Is Lion’s Mane a Nootropic? A Dietitian’s Perspective
We're going to cover one of the questions I'm asked most often: Is Lion’s Mane a nootropic? Well normally people phrase it differently, asking if it really makes you smarter or something along those lines, but you get the idea. I do know that the world of nootropics can be confusing, with a lot of nonsense claims thrown around. So, let's get into the actual facts around Lion’s Mane and look at what makes it so intriguing and whether it truly fits the bill as a brain-boosting nootropic. TLDR: Yes, but you need to get something standardized for erinacines, most mushrooms supplements aren't standardized or if they are it's for beta glucans, this isn't the compound that gives lion's mane it's effects. Generally I recommend people check out Nootrum Lion's Mane as that is standardized correctly. Without standardization, you'd need about 5 or 6 grams (5/6 capsules) a day and basically no brand does that and what they call a months supply, would only be a week. What’s a Nootropic, Anyway? Nootropics are substances known to enhance cognitive functions like memory, focus, creativity, and even mental clarity. Think of them as natural brain-boosters. You are probably already be using nootropics without even realizing it—caffeine, for example, is a mild nootropic that increases alertness. But for something to be classified as a nootropic to be effective, it should be both shown as safe (barring allergies) and backed by research showing it has real cognitive benefits. And that's where Lion’s Mane comes in or rather 2 particularly compounds in Lion's Mane. I'm not going to go into too much detail about beta glucans, they're common to all functional mushrooms, and they do have some mild cognitive boosting effects, but that's not why we're looking at Lion's Mane Mushroom specifically. Key Compounds in Lion’s Mane: Erinacines and Hericenones These two compounds are where the magic of Lion’s Mane lies. Erinacines, found in the mycelium, and hericenones, found in the fruiting body. And yes there's a lot of misinformation about the above ground bit being better, and this is true for most mushroom species, but not lion's mane.