Best Lion’s Mane Powder At A Glance
Best Overall Lion’s Mane Powder
Real Mushrooms Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder
This organic lion’s mane mushroom powder is an extract-powder combination, which is perfect if you’re seeking the effect of beta-glucans. This product is derived purely from lion’s mane fruiting bodies and contains 25% water-soluble beta-glucans.
Best Value Lion’s Mane Powder
Bulk Supplements Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract
Bulk Supplements offers another extract-powder option for Lion’s Mane and their level of beta-glucans is guaranteed at >30%. Each purchase provides up to 200 servings, making it the best product if you have a limited budget.
Best Lion’s Mane Elixir
Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Elixir
This combination of rose hips, Rhodiola, and Lion’s Mane is ideal for increased focus, concentration, and memory. This powder comes in sachet form and be easily added to your drink of choice.
Best Mycelium Powder
Host Defense Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder
Rather than using fruiting bodies, this product mainly contains mycelium. Host Defense argues that the mycelium and grain complement each other’s actions which is why they decided to formulate their product this way.
Best Whole Mushroom Extract Powder
KOS Organic Lion’s Mane Powder
KOS organic lion’s mane powder contains the whole mushroom to provide more nutrients and compounds than just beta-glucans.
Best Whole Mushroom Powder
Om Mushroom Superfood Lion’s Mane Organic Mushroom Powder
This lion’s mane mushroom powder is the only non-extracted powder we’ve included in this review. The whole mushroom is used to ensure you’re receiving a whole spectrum of nutrients, beta-glucans, and other beneficial mushroom-specific compounds.
Lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) are edible, white globe-shaped fungi that grow in North America a their dangling spines create a lion’s mane appearance. Traditionally, lion’s mane has been used to promote general wellbeing and longevity, and Buddhist monks have also used lion’s mane to reach new depths in meditation.
Lion’s mane mushrooms contain beta-glucans and other bioactive compounds which improve cognitive performance and modulate the immune system. Other benefits include antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory activity. Current studies mainly center on rodents, though there have been small clinical trials in humans that have shown improvements in depression.
Lion’s mane is available on the market in different forms: as a powder, an extract powder, a tincture, and as capsules. The powder offers more versatility to explore which dose works for you and the mild taste works well for those who want to add a boost to their morning coffee.
In this review, we will explore the benefits of lion’s mane powder, discuss how to take lion’s mane powder, and explain how you can spot a high-quality product. As there are so many forms of lion’s mane available, we will compare the different options so that you can choose the best lion’s mane powder for you.
What Is Lion’s Mane Powder?
Today, lion’s mane has grown in popularity as a nootropic. Studies have found that lion’s mane boosts neuron production in the brain. Clinically, scientists are now exploring this effect for treating neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s. Recreationally, others, like the Buddhist monks, exploit this effect for improving memory and focus and for treating depression.
Lion’s mane’s biological activities are vast. In the 1990s scientists isolated bioactive compounds called beta-glucans from lion’s mane mushrooms which displayed anti-tumor activity in gastric cancer cells. These same compounds have also been shown to modulate the immune system. Furthermore, lion’s mane protects the liver by scavenging damaging oxidative compounds, defending organs from oxidative stress.
On top of the effects mentioned above, lion’s mane offers protection against aging and metabolic dysfunction, especially in people with diabetes.
How To Take Lion’s Mane Powder
Currently, human trials are few and far between for lion’s mane. However, small clinical trials have shown that taking 500 mg to 3 g a day is safe and effective. Toxicology studies have shown that doses of up to 3 g/kg of body weight are safe. However, we recommend starting from 250 mg as a baseline to understand your sensitivity, then, after 2 weeks, reassess and increase the dose if necessary.
You can take lion’s mane up to 3 times a day, depending on your routine. It’s important to note that personal dosage depends on your body weight, health, and sensitivity. If you want to take lion’s mane for a condition alongside other medicine, you may need a stronger dose than someone who’s taking it for general wellbeing. Lion’s mane can lower blood sugar levels and slow blood clotting so make sure to ask a doctor if you’re undergoing treatment for these conditions.
If you want to feel energized and focused, you should take lion’s mane in the morning. You shouldn’t be worried about taking lion’s mane too late in the day though as lion’s mane actually regulates sleep and simultaneously synthesizes nerve growth factor which plays a regulatory role in the sleep-wake cycle. You can mix lion’s mane powder with your morning cup of coffee or tea. You can even incorporate lion’s mane into smoothies and soups as it has a very mild taste.
Lion’s Mane Extract Vs. Powder
Lion’s mane powder is extracted from mushrooms using a gentle drying process. High-quality powders only contain the fruiting bodies of the mushroom in order to avoid the potentially toxic compounds sometimes found in the mushroom’s mycelium. In contrast, lion’s mane extracts are extracted from both the fruiting bodies and the mycelium either via hot water or alcohol extraction and this ensures that the final product contains high doses of beta-glucans.
The primary aim behind lion’s mane extract is to provide a concentrated dose of beta-glucans and other polysaccharides. This is great if you want the benefits behind these compounds. However, it does restrict the number of benefits available.
Powder, on the other hand, not only contains beta-glucans but also provides other bioactive compounds due to its less intense extraction process. The broad spectrum of bioactive compounds available means lion’s mane in powder form can treat a wider range of conditions.
If you’re looking for a convenient method of taking lion’s mane with better absorption, lion’s mane extract may be the better choice. However, the powder option guarantees more benefits.
Lion’s Mane Capsules Vs. Powder
Both products contain powder, so this comparison is more of a question of convenience. As the lion’s mane dose is contained within a capsule, people prefer its convenience, especially when using it on the go.
However, lion’s mane powder in bulk is more cost-effective and the option to change doses makes the powder form much more versatile, especially if you want to tailor its administration over time.
Our Review Of The Best Lion’s Mane Powder
Best Overall Lion’s Mane Powder
Organic Lions Mane Mushroom Powder By Real Mushrooms
Real Mushrooms’ organic lion’s mane mushroom powder is an extract-powder combination, perfect if you’re seeking the effect of those beneficial beta-glucans.
Each packet provides 60g of bulk extract, extracted purely from the fruiting bodies of lion’s mane mushrooms. Another bonus of this powder is the absence of grain fillers, and the fact the mushrooms are organic.
Real Mushrooms is transparent about the hot water extraction process, which is great for extracting water-soluble beta-glucansー25% guaranteed.
For dosage, we recommend starting on half a gram a day in your morning hot drink. It’s best to gradually build up the dose as this powder is an extract so the effects will be more potent.
Best Value Lion’s Mane Powder
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract (30% Polysaccharides) By Bulk Supplements
Bulk Supplements offers another extract-powder option for Lion’s Mane. Compared to Real Mushrooms, their level of beta-glucans is guaranteed at >30%.
Each product provides up to 200 servings of 500 mg doses, which is why we believe this product is the best value if you have a limited budget.
However, if you’re focusing on high quality, this may not be the best product as it’s unclear whether Bulk Supplements has ensured that only the fruiting bodies are used for extraction and which extraction method they used.
Best Lion’s Mane Elixir
Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Elixir
Four Sigma Foods’ Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Elixir is a powder composed of three different natural supplements: rose hips, Rhodiola, and Lion’s Mane.
This combination is ideal for increased focus, concentration, and memory, thanks to the nootropic properties of Lion’s Mane and Rhodiola. As if that weren’t enough, rose hips will provide a generous dose of vital vitamin C.
Each box of mushroom elixir contains twenty sachets of powder, and each sachet is equivalent to one dose. Take it before studying or any task that requires mental effort, and you will notice the difference.
Best Mycelium Powder
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder By Host Defense
Host Defense’s Lion’s Mane powder has an interesting twist. Rather than using fruiting bodies, this product mainly contains mycelium.
Mycelium is grown on grain substrates which become incorporated in the final product. Host Defense argues that the mycelium and grain complement each other’s actions following a study with a very small sample size. So, mycelium powders are currently considered controversial.
Despite the disputes, this mycelium powder has an impressive 4.7-star rating from over 1,500 users, so the benefits must be taking effect. It might be best to watch this space and see where the mycelium-fruiting body argument ends up.
Best Whole Mushroom Extract Powder
KOS Organic Lions Mane Powder
This organic lion’s mane powder contains the whole mushroom to provide more nutrients and compounds than just beta-glucans. Each scoop provides a larger dose of 3.5g, so it’s best to start with half a scoop to judge sensitivity.
KOS uses dual extraction to maximize bioavailabilityーthis is vital if they’re using the entire mushroom. It isn’t clear what the beta-glucans level is in this product, however, many users have experienced its benefits.
Best Whole Mushroom Powder
Om Mushroom Superfood Lion’s Mane Organic Mushroom Powder
Om Organic lion’s mane mushroom powder is the only non-extracted powder in this review. The whole mushroom is used to ensure you’re receiving a whole spectrum of nutrients, beta-glucans, and other beneficial mushroom-specific compounds.
However, the mushrooms are grown on oats which become incorporated in the mycelium, so this powder isn’t the purest product.
Each serving contains 2g of lion’s mane, providing 20% beta-glucans. However, they do argue that tests are imprecise, so it’s not always to use these percentages as an indicator of quality.
According to reviews, this product does not dissolve as quickly as other products, so mixing the powder into your coffee will require extra patience.
Read Our Article On The Top Picks For Lion’s Mane Mushroom Elixir, Lion’s Mane Mushroom Tea, And More
Editor’s note: we are regularly updating this review. If you see any problems, weird interpretations of the data, or just want to say hi, please reach out to hello@the-unwinder.com.
Photo by David Gabrielyan on Unsplash
