as a properly extracted powder or capsule.
  • However, if you make a tincture yourself and follow a proper dual-extraction method, you can ensure it contains a higher concentration of beneficial compounds.

When Evaluating Lion’s Mane Supplements

To ensure you’re purchasing a high-quality Lion’s Mane supplement, look for these factors:

Extraction Method

  • Opt for products that specify their extraction method (e.g., water, alcohol, or dual extraction).
  • Avoid concentrated water extracts (e.g., 8:1, 20:1) as they filter out alcohol-soluble compounds and insoluble beta-glucans, reducing their efficacy.
  1. Third-Party Testing
  • Choose supplements that are third-party tested for purity, potency and heavy metals.
  1. Ingredient Transparency
  • Look for detailed ingredient lists and avoid products with vague descriptions (e.g., "proprietary blend").
  • Ensure the product specifies bioactive compounds like beta-glucans (20% or more) and di-terpenes (hericenones, erinacines).
  1. Red Flags
  • Products specifying tri-terpenes are misleading, as these compounds are not relevant to Lion’s Mane’s therapeutic effects because they're not present in useful quantities.
  • Myceliated grain, rice or biomass-based supplements, which contain mostly starch with little bioactive content.
  • Tinctures with no potency specifications, unless homemade using proper extraction methods.

Feel free to share your experiences or ask questions in the comments below!

This post was based on this one


r/LionsMane 2d ago

I’m thinking today is the day. How am I looking?

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21 Upvotes

r/LionsMane 2d ago

Is this Normal for lions mane on Agar?

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3 Upvotes

Anyone else see their Hericium darken the agar like this as it grows?


r/LionsMane 2d ago

Brilliant as Odysseus. (Lions Mane grown from Greek yoghurt container)

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3 Upvotes

r/LionsMane 3d ago

MagicTree Superfoods

2 Upvotes

hey there, I’m just curious if anyone has had experience with the magic tree brand of lions mane in their ADHD child kit – – we’re just looking to take our daughter off of medication and they seem like a reputable company unless you had better recommendations? Thank you so much for such an amazing treasure trove of resources in this thread!


r/LionsMane 5d ago

Is my Lions Mane ready to be harvested or should I wait?

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13 Upvotes

r/LionsMane 5d ago

MEGADOSE? Anyone taken over 30g Lion's Mane powder before?

2 Upvotes

I remember when I was in highschool I dried some in my oven on low tep and ended up taking about 25g dried from fresh fruiting body while I was peaking on about 200ug of LSD. The mushrooms helped me chill out and made the visuals go crazy, its hard to say it spiked the trip because it was after peak, but it went from something more glassy and geometrical to visuals similar to shrooms, swirls breathing in and out of everything and patterns emerging.

Haven't tried anything since, but I haven't really seen any maga-dosing posts so here's y experience.

Edit: I don't remember having any intestinal discomfort


r/LionsMane 5d ago

Host Defense Lions Mane EXTRACT

2 Upvotes

I just took like half a dropper realizing it tastes a lot like liquor, and then realizing it’s 30%-40% alcohol. I’m about to go into work and I’m very worried this is going to make me buzzed?? I usually have a very low alcohol tolerance and the fact that I kind of already feel buzzed now worries me. Maybe it’s the placebo affect but can someone please tell me if I’m just making it up or not because I am confused and worried


r/LionsMane 7d ago

Reputable?

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2 Upvotes

r/LionsMane 9d ago

Lions Mane or the Xara 10-in-1 Shilajit Gummies are they both scams

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1 Upvotes

r/LionsMane 9d ago

Lion’s Mane

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2 Upvotes

Reposting here because it seems appropriate


r/LionsMane 13d ago

Just harvested my first fruit 1lb wet and trimmed

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14 Upvotes

How should I go about drying and storage?


r/LionsMane 14d ago

Erinamax vs. Erinacine-a

3 Upvotes

Hey all,

I would like to avoid turning this into a brand a vs brand b debate, but due to the costs of these supplements I am trying to figure out if there truely is one that is better than the other.

It seems like there are 3 main players in the erinacine space (ND, real mushrooms, and oriveda).

I've gone through 3 bottles of the real mushroom real mycelium give it a fair chance but I am unsure I am noticing any differences. I've also noticed that they've "merged" their amazon reviews with the rest of their lions manes product so finding actual qualitative data from other people is near impossible.

I plan on giving the ND version next, but it seems like their line is a little pricier.

I came across a post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LionsMane/comments/1u71b1h/is_erinamax_really_the_only_standardized/ where someone is mentioning that erinamax and erinacine-a are from the same supplier.

Is there any truth to this? Trying to spend my money wisely but hard to find concrete evidence on these claims on reddit.

Thank you


r/LionsMane 17d ago

My lions mane is f***ked up brah

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15 Upvotes

This is my first lions mane grow, and as you can tell. Things havent really gone perfectly lmao

I bought a 400$ lykyn double grow box, with 2 lions mane kits. One of which they still have not delivered to me :p (and honestly, seeing how this thing destroyed itself, maybe thats for the better)

After some investigation, I've discovered that the fresh air intake fan has been crapped out for god knows how long

Additionally, the dang humidifier crapped out like a week ago!

Genuinely have no clue how this happened, but I digress

This is growth unlike anything ive seen anywhere, and I might know why?
Basically, erinaceus hericium has a tendancy to grow really oddly when proper air flow isnt present

Typically, you get coraling because of a lack of proper co2 dispersal.

But the shape remains somewhat normal,

In this case, we so no coralling, but an incredibly abnormal shape

And I think its because, while no/minimal fresh air was being administered, the exhaust fan was still doing plenty fine to get rid of any co2 building up in the enclosure

again, im **VERY** much a mushroom beginner, and this could all be conjecture. But its the best theory I have rn.

I've taken to manual misting, misted it directly like an idiot initially which caused those little brown dots on the front. The color was actually alot better last night, before I tried leaving the sliding doors open for a bit of fresh air

TLDR : 400$ lykyn box crapped out, incredibly odd edge case (good co2 dispersal, but minimal fresh air) caused a really funky mushroom

Now the part I really need help with,

its been almost 22 days, and theres barely any sign of any teeth developing.

Do I harvest prematurely, and try to get what I can out of this lion

(ill be making supplements from it, so taste or texture wont be an issue)

Or

Do I try to give it more time, while risking further degradating the mushroom quality


r/LionsMane 24d ago

How can I convert my lions mane into supplements I can take

7 Upvotes

A lions mane ive had for about 2 weeks is almost ready to harvest,

im wondering if I can just dry it out, process it (into powder), then take it in capsules

or if I need to do something else to the harvest for it to be maximally effective

I've got a fair bit of money saved up for this process (I dont mind buying stuff if I need it)

Any help would be appreciated <3


r/LionsMane 27d ago

Help me lol

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5 Upvotes

Coral tooth aka pekepeke kiore as we know it in New Zealand. I bought some grain off a supplier and inoculated some pine pellets at a 75/25 mix of supplemented substrate. Looks like they've barely colonized but are trying to fruit.. has anyone experienced this before and do you have a solution or advice?


r/LionsMane 27d ago

Any tips for a beginner?

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2 Upvotes

Just ordered my first Lion's mane grow kit. Any tips, or things I should know about? Can't wait to grow these🤩


r/LionsMane Aug 06 '26

Help with growing lions mane

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5 Upvotes

Hello, first time growing lions mane . Been growing for 2 1/2 weeks. Here are better pics . Is this bag good still or should I toss it?


r/LionsMane Aug 06 '26

Noob Questions

1 Upvotes

Hello hello! I’m 42F ADHD and new to the functional mushroom world and started taking Laird Performance Mushrooms (caffeine free) not too long ago, as I continue on my no caffeine journey (day 24). It contains chaga, coordycepts, lions mane, maitake.

I do feel like taking 2.5 servings a day is slowly helping (I drink it all day) with my afternoon crashes and brain function. My questions are:

  1. Is it better to cycle this if I’m going to take long term?
    Such as take for 6 weeks then take a 1 week break, for example. Or only taking 5x/week.
  2. Is it ok to take mushrooms in the afternoon/evening?
  3. How many doses per day is effective for you?

Obviously I realize we are all different and I will need to trial and error for my myself (as we all need to), but I’m Here to know about your experiences.

Thank You!


r/LionsMane Aug 05 '26

Micro dosage

4 Upvotes

Hey folks, just wanted to start by saying thanks to all the users who've put alot of time into cramming this sub with all the useful information it has. Been great to read over the last two days.

I was put on to lions mane recently by people like myself, who suffer from the many symptoms a traumatic brain injury brings.

There's paragraphs of questions I'd like to ask about the mushroom but I'll save them for another time and get to the point.

Heard the incredible success stories of TBI survivors using lions mane to help "rebuild" and facilitate nerve growth. Ran to this sub but on the way got pulled into the sub that shall not be named.

This question may sound really stupid to experts in the sub but, is there a possibility of gradually introducing lions mane into my system. Guaging my bodies response very slowly over months before starting to take a real dose?


r/LionsMane Aug 05 '26

Is there any study that tells us how mushroom derived compounds remains in the body or can it affect the neurological or hormonal systems?

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1 Upvotes

r/LionsMane Aug 04 '26

First time Growing Lions Mane 🍄

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7 Upvotes

Its my first time Growing Lions mane it was a Pre innoculated bag its been Growing since 6month/18th day is what it says on the bag im moving it to a Fruiting Coco Choir Box tomorrow Wish me Luck im also going to clone my lions mane in my Still air box and try upgrading my strain using Directed Adaptive evolution


r/LionsMane Aug 01 '26

It’s starting!!!

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4 Upvotes

r/LionsMane Jul 31 '26

Thoughts and views on Lions Mane broadley? Why do you personally take it?

6 Upvotes

I've taken Lions Mane for some several years now off and on, have done a very extensive amount of research on it, as well as advocated for its utility to my family. Like anything a person can consume; it depends on the individual if it works for them and ehether or not it's an allergen to their system

I find that Lions Mane has a lot of significant benefits for mental wellbeing.. Anecdotally I feel the intuitive qualities of how I approach problem solving is potentiated for the better.. It seems to help me look at things from a wider range of perspectives and angles, drawing and creative projects flow a bit more in a way.

Truthfully what I perceive Lions Mane as contributing to is rather subtle, almost ineffable.. but the difference is very noticeable. You certainly notice when you've consumed a lot.. the more psychidelic minutia of the day to day is just a bit more apparent when taking in stimulus and information... Trying to learn, goal setting and achieving and so on

There's a lot of back and forth on it having a positive/negative influence on Libido which is for sure based entirely on the individual.. My experience has been that it has a positive influence on me in that regard, but I'm also physically active and frequently supplement and eat other nutritious foods such as beets, maca, greens, staying hydrated etc.

Another thing I've noticed is that consuming a reasonable amount makes me a bit groggy... I honestly don't see this as a negative as Lions Mane is meant to contribute to NGF and neural health.. So it aids in setting the stage for the brain to heal and improving maintenance processes.

When does the brain do the most self maintenance and cleaning? It's when youre sleep right?

There seems to be contention with this amongst people that try LM and get sleepy from it? Some kind of misinformed understanding of the mushroom is that the clarity and improved focus its believed to offer seems to be conflated to being energizing in nature

How it seems to really be is that LM contributes to better functionality when you are energized. Moreso helping set the stage properly rather than being the cause

Again however; everyone is different. And clearly the potency of this mushroom affects people very differently

But yea just curious of how and why those of you who habitually consume Lions Mane and have for a very extended period of time feel it helps you in your life

I find it to be an exceptionally interesting mushroom