Lion’s mane

Statema, B. C. P.

Fungus

Lion’s mane

Hericium erinaceus

Known today as: A single clump of hanging spines on hardwood trees.
Kind: Fungus, in 2 older authorities
Constituents: hericenone B, erinacine A
Earliest authority here: Its names
In other databases: GBIF search · Wikidata search

Revised October 3, 2026: Tradition, lore, modern assessment, and sources extended. Checked against its sources, each read in full, in part, or in its abstract. Version 1, first published September 25, 2026.

Lion’s mane: what was it used for?

Food and tonic in Chinese and Japanese cooking and medicine.

Lion’s mane: what does modern science say?

Its hericenones and erinacines stimulate nerve growth factor in the laboratory, and a small Japanese trial suggested benefit in mild cognitive impairment; the evidence is early. Hericenones and erinacines raise nerve growth factor in cultured cells, which is the basis of the claims for the brain. The Japanese trial of 2009 in thirty people with mild cognitive impairment found a gain on a rating scale that faded within four weeks of stopping the tablets.

Pharmacognosy & Toxicology

Constituents

hericenone B
erinacine A ChEMBLfrom the mycelium

Mechanism

Erinacines induce nerve growth factor in cultured cells.

Toxic dose

Generally safe as a food; the side effects reported with supplements include stomach discomfort, headache, and allergic reactions.

Standing

No approved use; small trials.

Mori, K., et al. (2009). Phytotherapy Research 23. Abstract read · the text read

The abstract of each source, beneath its citation. For Club members. About the Club or sign in.

Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.

Lion’s mane: what lore surrounds it?

It grows as one clump of hanging spines, and its Latin names both mean ‘hedgehog.’

Its meaty texture has led to trials of it as a stand-in for steak.

Lion’s mane: what did the older authorities say?

Its names: Hóutóugū, the monkey-head mushroom, in China; yamabushitake in Japan, after the yamabushi, the mountain ascetics of Shugendo.
Chinese medicine: Gives it for gastritis and ulcers, and, by one review’s account, to sharpen memory; it was also valued against fatigue.

Sources

Mori, K., et al. (2009). Improving effects of Hericium erinaceus on mild cognitive impairment. Phytotherapy Research 23: 367–372. Verified against its record · doi:10.1002/ptr.2634
Mori, K., et al. (2009). Phytotherapy Research 23. Abstract read · the text read
Friedman, M. (2015). “Chemistry, nutrition, and health-promoting properties of Hericium erinaceus.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 63. Abstract read · the text read
Wikipedia contributors. “Hericium erinaceus.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read
Wikipedia contributors. “Hericenone.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericenone (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read
Wikipedia contributors. “Erinacine.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erinacine (read 2 October 2026). Read in full · the text read
Menon, A., et al. (2025). Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition 12: 1641246. Read in full · the text read
Ge, F., et al. (2025). Bioactive polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus: extraction, structure, bioactivities, and applications. Molecules 30: 1850. Read in full · the text read

Verification

Checked

October 1, 2026, and October 3, 2026

Passes

Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
Every source read, in full, in part, or in its abstract, and every sentence checked against what was read (October 3, 2026)

Sources

8 cited: 5 read in full, 2 abstract read, 1 verified against its record. 3 with the abstract on file.

Corrections

None were needed.

What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.

Cite This Entry

Version 1 · first published September 25, 2026 · last revised October 3, 2026

Chicago: “Lion’s mane.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 3, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/lions-mane.
MLA: “Lion’s mane.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/lions-mane. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
APA: Lion’s mane. (2026, October 3). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/lions-mane

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