A reference work, not a recommendation to use: this profile describes mechanism and evidence and does not replace medical advice. The claims come from marketing and forums and are tested here, not endorsed.

Claims checked

  • Improves memory and concentration because it stimulates NGF

    Single unconfirmed finding

    Cognition & focus · healthy · Human, randomised small studiesEvery study behind this level and result had fewer than 100 participants. Small studies report larger effects on average than large ones, so the result is less certain.

    Only RCT with a clearly stated fruiting body over several weeks: 31 healthy people over 50 years, only the MMSE of three tests better than with placebo [4]. NGF was not measured in humans. Studies without a stated mushroom part or with a mycelium component do not count under the extract rule [5][6][7].[5][6][7]

  • Works on concentration and reaction time after a single dose

    Single unconfirmed finding

    Cognition & focus · healthy (18–50 years) · Human, randomised small studiesEvery study behind this level and result had fewer than 100 participants. Small studies report larger effects on average than large ones, so the result is less certain.

    Separate claim because a single dose does not test the advertised regular intake (q006). A small crossover study with fruiting body extract (18 people) missed the primary endpoint (combined cognition); only the pegboard turned out better than with placebo, the flanker test tended to be worse [8]. According to q007, this is an isolated finding as long as no larger study exists. The second crossover study (40 people, fruiting body powder) reports only changes from baseline for Hericium and no comparison with placebo; a missing comparison is not a null finding [9].

  • Slows incipient dementia (mild cognitive impairment)

    Not studied

    Cognition & focus · Patients: mild cognitive impairment · No data

    Not studied with a reliably assigned fruiting body. The only RCT (30 people, 16 weeks, better scale scores than with placebo, decline after discontinuation) names only “dried powder” of the mushroom in the abstract (only the abstract was checked, full text not accessible); under the extract rule, it counts only once the full text documents the fruiting body [10]. The mycelium study in mild Alzheimer’s disease is in the profile hericium-erinaceus-myzel.

  • Relieves low mood and anxiety

    Single unconfirmed finding

    Mood & stress · healthy (middle-aged women with nonspecific complaints) · Human, randomised small studiesEvery study behind this level and result had fewer than 100 participants. Small studies report larger effects on average than large ones, so the result is less certain.

    One small RCT with fruiting body powder in cookies (26 analyzed): depression score fell only relative to baseline, compared with placebo only individual complaint items better; coauthors at the supplier of the test product [11].

small studies: Every study behind this level and result had fewer than 100 participants. Small studies report larger effects on average than large ones, so the result is less certain.

Mechanism of action

Evidence map: Hericium erinaceus (fruiting body)

Each line stands for a published finding; line style and color show where it comes from. The filter hides weaker evidence levels. Sources: see references.

This profile concerns the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus as a powder or extract; mycelium products have their own body of evidence and are covered in the profile hericium-erinaceus-myzel. In human astrocytoma cells, an ethanol extract from fresh fruiting bodies increased NGF expression and release in a concentration-dependent manner, mediated via the JNK pathway; the isolated hericenones C, D, and E did not. Mice that received freeze-dried fruiting body powder in their feed for one week had more NGF mRNA in the hippocampus [1]. Hericenones isolated from fruiting bodies promoted neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells only together with a small amount of NGF; hericenone E increased NGF release and activated ERK and Akt [2]. Erinacines, the diterpenes described mainly from the mycelium, could not be detected in the fruiting body in a comparative analysis, and their biosynthesis genes were expressed more weakly there; all authors are or were employed by a manufacturer of mushroom food supplements whose products were not examined [3]. Whether constituents of the fruiting body reach the brain in humans and raise NGF there has not been studied.

Over several weeks in healthy people, only one RCT unambiguously tested the fruiting body: 31 healthy adults over 50 years with an unremarkable MMSE took fruiting body powder or placebo for twelve weeks. The MMSE rose more than with placebo, while two further memory tests (Benton test, verbal paired-associate learning) remained unchanged [4]. Three further studies in healthy people do not count for this profile under the extract rule: a pilot study with 41 young adults (faster on the Stroop test after the first dose, only a trend toward less stress after 28 days) names only a “proprietary blend” of the mushroom as the test product [5]; four weeks of Hericium in muffins had no effect in 24 students, and the mushroom part is not stated in the abstract [6]; a pilot study without a control group with ten people used mycelial biomass and fruiting body together and found no significant change in executive functions and plasma BDNF [7].

After a single dose, a fruiting body extract did not change the combined cognition and mood scores in 18 healthy young adults (primary endpoint missed); only one individual test (pegboard) turned out better than with placebo, and another (flanker test) tended to be worse; two authors work at a beverage manufacturer that uses Hericium in its products [8]. In a crossover study with 40 healthy people, after a single dose of fruiting body powder, individual reaction times improved only relative to the participants’ own baseline; the study reports no comparison with placebo for Hericium. No adverse event occurred under Hericium. The study was partly funded by a food ingredient company [9]. Both studies test only the effect of a single dose, not the advertised regular intake.

In 30 people with mild cognitive impairment (50 to 80 years), scores on a dementia scale rose more with tablets containing dried Hericium powder over 16 weeks than with placebo and fell again four weeks after discontinuation; the first author gives the mushroom laboratory of a company as affiliation [10]. The abstract mentions only “dried powder.” That it was fruiting body powder is plausible because the same group described freeze-dried fruiting bodies this way in the animal experiment [1], but this was not checked against the full text; the study therefore does not yet count for this profile. In 30 middle-aged women with nonspecific complaints (26 analyzed), the depression score (CES-D) fell after four weeks of cookies with fruiting body powder only relative to baseline; compared with placebo, only individual items of a complaint index differed. Two authors worked at the supplier of the cookies [11].

A systematic review names stomach complaints, headache, and allergic reactions as possible adverse effects of Hericium products that are mostly not reported [12]. The primary sources do not confirm this for the fruiting body: the review attributes the headache to the single-dose study, in which, according to the full text, it occurred under placebo [9]; stomach complaints and diarrhea come, according to the review, from the study in mild cognitive impairment, whose abstract mentions only unremarkable laboratory values [10]; it relates the allergic reaction to the following case report. A case report describes acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a 63-year-old man who had taken a Hericium extract in the four months before; the lymphocyte stimulation test reacted strongly to the product. The abstract does not state which part of the mushroom was processed [13]. Legally, the fruiting body including the aqueous extract powder is considered not novel according to the Novel Food Catalogue, whereas dried mycelium powder is considered an unauthorized novel food [14]; the Union list contains no Hericium entry [15].

Targets

TargetTypeActionKey dataEvidence
NGF synthesis (via JNK)Signaling pathwayExpression ↑Ethanol extract from fruiting bodies in astrocytoma cells; hericenones C–E inactive Animal study[1]
ERK and Akt pathway (hericenone E)Signaling pathwayActivatorPC12 cells, neurites only together with a small amount of NGF Laboratory[2]

Effect profile

Which signaling systems the compound affects according to current data. ↑ enhanced, ↓ dampened, ≈ modulated, ○ no effect; dots = evidence level.

  • Dopamineno data
  • Noradrenalineno data
  • Serotoninno data
  • Acetylcholineno data
  • Glutamate · AMPAno data
  • Glutamate · NMDAno data
  • GABAno data
  • Histamineno data
  • Orexinno data
  • Adenosineno data
  • Opioidsno data
  • Melatoninno data
  • Neurotrophins↑ · More NGF in cell culture (fruiting body extract) and in the hippocampus of mice (fruiting body powder); not measured in humans[1][2]
  • Blood flowno data
  • Nitric oxideno data
  • Energy metabolismno data
  • Insulin · glucoseno data
  • Inflammation · oxidativeno data
  • Stress axisno data
  • Testosterone axisno data
  • Endocannabinoidsno data
  • Autophagy · senescenceno data
  • Immune systemno data
  • Lipid metabolismno data
  • Coagulation · fibrinolysisno data
  • Methylationno data

Routes of administration and bioavailability

How much of a compound reaches the blood or target tissue depends on the route into the body and on the dosage form. All routes of administration explained

  • Oral (swallowed) · Fruiting body powder or extract

    No human data on the absorption of individual constituents found. The erinacines studied in rats could not be detected in the fruiting body in a comparative analysis; their kinetics concern mycelium products (see hericium-erinaceus-myzel) [3].

    Laboratory

Human studies

  • Healthy people over 50, Japan

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled · healthy (over 50 years, MMSE unremarkable) · n = 31 · 12 weeks

    Measured: MMSE, Benton test, verbal paired-associate learning

    Result: Only the MMSE rose more than with placebo; the other two tests unchanged. Fruiting body powder according to the full text.[4]

    Human, randomised

  • Young adults, acute and 28 days (mushroom part not stated)

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled (pilot) · healthy (18–45 years) · n = 41 · Single dose and 28 days

    Measured: cognitive tests, stress, mood

    Result: Faster on the Stroop test 60 minutes after the first dose; after 28 days only a trend toward less stress. Product a “proprietary blend” according to the full text; does not count for this profile.[5]

    Human, randomised

  • Students, 4 weeks (mushroom part not stated)

    single-blind, placebo-controlled · healthy (students) · n = 24 · 4 weeks

    Measured: Stroop and arithmetic task, metabolic markers

    Result: No effect on any endpoint; does not count for this profile.[6]

    Human, randomised

  • Combined product of mycelium and fruiting body

    open pilot study without a control group · healthy (18–55 years) · n = 10 · 28 days

    Measured: executive functions, plasma BDNF

    Result: No significant changes; does not count for this profile.[7]

    Human, non-randomised

  • Single dose of fruiting body extract

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover · healthy (18–35 years) · n = 18 · single dose

    Measured: combined global cognition (primary), mood, individual tests

    Result: Primary endpoint missed, mood unchanged; pegboard better, flanker test tended to be worse than with placebo.[8]

    Human, randomised

  • Single dose of fruiting body powder

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover (three arms) · healthy (18–50 years) · n = 40 · single dose

    Measured: Go/No-go, N-back, Serial Sevens, well-being

    Result: Individual reaction times improved only relative to baseline; no comparison with placebo reported for Hericium; no adverse events under Hericium.[9]

    Human, randomised

  • Mild cognitive impairment, Japan (dried powder)

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled · Patients: mild cognitive impairment (50–80 years) · n = 30 · 16 weeks, 4 weeks of follow-up

    Measured: cognitive scale based on the HDS-R

    Result: Higher scores than with placebo after 8, 12, and 16 weeks, declining again after discontinuation; mushroom part not stated in the abstract.[10]

    Human, randomised

  • Women with nonspecific complaints

    RCT, double-blind, placebo-controlled · healthy (women, mean age 41 years, nonspecific complaints) · n = 26 · 4 weeks

    Measured: KMI, CES-D, PSQI, complaint index

    Result: CES-D fell only relative to baseline; compared with placebo, only two individual items of the complaint index better; sleep unchanged.[11]

    Human, randomised

Risks and warnings

  • Hardly any safety data

    The studies with fruiting body are small and lasted at most twelve weeks [4][8][9][11]. In the single-dose study with 40 healthy people, no adverse event occurred under Hericium; the only headache occurred under placebo [9]. The primary sources do not confirm the adverse effects named by a systematic review (stomach complaints, headache, allergic reactions) for the fruiting body: the headache occurred under placebo [9], stomach complaints and diarrhea concern a study with a powder whose origin is not reliably assigned and whose abstract mentions no adverse effect [10], and the allergic reaction concerns the case report below [12][13].

    Human, randomised

  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome (single case)

    A case report describes ARDS after intake of a Hericium extract with a strong reaction in the lymphocyte stimulation test; the mushroom part is not stated in the abstract, and an association is discussed only for this single case [13].

    Human, non-randomised

  • Inconsistent products

    Fruiting body and mycelium differ in constituents (erinacines not detectable in the fruiting body in one analysis) [3] and in legal status [14]; several studies do not state the mushroom part [5][6][10]. Results cannot be transferred between products.

    Laboratory

Fact check: common claims

  • partly supported

    “Lion’s mane stimulates NGF and makes nerve cells regrow”

    NGF increase with fruiting body extract in cell culture and with fruiting body powder in the mouse brain [1], neurites in cell culture only together with NGF [2]; neither NGF nor nerve growth measured in humans.

  • not supported

    “The hericenones are the active ingredient of the fruiting body”

    Hericenones C–E did not increase NGF in astrocytoma cells, whereas the whole extract did [1]; in PC12 cells, hericenones acted only together with NGF [2].

  • not supported

    “Lion’s mane improves concentration and memory in healthy people”

    With fruiting body, only one small RCT with one positive test of three [4] and two single-dose studies in which only one individual test turned out better or no comparison with placebo is reported [8][9].

  • not supported

    “Fruiting body and mycelium contain the same active ingredients”

    In a comparative analysis, erinacines were not detectable in the fruiting body (authors from the supplement industry) [3]; legally as well, the two are classified differently [14].

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption
By mouth as a powder or extract; no human data on the absorption of the constituents found.
Half-life
Not verified.
Metabolism
Not verified.
Entry into the brain
Not studied in humans; indirectly, more NGF mRNA in the mouse hippocampus after feeding fruiting body powder [1].

Legal status

Germany
Not verified.
EU
According to the European Commission’s Novel Food Catalogue (entry POL-NF-00396, last modified October 6, 2026, retrieved October 25, 2026), considered not novel in foods, specifically for “fruiting body and aqueous extract powder.” Consultations with the Finnish and Czech authorities likewise classified two extract powders from the fruiting body (ultrasound plus hot-water extraction, and water extraction with multistage membrane filtration, respectively) as not novel [14]. The catalogue is a guidance tool of the Commission, not a legal act. The entry does not expressly cover ethanol extracts of the fruiting body (not verified). The Union list of novel foods contains no Hericium entry (full-text search in the consolidated version of August 10, 2026) [15].
USA
Not verified.

Related compounds

Hericium erinaceus (Erinacin-A-angereichertes Myzel)other form (German only)

Open questions

  • Was the dried powder in the study in mild cognitive impairment fruiting body powder (full text)?
  • Do constituents of the fruiting body reach the brain in humans, and does NGF rise there?
  • Do larger, independent RCTs with fruiting body confirm the MMSE finding in healthy people over 50?

References

  1. Mori K, Obara Y, Hirota M, Azumi Y, Kinugasa S, Inatomi S, et al. Nerve growth factor-inducing activity of Hericium erinaceus in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Biol Pharm Bull. 2008;31(9):1727–32. doi:10.1248/bpb.31.1727 · PubMed
  2. Phan CW, Lee GS, Hong SL, Wong YT, Brkljača R, Urban S, et al. Hericium erinaceus (Bull.: Fr) Pers. cultivated under tropical conditions: isolation of hericenones and demonstration of NGF-mediated neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells via MEK/ERK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Food Funct. 2014;5(12):3160–9. doi:10.1039/c4fo00452c · PubMed
  3. Doar E, Meyer KW, Bair ZJ, Nally R, McNalley S, Davis R, et al. Influences of substrate and tissue type on erinacine production and biosynthetic gene expression in Hericium erinaceus. Fungal Biol Biotechnol. 2025;12(1):4. doi:10.1186/s40694-025-00194-9 · PubMed
  4. Saitsu Y, Nishide A, Kikushima K, Shimizu K, Ohnuki K. Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus. Biomed Res. 2019;40(4):125–31. doi:10.2220/biomedres.40.125 · PubMed
  5. 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;15(22):4842. doi:10.3390/nu15224842 · PubMed
  6. Grozier CD, Alves VA, Killen LG, Simpson JD, O’Neal EK, Waldman HS. Four weeks of Hericium erinaceus supplementation does not impact markers of metabolic flexibility or cognition. Int J Exerc Sci. 2022;15(2):1366–80. doi:10.70252/XZKO8571 · PubMed
  7. Evans C, Kalman D, Goodrich J, Burgess V, Tartar JL, Jiannine L, et al. A pilot proof-of-concept study to evaluate the physiological and cognitive impacts of Hericium erinaceus on healthy adults. Nutrients. 2026;18(19):3177. doi:10.3390/nu18193177 · PubMed
  8. Surendran G, Saye J, Binti Mohd Jalil S, Spreadborough J, Duong K, Shatwan IM, 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 randomised placebo-controlled study. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1405796. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1405796 · PubMed
  9. La Monica MB, Raub B, Ziegenfuss EJ, Hartshorn S, Grdic J, Gustat A, et al. Acute effects of naturally occurring guayusa tea and Nordic Lion’s Mane extracts on cognitive performance. Nutrients. 2023;15(24):5018. doi:10.3390/nu15245018 · PubMed
  10. Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009;23(3):367–72. doi:10.1002/ptr.2634 · PubMed
  11. Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, Hayashi C, Sato D, Kitagawa K, et al. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010;31(4):231–7. doi:10.2220/biomedres.31.231 · PubMed
  12. Menon A, Jalal A, Arshad Z, Nawaz FA, Kashyap R. Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1641246. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1641246 · PubMed
  13. Nakatsugawa M, Takahashi H, Takezawa C, Nakajima K, Harada K, Sugawara Y, et al. Hericium erinaceum (yamabushitake) extract-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome monitored by serum surfactant proteins. Intern Med. 2003;42(12):1219–22. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.42.1219 · PubMed
  14. Europäische Kommission. Novel Food Status Catalogue: Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. [Datenbank]. POL-NF-00396, letzte Änderung 06.10.2026 [zitiert 25.10.2026]. Verfügbar unter: https://ec.europa.eu/food/food-feed-portal/screen/novel-food-catalogue/search
  15. Durchführungsverordnung (EU) 2017/2470 der Kommission vom 20. Dezember 2017 zur Erstellung der Unionsliste der neuartigen Lebensmittel gemäß der Verordnung (EU) 2015/2283 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates über neuartige Lebensmittel. ABl. L 351 vom 30.12.2017, S. 72. Konsolidierte Fassung vom 10.08.2026 (CELEX 02017R2470-20260810).
How this profile was checked

Last reviewed: 2026-10-25. All sources with a DOI or PMID were resolved automatically via Crossref or doi.org and PubMed.

Translated from the German profile (version of 2026-10-25); translation checked on 2026-10-26.

Checked

  • All abstracts read via PubMed (efetch); DOIs and PMIDs resolved online with tools/pruefe_profile.py.
  • Full text (J-STAGE PDF) [1]: ethanol extract from fresh fruiting bodies, mice with freeze-dried powder; affiliation mushroom laboratory of a company, funding among others by a foundation that bears the name of this company.
  • Full text (J-STAGE PDF) [4]: participants over 50, healthy, MMSE ≥ 24 (one person with a lower MMSE excluded), 34 enrolled, 31 analyzed, fruiting body powder; only MMSE improved (ANCOVA interaction p = 0.029), Benton and S-PA unchanged. The previous profile entry (population not stated) is thereby corrected.
  • Full text (Europe PMC) [5]: test product “proprietary blend of organic Hericium erinaceus mushroom complex,” merely supplied by the manufacturer; mushroom part not stated.
  • Full text (Europe PMC) [9]: 40 healthy people (18–50 years), single dose of fruiting body powder, Hericium effects only over time relative to baseline, comparisons with placebo reported only for the guayusa arm; adverse events only under guayusa (two) and placebo (one headache), none under Hericium; partly funded by an ingredient company.
  • Full text (Europe PMC, PMC12018234) [8]: fruiting body extract, single dose, 18 people (18–35 years), crossover; primary endpoint combined global cognition without effect (sample size planned for this endpoint), mood without effect; pegboard better than with placebo, flanker test tended to be worse (p = 0.05); two authors at a beverage manufacturer that uses Hericium.
  • Full text (Europe PMC, PMC12434001) [12]: the review assigns headache [9], stomach complaints and diarrhea [10], and prolonged menstrual bleeding [11] to individual studies and relates the allergic reaction to the case report [13]. Primary sources: in [9], headache under placebo; in [11], one participant was excluded from the analysis because of prolonged menstrual bleeding without a statement of the group; abstract [10]: laboratory values without abnormalities.
  • Full text (J-STAGE PDF) [11]: 30 women (mean 41.3 years) with nonspecific complaints without a diagnosed disease, 26 analyzed, cookies with fruiting body powder; cookies supplied by the employer of two coauthors; CES-D only within the group, between the groups only “drive” and “palpitations” in the complaint index.
  • Conflicts of interest from the abstract or the declaration: [3] all authors employed at a mushroom supplement company; [7] employment at a company and consulting roles; [8] two authors at a beverage manufacturer that uses Hericium; [10] first author according to affiliation in the mushroom laboratory of a company.
  • Novel Food Catalogue retrieved on October 25, 2026 via the catalogue’s own backend interface (979 entries): POL-NF-00396 with parts “Fruiting body and aqueous extract powder” = NOT_NOVEL_IN_FOOD and “Dehydrated mycelium powder” = NOT_YET_AUTHORISED_NOVEL_FOOD, last modified October 6, 2026 [14].
  • Union list: consolidated version CELEX 02017R2470-20260810 retrieved via Cellar, full-text search for “Hericium”: no hit [15].
  • Precision flags (m004, rules provisional, pending confirmation by Tilman), checked against the sources on October 26, 2026 (PubMed efetch, full texts as stated): “Improves memory and concentration because it stimulates NGF” → “kleine_studien”: [4] 34 enrolled, 31 analyzed (full text, J-STAGE); “Works on concentration and reaction time after a single dose” → “kleine_studien”: [8] 18 (crossover, abstract); “Relieves low mood and anxiety” → “kleine_studien”: [11] 30 randomized (abstract); “herstellerfinanziert” not set (cross-check of October 26, 2026): according to the full text (J-STAGE PDF), Hericium and placebo cookies were “supplied by Aso Biotech Inc,” with which two coauthors are affiliated; Aso Biotech is named there only as a supplier, not as the manufacturer, and a funding statement is missing; no other source in the profile documents manufacturer status (rule “manufacturer status,” open question 3 in the guideline).

Not verified

  • Mushroom part of the dried powder in [10] (full text not accessible); the study does not count until then.
  • Mushroom part in [5] (according to the full text a “proprietary blend” without a statement of the mushroom part; therefore does not count), in [6] (full text at PMC available only as an abstract), and in [13] (abstract only).
  • Whether ethanol extracts of the fruiting body fall under the catalogue entry “aqueous extract powder” [14].
  • Food and drug status in Germany and in the USA.
  • Stomach complaints and diarrhea in [10], which only the review [12] mentions (full text of [10] not accessible).

No dosages, no sources of supply. This information does not replace medical advice.

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