Lion's Mane: Amounts Used in Studies (Study Amounts, Not Advice)
The lion's mane amounts, forms, durations and groups used in published human studies, listed only to describe those studies. This page is not dosing advice.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Supplements can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read mushroom safety and interactions before you use any mushroom product.
This page describes studies. It is not advice on how much to take. Amounts below are what researchers gave to specific groups of people, in specific forms, for specific lengths of time. They do not show what is right, safe or effective for any reader. A clinician or pharmacist, who knows your medicines and health, decides what is appropriate. Lion's mane here means Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. [1]
Quick answer
- No official amount found. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) herb page has a "Dosage" heading but no amount appears under it in the version we read. [2] We did not find a regulator monograph with an amount for lion's mane in the sources we read, and we could not run further web searches for one, so this is "not described in the sources we read" rather than a statement that none exists.
- Studies used very different amounts, from a single 1 g dose to 10 g a day, in different forms. Each study we read tested one amount against placebo; none compared amounts, so none can say which amount works best. [3][4]
- The form decides what the number means. Grams of dry powder, grams of extract and milligrams of mycelium are not interchangeable. See lion's mane forms and fruiting body vs mycelium.
Amounts in human studies
| Study (year) | Form | Amount reported | Length | Who | Outcome reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mori and colleagues (2009) | Tablets with 96% dry powder | Four 250 mg tablets, three times a day | 16 weeks, then 4 weeks of follow-up | 30 adults aged 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment, Japan | Higher cognitive scores than placebo at weeks 8, 12 and 16; scores fell again after stopping. [5] |
| Saitsu and colleagues (2019) | Supplements with fruiting body powder | 3.2 g a day, as tabulated by a 2025 review (we read only the abstract of the trial) | 12 weeks | Adults (details not given in the abstract we read) | Of three tests, only the MMSE was reported as improved. [6][7] |
| Li and colleagues (2020) | Capsules of erinacine A-enriched mycelium | Three 350 mg capsules a day, each with 5 mg/g erinacine A | 49 weeks | Adults with mild Alzheimer's disease (pilot trial) | Better scores than placebo on some scales; four people left because of abdominal discomfort, nausea or skin rash. [8] |
| Docherty and colleagues (2023) | Capsules of a proprietary blend | Three 600 mg capsules a day (1.8 g) | 28 days | 41 healthy adults aged 18 to 45 | Faster Stroop task at 60 minutes after the first dose; a stress trend after 28 days (p = 0.051). [3] |
| Surendran and colleagues (2025) | Fruiting body extract, 10:1 | 3 g, one dose | Tested at 90 minutes | 18 healthy adults aged 18 to 35 | No overall change in cognition or mood scores. [4] |
| Guayusa and lion's mane trial (2023) | Nordic-grown lion's mane | 1 g, one dose | Tested at 1 and 2 hours | Adults, crossover design | Reaction time on some tasks was faster than with placebo. [9] |
| Grozier and colleagues (2022) | Muffins | 10 g of lion's mane a day | 4 weeks | 24 young adults | No effect on exercise metabolism or thinking tests. [10] |
| Pilot study (2026) | Mycelial biomass plus fruiting body | 2 g a day | 28 days | 10 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 | No statistically significant change in executive function or blood BDNF. [11] |
| Vigna and colleagues (2019) | Mycelium plus fruiting body extract | 1.5 g a day, as tabulated by the 2025 review | 8 weeks | 77 adults with overweight or obesity on a low-calorie diet | Depression, anxiety and sleep scores decreased over 8 weeks; the abstract does not describe a comparison group. [12][7] |
| Nagano and colleagues (2010) | Cookies with powdered mushroom | 2.0 g of powder a day, as tabulated by the 2025 review | 4 weeks | 30 women | Some lower complaint scores than placebo. [13][7] |
Most of these were small and short, and in some the product was supplied by its maker, so none of them is a basis for choosing an amount. See what trials found on memory and thinking and on mood for the findings in detail.
What the rows do not tell you
- Longer or more is not shown to be better. The 10 g a day trial found no significant effects on the measures tested, and the 1.8 g a day trial gave a mixed picture. [10][3]
- How long it takes to work is not established. Trials ran from one dose to 49 weeks, and in the 16-week trial cognitive scores fell again four weeks after tablets stopped. [5]
- Safety at higher amounts is not established in people. A rat study of a powder made of mycelial biomass and fruiting body grown on oats, at up to 2000 mg per kg of body weight a day, found no toxicity. Animals are not people, and two of its authors were employed by the company M2 Ingredients. [14]
- Study amounts are not label amounts. The National Cancer Institute says ingredients "may vary considerably from lot to lot." [15] See how to read a label and food portions vs supplement amounts.
Frequently asked questions
How much lion's mane should I take?
This page cannot say. It describes what researchers gave in studies, from a single 1 g dose to 10 g a day in different forms, and none of the studies compared amounts. A clinician or pharmacist decides what is right for a person. [3][10]
How long do the studies say lion's mane takes to work?
No timeline is established. Studies ran from a single dose to 49 weeks, with mixed results. [4][8]
Is the study amount the same as the amount on a supplement label?
Not necessarily. Products differ in form and in extract ratio, and ingredient amounts can vary by lot. [15]
Did any study test eating the whole mushroom?
Not in the human trials we read, except baked foods with mushroom powder. One trial's authors noted that as much as 300 g of fresh fruiting body is sometimes eaten as a food. [4]
Is more lion's mane better?
Not shown. The trial using 10 g a day found no effect on the outcomes measured. [10]
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Who should ask first
Anyone taking prescription medicines, who is pregnant or breastfeeding, has a liver or kidney condition, or faces surgery should ask a pharmacist or clinician before using any supplement. See lion's mane and medicines and pregnancy, breastfeeding and children. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that supplements may interact with medicines and may carry risks for people with certain medical problems or facing surgery. [16]
References
- GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Name checked through the species match API (api.gbif.org/v1/species/match) on 2026-10-23. Read 2026-10-23.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Lion's Mane Mushroom (About Herbs; page updated June 2024). Read 2026-10-23.
- Docherty S, Doughty FL, Smith EF. The acute and chronic effects of lion's mane mushroom supplementation on cognitive function, stress and mood in young adults: a double-blind, parallel groups, pilot study. Nutrients. 2023. PubMed 38004235. Read 2026-10-23.
- Surendran S, et al. Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (lion's mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study. Front Nutr. 2025. PubMed 40276537. Read 2026-10-23.
- Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009. PubMed 18844328. Read 2026-10-23.
- Saitsu Y, Nishide A, Kikushima K, et al. Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus. Biomed Res. 2019. PubMed 31413233. Abstract read 2026-10-23.
- Menon A, Jalal A, Arshad Z, et al. Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Front Nutr. 2025. PubMed 40959699. Read 2026-10-23.
- Li IC, Chang HH, Lin CH, et al. Prevention of early Alzheimer's disease by erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelia: pilot double-blind placebo-controlled study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2020. PubMed 32581767. Read 2026-10-23.
- Acute effects of naturally occurring guayusa tea and Nordic lion's mane extracts on cognitive performance. Nutrients. 2023. PubMed 38140277. Read 2026-10-23.
- Grozier CD, Alves VA, Killen LG, et al. Four weeks of Hericium erinaceus supplementation does not impact markers of metabolic flexibility or cognition. Int J Exerc Sci. 2022. PubMed 36582308. Read 2026-10-23.
- A pilot proof-of-concept study to evaluate the physiological and cognitive impacts of Hericium erinaceus on healthy adults. Nutrients. 2026. PubMed 42884628. Read 2026-10-23.
- Vigna L, Morelli F, Agnelli GM, et al. Hericium erinaceus improves mood and sleep disorders in patients affected by overweight or obesity. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019. PubMed 31118969. Abstract read 2026-10-23.
- Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, et al. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010. PubMed 20834180. Abstract read 2026-10-23.
- Mahadevan K, Daoust J, Brendler T, et al. A toxicological assessment of Hericium erinaceus (lion's mane) and Trametes versicolor (turkey tail) mushroom powders. Front Toxicol. 2025. PubMed 41230556. Read 2026-10-23.
- National Cancer Institute. Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ), Health Professional Version. Updated 2024-11-06. Read 2026-10-23.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Using Dietary Supplements Wisely. Read 2026-10-23.
Education, not medical advice. This page is for general information. It does not diagnose or treat any condition and is not a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Natural does not automatically mean safe. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before changing your care, especially if you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a health condition.