Regarding natural supplements that promise cognitive enhancement, immune support, and overall wellness, Lion's Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is undoubtedly at the top of the list. Revered in traditional medicine and increasingly supported by modern science, Lion's Mane has become a staple for those seeking to boost their brain function and support their health naturally. However, with the growing popularity of Lion's Mane, the market is flooded with products, making it challenging to choose the best supplement. At Fungi Review, we'll help you navigate the options to ensure you select a high-quality Lion's Mane supplement that aligns with your health goals.
What Is Lion's Mane and Why Is It Popular?
Lion’s Mane is a unique mushroom with a distinctive appearance, resembling the mane of a lion. It has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for its purported benefits, particularly in supporting brain health. Modern research has focused on its potential neuroprotective properties, which may help with cognitive decline, memory loss, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
The mushroom contains two primary bioactive compounds: erinacines and hericenones. These compounds are believed to stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein essential for nerve cells’ growth, maintenance, and survival. Additionally, scientific findings suggest that these compounds can stimulate the growth of brain cells and support neurogenesis, particularly emphasizing their potential effects on age-related cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer's. As a result, Lion’s Mane is often promoted as a natural supplement for cognitive enhancement, memory improvement, and overall brain health.
Best Lion's Mane Brands of 2024
Now that you know what to look for, let’s dive into our top picks for the best Lion’s Mane supplements of 2024. Each of these products has been selected based on its quality, effectiveness, and customer reviews.
1. Real Mushrooms Lion's Mane
Overview: Real Mushroom is known for its commitment to quality and transparency. Their Lion’s Mane supplement is made from 100% organic fruiting bodies, with no added mycelium or fillers. The product is hot water extracted to maximize beta-glucans’ concentration and other beneficial compounds.
Why We Like It: Real Mushrooms provides easy-to-find third-party lab results for each batch of their products, ensuring you know exactly what you’re getting. Their Lion’s Mane supplement is potent, pure, and backed by science. They have some of the best reviews out of the mushroom supplement niche due to their high expertise and authenticity in providing the right potency and purity of mushrooms to their customers.
2. Nootropics Depot
Overview: Nootropics Depot is a trusted brand known for its extensive testing and research-driven approach to supplements. Their Lion’s Mane capsules are made from a dual extract of 100% fruiting bodies, ensuring a potent and bioavailable product. The brand prides itself on quality control, with rigorous testing for purity, potency, and contaminants, including heavy metals and pesticides.
Why We Like It:  Nootropics Depot stands out for its attention to detail and scientific backing. Their Lion’s Mane supplement is highly concentrated, offering significant amounts of the bioactive compounds hericenones and erinacines, which are known to support cognitive health. The company is also transparent with third-party lab results, making it easy for consumers to verify the quality and potency of their supplements. Customers frequently praise the noticeable cognitive benefits, such as improved focus and mental clarity, often comparing Nootropics Depot's Lion’s Mane to more expensive brands while still maintaining high standards of quality.
3. Life Cykel Lion's Mane Extract
Overview: Australian-based mushroom brand Life Cykel has had a big influence on the mushroom supplement market, especially with its creative approach to producing premium, environmentally friendly mushroom products. Among the first that many consumers, including me, try when investigating the advantages of medicinal mushrooms is their Lion’s Mane extract. By means of a dual extraction technique, Life Cykel’s Lion’s Mane guarantees a strong product with a complete spectrum of bioactive compounds, including beta-glucans, hericenones, and erinacines.
Why We Like It: Especially for those new to mushroom supplements, Life Cykel’s Lion’s Mane extract is among the most easily available and effective products on the market. The brand guarantees a unique and strong product through its dedication to sustainability and creative use of mycelium-grown and fruiting bodies on native Australian trees. Whether taken straight or added to coffee or smoothies, the extract fits easily into daily routines, and I’ve been using it for over a year. For those trying to improve cognitive ability and general well-being, Life Cykel also stresses openness and offers thorough information on their sourcing (click here for their third-party lab reports), extraction techniques, and product benefits. Oriveda's Lion's Mane supplement is made from organic lion's mane, ensuring premium quality and enhanced cognitive benefits.
4. Oriveda Lion's Mane
Overview: Oriveda is a brand that stands out in the mushroom supplement market for its commitment to scientific rigor and transparency. Their Lion’s Mane supplement is derived from 100% fruiting bodies and is known for its high potency and purity. Oriveda uses a dual extraction process, ensuring that their product captures both water-soluble and fat-soluble bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides (beta-glucans) and terpenes.
Why We Like It: Oriveda provides detailed third-party lab results for their Lion’s Mane supplement, which test for beta-glucan content, heavy metals, pesticides, and other potential contaminants. This transparency is critical for consumers who want to ensure they are getting a product that is both potent and pure. Additionally, Oriveda’s Lion’s Mane supplement is standardized to contain a high percentage of active compounds, which is a strong indicator of its effectiveness and potency. Taking lion's mane regularly may improve cognitive function, memory, and attention, and potentially protect against neurodegenerative diseases. Amongst reviews on mushroom supplements on reddit, it is also highly talked about.
5. Four Sigmatic Lion's Mane Elixir
Overview: Four Sigmatic’s Lion’s Mane Elixir is a convenient and tasty way to incorporate Lion’s Mane into your daily routine. Made from organic fruiting bodies, this instant drink mix is easy to prepare and perfect for on-the-go.
Why We Like It: Four Sigmatic combines high-quality Lion’s Mane with other adaptogens like Rhodiola and Astragalus to enhance cognitive function and reduce stress. The elixir is USDA-certified organic and free from fillers and additives. They also provide a page about their lab reports and testing (here), which they have made easy for customers to read. Additionally, the use of fresh lion's mane mushrooms in their supplements ensures the inclusion of bioactive compounds that promote brain health, aid in healing nerve injuries, and offer potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
6. FreshCap Lion's Mane
Overview: FreshCap’s Lion’s Mane supplement is among the top lion's mane supplements, made from 100% organic fruiting bodies with no mycelium or grain fillers. The product undergoes dual extraction to ensure a high concentration of both water-soluble and fat-soluble compounds.
Why We Like It: FreshCap is transparent about its sourcing and manufacturing processes, and its supplements are third-party tested for quality. The dual extraction process ensures you get the full range of Lion’s Mane’s benefits.
Choosing Quality Lions Mane Brands
Before diving into the top Lion’s Mane supplements, it’s crucial to understand that not all lion's mane mushroom supplements on the market are of the same quality. The effectiveness of a supplement depends on several factors, including the part of the mushroom used, the extraction process, the purity of the product, and the dosage. Here’s what you should look for:
1. Fruiting Body vs. Mycelium
One of the most critical distinctions in mushroom supplements, especially those containing lion's mane mushrooms, is whether the product contains the fruiting body or the mushroom’s mycelium. The fruiting body is the part of the mushroom that grows above ground and is typically harvested for consumption. It contains the highest concentrations of bioactive compounds, including erinacines and hericenones.
On the other hand, mycelium is a root-like structure that grows below ground and is often grown on grain. While mycelium does contain some beneficial compounds, it is usually less potent than the fruiting body and may contain residual grain from the growing process. For the most potent Lion’s Mane supplement, typically 100% fruiting body products are the best as they’re backed by more research than the mycelium.
For more detailed information on the differences between fruiting body and mycelium, check out our Fruiting Body vs Mycelium blog
2. Extraction Method
The extraction method used to create a lion's mane mushroom supplement can significantly impact its potency and effectiveness. The two most common methods are hot water extraction and alcohol extraction.
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Hot Water Extraction: This method is typically used to extract polysaccharides like beta-glucans, which are known for their immune-boosting properties.
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Alcohol Extraction: This method is used to extract triterpenoids and other fat-soluble compounds, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Some high-quality supplements use a dual extraction process, combining both water and alcohol extraction to ensure a full spectrum of bioactive compounds. When choosing a supplement, look for details on the extraction process to ensure you’re getting a product with maximum potency.
(Internal Link: To learn more about how extraction methods impact the potency of mushroom supplements, visit our Mushroom Quality Guide.)
3. Purity and Potency
The purity of a Lion's Mane supplement refers to the absence of fillers, additives, or contaminants. High-quality supplements will be free from unnecessary ingredients and will have been tested for heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants.
Potency, on the other hand, refers to the concentration of active compounds in the supplement. Look for products that are standardized to contain a specific percentage of beta-glucans or erinacines, as this indicates a consistent and effective dose.
(Our Fungi Potency and Purity Guide provides more information on how to assess the purity and potency of mushroom supplements.)
How to Choose the Right Lion's Mane Brand for You
While the abovementioned products are all excellent choices, the best Lion's Mane supplement for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice:
Reminder: Mushroom supplements are not FDA-approved and are sold as dietary supplements. Leaving the consumer responsible for finding the most trustworthy brand that suits their health.
1. Consider Your Health Goals
Are you looking to improve cognitive function, boost your immune system, or reduce inflammation? Different Lion's Mane supplements may offer varying benefits depending on the extraction method and the part of the mushroom used. Choose a product that aligns with your health goals.
2. Check the Ingredients
Always read the label to ensure you're getting a product made from high-quality ingredients. Look for supplements made from 100% fruiting bodies and check for any fillers or additives that might dilute the product's potency. If they use Mycelium in their supplements, look out for red flags like Mycelium grown on grain and check for third-party lab reports.
3. Research the Brand
Not all brands are transparent about their sourcing and manufacturing processes. Research the brand's reputation, read customer reviews, and check if they provide third-party lab results. A reputable brand will be open about how their products are made and tested.
Learn more about identifying trustworthy mushroom brands in our How to Identify Trustworthy Mushroom Brands guide
4. Consult with a Healthcare Professional
While Lion's Mane is generally considered safe, it's always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement, especially if you have existing health conditions or are taking other medications. Fungi Reviews are based on personal experience and research; we do not provide health advice. You should always speak to your doctor before making decisions on your health.
To learn more about picking the right mushroom brand and what to look out for, check out our Fungi Review Purity & Potency Guide
Conclusion: Embrace the Power of Lion's Mane
Lion's Mane mushroom is a powerful natural supplement with a wide range of potential health benefits, particularly for brain health and cognitive function. However, not all supplements are created equal. By understanding the differences in quality, extraction methods, and ingredients, you can choose a Lion's Mane supplement that meets your needs and supports your health goals.
Remember to do your research, read labels carefully, and choose a reputable brand that provides transparency and quality assurance. With the right Lion's Mane supplement, you can take a step towards better cognitive health and overall wellness.
