Can Lion’s Mane Improve Mental Health?: The Experiment, Challenges, Benefits

Medicinal mushrooms are nothing new. In fact, their usage is ancient, dating back hundreds of centuries in Asia and traditional Chinese medicine. However, their popularity in the West has seen a steady increase over recent years. Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) has been specifically buzzy in the wellness world; it’s a fuzzy, white mushroom that fans claim can do everything from putting you in a better mood to fighting off the common cold.

I’ve been taking one combo of mushroom powder or another regularly since around 2010, and all of them have contained lion’s mane in their ingredients list—but I’d never tried lion’s mane alone.

I decided to forego my usual mushroom powder for Mycolove Farm Lion’s Mane Extract for one month. I’ll get into how that went, but first, let’s discuss why it might be worth a try.

Potential Benefits of Lion’s Mane

This odd-looking mushroom has benefits for nearly every part of the body. So far, a surprising amount of studies have been done about this category of supplement, with some excellent results, but it’s worth noting that research is still ongoing.

Can Help With Immunity

Lion’s mane can give your immune system some needed strength in a few different ways. Dr. Berlin Wright, naturopathic doctor with Sonoran University, explains, “Lion’s mane has immune-modulating properties that strengthen the immune system. It also supports gut health, which is critical since 70% of our immune system is in the gut!” And that’s not all. Wright adds that it can boost immunity in even more ways: “Lion’s mane can help reduce inflammation, fight oxidative stress, and has promising research showing anti-microbial properties.”

May Improve Energy

Whether you’re an athlete or just need an extra push to get through your day, lion’s mane can help with energy levels. “I recommend it for those looking to enhance a performance edge in the workspace, in class, or for athletic performance,” says Dr. BreAnna Guan, naturopathic and functional medicine doctor.

As someone deep into perimenopause, I’d heard it could be helpful for the afternoon slumps I’ve been experiencing for some time now. Guan confirms, “It’s also excellent for women who are perimenopausal or menopausal and struggle with mood, energy, and brain fog.”

Can Reduce Stress

Times are weird, to say the least, and I loved the idea of something in a bottle that could make me less likely to get sick but could also potentially make me feel a little less worried about the state of the world.

Lion’s mane has shown definite promise on this front, with findings that have shown reduced subjective stress in healthy young adults. While this likely won’t be sufficient for people with clinical depression, it could make life a little brighter for those who want an alternative or complementary treatment.

Improved Cognition

Lion’s mane may help you think more clearly, no matter your age. “Lion’s mane has been shown to improve cognitive function by enhancing memory, supporting mental clarity and focus, and decreasing brain fog,” says Wright, adding that it’s also being studied for dementia and Alzheimer’s in older adults.

Guan adds that it can be protective for your nervous system at large because “these compounds (hericenones and erinacines) help support the growth and healing of the nervous system,” which in turn can foster “cognitive benefits such as improvements in memory, increased task completion rates, and improvements in mood.”

Taking Lion’s Mane Daily

Now that I was fully jazzed for everything lion’s mane could help with, I switched over from my usual mushroom combo, which I had taken consistently for about three years, and started taking lion’s mane extract instead.

Week 1

My usual method for taking mushrooms is to add the powder to the final sips of my coffee, whisk it with a fork, and swallow it in one gulp. Because this was a liquid, I didn’t have to do that whisking. I was worried about how it would taste, as the powders I’ve used have all had a distinct dirt-like quality. Strangely enough, I didn’t notice any taste at all from this extract.

Week 2

Ever since entering perimenopause, my PMS week has had intense symptoms, one of which is brain fog. Week two was my PMS week, and the lion’s mane alone was not cutting it for me cognitively. I started noticing that I was feeling scattered, so about halfway through the week, I added my usual powder back in. The cognitive issues disappeared within a day. Not wanting to risk it, I decided to take the lion’s mane extract in conjunction with my mushroom combo for the duration.

Week 3

The addition of lion’s mane to my daily ‘shroom fix continued to help my energy improve. My afternoons felt weirdly normal, and I experienced as much energy as I had most mornings, which hasn’t happened to me for years. I found myself more motivated to do things I’m generally too exhausted to even contemplate, like make dinner for myself after cooking for my private chef client.

Reading the daily news has been a sore spot for me for a little while now, and it was really interesting to realize that suddenly, it made me feel a little less panicky to read it. I wouldn’t say my world view was changing or I was suddenly full of hope for the planet, but it gave me that much needed level of detachment that allowed me to put down my phone or set aside my laptop and move on to a different activity. I could not be more grateful for that.

Week 4

During the fourth week of taking lion’s mane, a good friend of mine got a cold. We had spent time together in close physical proximity the week before she got sick. I didn’t catch her cold, and it made me realize I haven’t gotten sick yet this season. I can’t say why that is, but it would be nice to think that mushrooms have offered me a boost of immune system protection.

Everything else continued as it had the previous weeks: My afternoons were more energetic, and I was a little less stressed overall. I wouldn’t say much changed for my brain, save for the time I spent without the mushroom mix, but I think and work very quickly in general and don’t feel a strong need of aid in that department.

Should You Take Lion’s Mane for Energy and Mood?

Many people can benefit from this mushroom, but don’t expect to notice a huge difference right away, whether you have a history of taking them or not. Wright notes that benefits may take up to a few weeks to be noticeable, so be patient and consistent with supplementation. To make sure they’re working out for you, she suggests, “When you start taking lion’s mane, keep track of any changes in mood, cognition, digestion, energy, or allergies.”

The Risks

Lion’s mane has perks, including the potential to perk you up, but they aren’t suitable for absolutely everyone. As you could guess, people who are allergic to mushrooms are not candidates for taking them in a supplement and/or medicinal manner.

Wright tells us to also avoid lion’s mane if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, if you take blood thinning meds—they can have a blood thinning effect and could increase your risk of bleeding—or if you take immunosuppressive drugs as they stimulate the immune system.

Takeaway

I didn’t really expect to notice anything by taking lion’s mane alone because I had already been using it in a small dose, so I was very pleasantly surprised by my experience with it.

If you haven’t delved into the world of mushrooms before, and you don’t have any of the contraindications listed above, I’d highly suggest an extract like this one to start. Missing out on the funky, dirt-like taste is a big step up from whisking a clump of powder into your morning beverage! Lion’s mane could potentially help with your immunity, cognition, mood, and more, so it might be worth a try.