Lion's Mane Mushroom

Authors:

Sarah D...

Participants:

healthy young adults

Study Quality Assessment:

Double-Blind, Parallel Groups, Pilot Study

Authors:

COREY D GROZIER, ERIC K O’NEAL, HUNTER S WALDMAN, JEFFREY D SIMPSON, LAUREN G KILLEN, VICTOR A ALVES

Findings:

Acute consumption of 3g of H. erinaceus fruiting body extract did not significantly improve overall global cognitive function or mood in healthy young adults compared to placebo. However, analysis of individual tests showed improved performance on the pegboard test (psychomotor skill/manual dexterity) 90 minutes post-dose, while performance on the Flanker and Trail Making B tests (executive function) appeared impaired. The study concluded that the effects of a single dose on cognition are inconclusive and may be task-specific, with no beneficial effects on mood detected.

Participants:

N=18 healthy adults aged 18-35 years (10 male, 8 female), located in the United Kingdom. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, recent significant diet/lifestyle changes, BMI ≥30, psychiatric/medical conditions, diagnosed depression, neurological impairments, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, use of certain medications, smoking, substance addiction, regular consumption of cognitive-enhancing supplements, food allergies, frequent vigorous exercise, learning difficulties, asthma, hypoglycemia, or bleeding disorders.

Dosage:

Single acute dose of 3g of H. erinaceus fruiting body extract (10:1 extract; 95% H. erinaceus, 5% maltodextrin; derived from fruiting body via water and ethanol extraction 8:2, then spray dried) administered in a 250mL drink. This dosage was stated to be equivalent to 30g of fresh lion’s mane fruiting body.

Study Quality Assessment:

Acute, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over intervention study; N=18 (sample size of 17 determined acceptable a priori using G*power, target N=20 to account for drop-outs). Cognitive assessments included Trail Making Test (TMT), Digit Span Test (DST), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT), Deary-Liewald Task, and Flanker Task. Mood was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Limitations acknowledged: small sample size (N=18), inconclusive cognitive results requiring replication, unknown mechanisms of action, acute design (testing at 90 min post-consumption) may be too short or not capture peak concentration, potential for olfactory stimuli to influence results (suggests encapsulation for future studies). Funding source (Beyond Alcohol Ltd.) contributed to publication fee, and a conflict of interest was declared (two authors employed by the funder). One author declared being an editorial board member of Frontiers.

All Effects: