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Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

Adaptogenoral · inferred

Medicinal mushroom containing hericenones and erinacines that stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis. Supports cognitive function and nerve regeneration.

Projected serum levels — 1k mg, once daily

Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)
Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) modeled serum levels, 1k mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 2 days. 0 25 50 75 100 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 2
Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) modeled serum levels with a loading dose of 1.3k mg, then 1k mg once daily The first dose is larger so levels approach steady state faster. 0 25 50 75 100 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule

Maintenance schedule: 1k mg once daily (oral).

Loading schedule: 1.3k mg on day 1, then 1k mg once daily — reaching therapeutic levels sooner.

Modeled steady state after ~2 days: peak ≈ 98.8 mg, trough ≈ 32.5 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 1k mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Adaptogen
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
11 h
Common dose
1k mg
Suggested maximum
5k mg/day
Reference dose range
500–5k mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily

Documented interactions

  • watch
    PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) + Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Stacked effects

    Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) both push the nerve growth factor pathway in the same direction.

  • watch
    Semax + Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Stacked effects

    Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Semax both push the nerve growth factor pathway in the same direction.

Serum checks 2 modeled interaction pairings for lion's mane (hericium erinaceus) across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial Mori K et al. · Phytotherapy Research, 2009 DOI

    RCT in 30 elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment found Lion's Mane (250 mg 3x/day for 16 weeks) significantly improved cognitive function scores compared to placebo.

  2. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake Nagano M et al. · Biomedical Research, 2010 DOI

    Study found 4 weeks of Lion's Mane supplementation significantly reduced depression and anxiety scores in menopausal women, suggesting mood-enhancing effects beyond cognition.

2 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.