Rankings / Cognitive — Nootropics
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus)
Cognitive · Medicinal mushroom
Tier B-
What this is
Mori 2009 Yamabushitake MCI trial (n=30) showed cognitive scale improvements at weeks 8-16 that reversed after discontinuation. Docherty 2023 showed acute Stroop task improvement in young adults. Evidence is suggestive but limited in scale. Dual extract (water + alcohol) preferred to capture both polysaccharides and erinacines.
Mechanism
Hericenones and erinacines stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis and promote neurite outgrowth; anti-inflammatory; modulates gut-brain axis
Dose & route
500-3000 mg/day fruiting body extract; 1-5 g crude powder
Citations
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18844328/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10675414/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7401676/
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