What’s the Ideal Dose of Lion's Mane Mushrooms?
Are you often stressed or struggle with anxiety, depression, bloating or head fog? What if nature offered a solution? What if the key to improved mental health, less anxiety and more stable emotions could be powered by plants?
Lion’s Mane appears to have recently proven itself effective in helping with a spectrum of illnesses and problems ranging from low mood to mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease.
It’s real, its natural, and it works. But, like with any treatment or supplement, you need to take the proper Lion's Mane dosage for it to work its magic in your brain and body. Remember, everybody is different.
We’ve put together this blog to explore what Lion’s Mane mushrooms are, how they can benefit you, what the recommended doses are, and the different ways that you can consume Lion's Mane functional mushrooms.
So, What is Lion’s Mane Mushroom?
Lion's Mane mushrooms, also known as Hericium erinaceus, are recognised for their life-changing health benefits and were given their name due to resembling the mane of a lion. Don’t be confused; Lion’s Mane is magical, but it’s not a magic mushroom.
In traditional Chinese medicine, these fungi are prized for their ability to boost brain function and nerve health. Rich in antioxidants and beta-glucans, they have been said to reduce inflammation and aid digestion. It’s a nutritional powerhouse derived directly from nature!
How Much Lion's Mane Should I Take - Does Dosage Matter?
Whether you’re testing out dietary supplements for the first time or a pro biohacker trying to get the most from your physiology, you want to get your money’s worth from Lion’s Mane. With that in mind, we want to make sure you’re taking it correctly so you can start seeing those ‘oh wow’ kind of results.
The biggest mistake we see new Lion’s Mane enthusiasts making is taking the wrong dosages. While it would be nearly impossible to take too much, it is easy to take too little.
Especially since so many low-quality and unreliable Lion’s Mane brands are pretty vague about optimal dose recommendations or contain such a small amount of actual fruiting body that you need to take three times as much.
With our high-quality capsules, we generally recommend 1800mg a day, but how did we get to that number?
Well, quite a lot goes into working out your required Lion’s Mane dosage, which can include your age, weight, and the reason you’re taking this helpful ‘shroom.
So bear these extra factors in mind with all of our suggested doses, and look at them as more like guidelines than firm rules.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Lion’s Mane Mushroom?
There are life-changing potential health benefits to consuming Lion's Mane mushrooms daily. In this section, we will explore the beneficial effects of integrating Lion's Mane mushrooms into your lifestyle.
If you are seeing a natural health supplement that could potentially boost your immune system, improve overall brain health and cognitive functions, reduce the impacts of depressive disorder, and have anti-inflammatory effects, keep reading.
Find Your Focus And Improve Memory
A commonly overlooked use for Lion’s Mane is to improve your memory, focus and overall brain power. Both animal and human studies have proven our hero, hericium erinaceus, to be of huge help.
Incorporating Lion's Mane extract into your lifestyle can help improve your cognitive performance and brain health, even at lower dosages.
Taking Lion's Mane at lower dosages and working you're way up is a great way to find out which dosage works best for you.
We’d recommend beginning with a daily dose of 1800mg and testing out higher doses to discover just how much Lion’s Mane can do for your attention and focus.
Calm The Symptoms Of Depression & Anxiety
We often recommend taking your daily Lion’s Mane with your morning coffee - especially if caffeine is usually an anxiety trigger for you. That’s because this non-psychedelic but surprisingly powerful mushroom has a proven calming effect.
It can do much more than that. Research shows that it has a clever ability to reduce the symptoms experienced with anxiety, OCD and depressive behaviours.
That means if you’re struggling with low mood, brain fog, concentration issues or trouble sleeping, Lion’s Mane is like your best friend showing up with your favourite takeaway meal, a hug and some good conversation.
There’s no perfect Lion’s Mane dosage that can remove the symptoms of mood disorders, but anything starting at 1000mg daily has proven to be helpful. Some people report results at 1000mg, while others only see the effects at 5000mg - it all depends on you and your body.
Reduce Effects of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
It's been proven that Lion’s Mane can reduce the effects and onset of mild Alzheimer’s disease, and it's even been recommended by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
If you think it sounds too good to be true, there was even a highly controlled and thorough clinical trial testing its effects on things like confusion, brain fog, memory loss and cognitive decline.
These are key problems that come with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, and even at doses of 1000mg, Lion’s Mane was able to significantly reduce the milder symptoms.
Taking into account these studies, we think it’s best to start with 1000mg per day and increase the dosage to 1800mg gradually until you notice that the benefits level out.
Take Control Of ADHD
ADHD can be a lot more than simply having lots of energy or being easily distracted. This condition can be quite difficult to live with and manage, as some people can struggle with focus and brain noise to the point of being unable to work.
Evidence has started to suggest, excitingly, that taking this mushroom at a higher dose can help you feel more like yourself and reduce the background difficulties that ADHD can cause.
If you’re already on ADHD medication, it’s important to check with your doctor first before taking anything else for it. But it’s a good idea to start at 1800mg of a good quality hericium erinaceus supplement and work your way up to 5000mg. This is where you’re most likely to see the full effects that this calming ‘shroom can have for improving cognitive function.
Say No To Neuropathy
This highly painful condition is caused by nerve dysfunction and damage and can mean you have to make drastic changes to your lifestyle to accommodate your pain level and sometimes limited bodily functions.
Lion’s Mane has been shown to promote the nerves’ ability to rebuild themselves. And the bonus good news is that it doesn’t seem to interact with the neuropathy medications commonly given for this condition.
So even if you’re already taking pain medication for neuropathy, you can still reap the rewards that Lion’s Mane has to offer.
For neuropathic pain, Lion’s Mane is best taken 1-3 times a day at a daily dose of 500-1000mg. Of course, everyone is different, so try to experiment with dosage to discover what gives you the most relief.
See Symptom Improvement With MS
Many people struggle with this silent disease, in both of its forms, as either symptom flare-ups or slow nerve degeneration.
When it comes to functional mushrooms, hericium erinaceus shows the most promise for MS treatment, particularly at higher doses like 5000mg daily.
That’s because Lion’s Mane has a special ability to encourage nerves to protect themselves and even slow down the degeneration of nerves.
Not only can you reduce some of the symptoms that come with multiple sclerosis, like fatigue and muscle weakness, but it's evidenced that supplements made up of the ‘shroom’s fruiting body (the fully grown mushroom, not just its initial root structure, as some brands try to sell) can promote the production of new nerves.
Slow Progression Of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s can affect every aspect of life, but Lion’s Mane can help with some of the daily symptoms and could also slow down the progression of the disease. You may wonder, "How can a little mushroom do all that for such a serious condition?"
Well, a study looked into the way this shroom can reduce neurotoxicity (that’s scientist-speak for toxins), which is something deeply connected to Parkinson’s.
This study showed that subjects who’d taken Lion’s Mane showed fewer signs of toxicity, which seemed to be due to how protective Lion’s Mane is.
To get these kinds of benefits specifically for Parkinson’s, it’s recommended that you take Lion’s Mane mushroom every day for at least a month. You can increase the dose until you reach about 3000 mg or start noticing an improvement in your symptoms.
Boost Your Overall Health Maintenance
If you want to include Lion’s Mane in your diet for its antioxidant activities, use it for its brain-supporting properties, or use it as a natural energy boost, you probably don’t need to take too much before you notice a difference. Lion’s Mane is pretty cool that way.
For overall health maintenance, a daily dose of 1000-1800mg should be enough to give you the health kick you’re looking for.
How Should I Consume Lion's Mane Mushroom?
There are no right or wrong ways to consume Lion's Mane. There are various ways of taking Lion's Mane mushroom extract and there is no right or wrong method.
We suggest finding a way that comes more naturally to your daily lifestyle and that you enjoy. Common Lion's Mane mushroom products include:
- Fresh Lion's Mane mushrooms.
- Lion's Mane powder.
- Lion's Mane capsules.
- Lion's Mane herbal tea.
- Lion's Mane coffee.
Remember, whichever method of consumption you prefer, taking too much Lion's Mane will not speed up the benefits. Finding the perfect harmony for your body is key.
Find Your Ideal Lion's Mane Dosage With TwentyTwo
As we said, take some time to discover the Lion’s Mane dosage that best works for you. There are a lot of factors at play that can mean you need to take more or less than someone else.
Gradually increase your dosage if you feel like taking more Lion’s Mane would benefit you. But for overall health maintenance and the antioxidant effects of Lion's Mane, a dosage of 1000 mg per day makes a big difference.
If you want to try quality fruiting body Lion’s Mane mushroom supplements to help with symptoms or your general health, check out our Lion’s Mane capsules page for more shroom-based dosage guidance. Start your journey to better health today…
