As natural supplements become increasingly popular, more and more people are turning to nootropics like Lion’s Mane. Lion’s Mane is a mushroom that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for many years. It has recently spread throughout the world and many people have begun to recognize its power as a potent nootropic.
This article will explore what it’s like to use Lion’s Mane for 30 days. The experience is more profound in retrospect, as the mushroom doesn’t produce much ‘acute’ effects as you would expect from something like Noopept or a nootropic from the -racetam family.
Instead, Lion’s Mane produces a gradual, positive change in thinking, emotional regulation, memory, and verbal fluidity. Since these changes aren’t too intense, they’re easy to incorporate into daily life.
What is Lion’s Mane?
Lion’s Mane is the name given to the Hericium erinaceus mushroom, a great, white mushroom that grows on trees and looks like the mane of a lion.
Lion’s Mane has a very unique look: it’s a member of a group of mushrooms called ‘tooth fungi,’ named after the long, tooth-like projections that make up the fruiting body of the mushroom. Lion’s Mane ends up looking shaggy and delicate, with hundreds of toothy white extrusions hanging down towards the forest floor.
Lion’s Mane is considered both a culinary and medicinal mushroom. It can be cooked and eaten in place of regular mushrooms, or dried and made into tea. Most medicinal or nootropic products use dried Lion’s Mane extract.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Benefits
The Lion’s Mane mushroom benefits are quite interesting and powerful. If you start taking a Lion’s Mane mushroom supplement then you can expect to enjoy some of the following improvements to your mental and physical health.
Wherever possible we have included some links to Lion’s Mane mushroom studies. While traditional medicine practitioners know that Lion’s Mane works wonders, this isn’t always enough to convince people living in the rational West.
Improving Memory
One of the main reasons that Lion’s Mane is marketed is due to its ability to help improve memory and cognitive function. One of the ways that it does this is by helping to stimulate the growth of brain cells.
This is one of the few areas that Lion’s Mane mushroom studies have been done on humans. As little as 3 grams per day was proven to improve mental functioning in adults.
Fighting Dementia
One of the biggest indicators of dementia is the loss of memory and cognitive function. Most of the studies done on Lion’s Mane for fighting dementia — including Alzheimer’s — have been done on mice, but they seem to indicate that the mushroom can help slow the onset of the disease.
Managing Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are challenging conditions that Lion’s Mane can help to fight. Again, most studies have been done on animals, but they suggest that Lion’s Mane can help to restore function to the hippocampus — the part of the brain most responsible for managing our emotional regulation and memory.
Repairing Nervous System Damage
Lion’s Mane has the impressive ability to help restore the nervous system after it has been damaged. It can speed up the growth of nerve cells and enhance overall nerve function. Lion’s Mane mushroom studies also indicate that it can help repair damage following a stroke, at least in mice.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom 30-Day Report
I’ve been a regular user of nootropics for many years, both synthetic and otherwise. The effects of Lion’s Mane were fairly consistent compared to other nootropics, perhaps a little bit less intense and ‘in-your-face,’ which is probably a good thing. This indicates that the supplement isn’t overwhelming my natural capacity to function, but rather that it’s adjusting and improving my neural functioning at a reasonable level.
Week 1
The first day that I used Lion’s Mane didn’t really change much. I felt a little bit less anxious (I usually struggle with fairly severe social anxiety) and my mood may have been slightly improved, but nothing obvious was happening. The same was true for day two. However, on day three I began to notice a few improvements. I found myself able to hold a conversation better and found that my responses were wittier. As the week progressed, I found myself having an easier time pulling facts and memories out of my head. These benefits followed me into my social engagements and I found myself enjoying interesting and fulfilling conversations. There is some discussion online about Lion’s Mane’s sleep effects, but I didn’t notice any changes in my sleep schedule throughout the month.
Week 2
As the Lion’s Mane continued to work its magic, its effects became more apparent in my writing and work. I found it easier to juggle different facts during my research and had an easier time drawing connections between different ideas. Remember, these benefits weren’t nearly as profound as something like Noopept. Synthetic nootropics have a powerful ability to create laser-sharp focus, which is nice in the short term. However, I prefer not to use synthetic nootropics over the long term anymore as I feel like they’re a bit taxing on my brain. Lion’s Mane, on the other hand, was smooth, gradual, and helpful. However, the effects were subtle enough that, if I hadn’t been diligently taking the Lion’s Mane mushroom supplement, I might not have noticed any profound changes.
Week 3
Week 3 was consistent with week 2. My social skills were improved, my social anxiety was slightly reduced, and I had an easier time focusing on my work and schooling.
Week 4
As I entered into week 4 I became less aware of the Lion’s Mane mushroom effects. They were probably still active, but I’d grown so used to them that I was no longer aware of any tangible benefits. This felt like a good place to stop using the supplement, so I stopped. I didn’t notice any withdrawal effects or cognitive deficit right away, although I did feel my social anxiety start to creep back in a couple of days after I’d stopped using the mushroom.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom FAQ
Before you buy Lion’s Mane mushroom supplements you’ll probably want to have any questions answered.
How long does it take to get the Lion’s Mane mushroom benefits?
Lion’s Mane, as well as other mushroom supplements, tends to take a few days of regular use before its effects become obvious. I noticed some subtle effects within a day or two, but these may have been placebo. The real benefits emerged after nearly a week.
Where can I buy Lion’s Mane mushrooms?
You can buy Lion’s Mane mushrooms in many places, including here at Cerebra Nootropics.
How much Lion’s Mane mushroom is safe, and how much do I need?
Most of the studies done on Lion’s Mane report that adults can enjoy the benefits with dosages of as little as three grams daily. Lion’s Mane is considered relatively safe, and even really high doses of 2.3 grams per pound didn’t cause any side effects in rats.
Conclusion
After using Lion’s Mane mushroom for a month, I found that I was stronger in my cognitive abilities. My anxiety and depression were also somewhat reduced. I found the supplement to be pleasant and fairly subtle in comparison to synthetic nootropics, and I feel like I could have continued to use it without any negative effects emerging.