Lion’s Mane Dosage: How much Lion's Mane should I take?

0 Shares

Looking for the correct Lion’s Mane Dosage for yourself? Curious what amount you should take, what the maximum safe limit is? Let’s find out!

People take all sorts of supplements to improve their mental and physical health.

While there’s usually plenty of research done about the benefits of those supplements, it’s hard to be sure about what dosage will be correct for your body.

The dosage for the lion’s mane mushroom, for example, varies depending on the form the supplement takes and the physiology of the person taking it.

If you don’t have all the facts, determining your dosage can be a trial-and-error experience, which can keep you from getting the benefits of the plant when you need them.

The good news is that the lion’s mane mushroom is a pretty forgiving plant without any major negative side effects, so trying different dosages out should be ok for most individuals.

Scientists have found no adverse side effects to lion’s mane mushrooms so far. Overdosing on the supplement also seems unrealistic based on current research.

It’s also been used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine, in case you wanted a second opinion 🙂

LION'S MANE DOSAGE — Lion’s Mane in the wild…

Let’s look at what lion’s mane is, what it does, and how to determine the correct dosage for you and your health needs.

Table of Contents

Nootropics and Your Brain

Also called smart drugs or cognition enhancers, nootropics are supplements that help the brain function better.

Nootropics, or “smart drugs,” are a class of substances that can boost brain performance. They are sometimes called cognition enhancers or memory enhancing substances.
Medical News Today

For example, caffeine qualifies as a nootropic since it is a substance that affects brain function.

Some nootropics help our brains fight off disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Lion’s mane mushrooms (Hericium erinaceus) contain hericenones and erinacines.

These compounds promote nerve growth factor (NGF) in nerve cells, and they easily cross the blood-brain barrier, making it effective for improving brain health.

As a result, individuals taking lion’s mane supplements can expect increased motivation, better focus, and improvements in memory.

Studies show that lion’s mane in particular has positive effects on Alzheimer’s patients, decreasing dementia and erecting a defense against amyloid beta-induced neurotoxicity, a condition that kills neurons and hastens the disease.

Slowing this toxicity improves memory and decreases dementia, specifically in patients who have Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

You don’t have to have a condition like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s to take lion’s mane supplements.

The supplement works on a healthy brain to improve its performance, decreasing depressive symptoms and anxiety and increasing cognitive function. It helps you think better and get more done.

Lion’s Mane Dosage

As with many medicines, lion’s mane mushroom dosage depends on many things.

Available in capsule form, as a powder, or straight off the hardwood trees where the fungus grows, different versions of lion’s mane mushroom extract mean different concentrations, so there is no set measurement across all of the available forms.

Powder. The recommended dosage is at least 250mg but not more than 1,000mg. Lion’s mane in powder form offers many options for ingestion. Sprinkle it in your tea for an earthy-flavored brew, or use it in baking (one study baked it into cookies). Most people say the best way to take lion’s mane powder is by stirring it into a drink.

Capsules. If you already take medicines in pill form, this may be the best option for you, as you’ll simply add one more to the mix. Researchers recommend up to 3,000mg per day, and many capsules come in doses of 2,400mg.

Mushrooms. If you find lion’s mane or are growing your own supply, you don’t have to grind it into a powder to use it. You can cook, saute, freeze-dry, or steep the mushrooms in hot water for tea (or as the very popular mushroom coffee trend shows, just add them to you morning java). Around 5,000mg of lion’s mane is the recommended dosage if you’re using the fungus whole.

What’s the Difference?

The concentration of hericenones and erinacines differs in the various forms this supplement takes.

A lion’s mane mushroom powder will be much more concentrated than a bite of the mushroom right off the tree.

In other words, 5,000mg of lion’s mane powder will deliver more of the active ingredients than 5,000mg worth of mushroom due to the higher concentration.

The best way to take lion’s mane is the way that works for you.

If you don’t like taking pills, powder or whole mushrooms can be used in a variety of ways.

If you hate the taste of mushrooms, simply take a capsule in the morning and continue your day as normal.

Factors Affecting Dosage

Health recommendations are general and don’t consider individual needs or physical make-up.

Nutritionists and researchers make recommendations based on averages and similarities found between people, but that doesn’t mean that you should customize your health plan in a way that doesn’t make sense for you.

Knowing your body will help you decide on your dosage.

Depending on your own body and health, you may need to experiment with raising or lowering your intake of lion’s mane mushrooms.

If your weight is much higher than average, you’ll likely need a higher dosage than a chronically underweight individual. Also, more severe symptoms may require higher dosages than those dealing with mild symptoms.

If you’re really feeling stuck on how much lion’s mane to take, or are worried that it could affect you negatively, it’s always best to consult a doctor or nutritionist who can help you determine your specific needs.

Lion’s Mane and Neuropathy

Many people experience neuropathy (nerve pain) and find that not many avenues of relief are available. The Mayo Clinic recommends walking three times a week and doing yoga.

While those things are good for you, some chronic pain makes it impossible to do even light exercise. What other solutions are there?

Taking a regular lion’s mane dosage for neuropathy may help soothe pain and treat underlying nerve damage.

A 2012 study showed that lion’s mane mushroom directly promoted the growth of damaged nerve cells and their regeneration in rats. While the study has yet to be replicated on humans, there is ample anecdotal evidence that lion’s mane helps alleviate neuropathy symptoms.

Can You Take Too Much Lion’s Mane?

Scientists have found no adverse side effects to lion’s mane so far. Overdosing on the supplement also seems unrealistic based on current research.

While the maximum recommended dose is 5,000mg, you will not put your health at risk if you exceed this.

Provided you do not have any allergies to mushrooms, taking more than the recommended dosage won’t harm you.

It may cause gastric discomfort and distress, but it won’t send you to the hospital. If you can’t figure out how many mgs of lion’s mane per day to take at first, experimenting a little won’t be harmful to your health.

Do remember that the body can only do so much with the materials it gets. If you take more vitamins than your body can absorb, much of the leftover, unused vitamins exit the body through the urinary tract.

Taking too much lion’s mane mushroom will have similar results.

Taking too much may waste your lion’s mane, but you won’t need to go to the hospital.

How Long Does Lion’s Mane Take to Work?

Since lion’s mane affects the brain, it needs some time to get into your system.

Painkillers like ibuprofen work on reducing inflammation in minutes, but it takes regular use of lion’s mane to see results.

Typically, you will notice lion’s mane’s effects on you after about two weeks of regular dosages.

You won’t wake up one day and think, “My brain is suddenly working so much better.”

Rather, you’ll look back and realize that things seem sharper, or your anxiety seems less than it was a couple of weeks ago.

Final Thoughts

Using supplements is a proactive way to maintain your health, and taking lion’s mane is a path toward mental clarity, better memory, and improvements in nerve health.

Finding the correct dosage for you involves starting with the recommended quantities, then adjusting over time to determine what’s best for you.

You’ll likely sleep better, experience no side effects, and feel cognitively better while taking lion’s mane supplements.

Since it’s available in multiple forms, you have several options to determine how lion’s mane can work best for you.

Scientific Research Sources: