Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus): Identification, Protection, Growing and What We Really Know About Health

Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) is one of the most unusual edible mushrooms: a white ball of hanging spines instead of a cap and stem. Known in Japan as yamabushitake and in China as “monkey head”, in recent years it has found its way into dietary supplements as a mushroom “for memory”. Here I gather together what is known about it. Numbers in square brackets refer to the list of sources at the end.

Names and taxonomy

The species was described by Bulliard in 1781 (as Hydnum erinaceus), and it has carried its current name, Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers., since 1797. It belongs to the family Hericiaceae in the order Russulales, which makes it a closer relative of brittlegills than of oyster mushrooms. Other names: yamabushitake (Japan), hóutóugū (China), Igel-Stachelbart (German).^[1]

What it looks like and where it grows

The fruiting body is 5–40 cm across and covered in hanging spines 1–5 cm long (sometimes longer). The spores are white. Young specimens are white or cream and turn yellowish with age.^[1][3] It grows mainly on dead or damaged wood of broadleaved trees, most often beech and maple, and causes white rot (it is mainly a saprotroph, but also appears on living trees at wound sites). In Europe the fruiting bodies appear mainly from August to November.^[1]

Lion’s mane is strictly protected in Poland

An important point for foragers: in Poland lion’s mane is under strict species protection (Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of 9 October 2014, Journal of Laws 2014, item 1408).^[2] It may not be picked, damaged or collected from natural sites. The species is rare because it needs old broadleaved trees, which are becoming scarcer in managed forests.^[3] Wikipedia adds that it is on the red lists of several European countries.^[1] If you find one in the forest, photograph it and report it to the local forest district. For cooking and growing, use only mushrooms from controlled cultivation.

Growing

Artificial cultivation of lion’s mane was first described in China in 1988. In Asia it is grown mainly on logs, stumps and wood-based substrates. According to data collected on Wikipedia, the mycelium grows best at about 25–26°C, at a pH of around 6.0 (range 5.0–9.0) and a relative humidity of 85–90%.^[1] For a hobby grower the simplest route is a ready-made grow kit; the principles of log cultivation (cutting fresh broadleaved wood, inoculation, incubation) are similar to those for shiitake, which we cover in our article on shiitake.

In the kitchen

Young, white specimens are the best for eating.^[1] Lion’s mane can be sliced, fried in butter or braised, and added to soups and sauces; older, yellowing fruiting bodies are less tasty. As an edible mushroom it is considered generally safe.^[1] Composition of the fruiting bodies (according to data on Wikipedia): about 57% carbohydrates (including 8% fibre), 22% protein and 4% fat in dry matter.^[1]

Health: what the research says

Lion’s mane contains polysaccharides (including beta-glucans) and compounds called hericenones and erinacines, which are most often discussed in the context of nervous-system research.^[1] Below I have collected what the studies have shown:

Human studies

• Mild cognitive impairment. Mori et al. (2009): a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 30 Japanese adults aged 50–80, taking lion’s mane tablets or a placebo for 16 weeks. The lion’s mane group scored better on the tests at weeks 8, 12 and 16, but four weeks after they stopped taking it, their scores dropped again. The authors found no harmful effects in laboratory tests.^[4]
• Mood. Nagano et al. (2010): 30 women, randomly divided into a lion’s mane group and a placebo group, ate cookies for 4 weeks. In the lion’s mane group, scores on depression and general-complaint scales fell, but significant differences between the groups concerned only two questionnaire items; for concentration, irritability and anxiety the results merely “tended” in the right direction, without statistical significance.^[5]
• Systematic review. Menon et al. (2025, Frontiers in Nutrition) covered 26 papers: 5 randomised trials, 3 pilot studies, 1 cohort study, 1 case report and the rest laboratory studies. The clinical trials were small (a few dozen people), and the authors themselves describe the evidence as “heterogeneous and limited”. The in vitro findings (on cancer) lack confirmation in animal and human studies.^[6]

Animal and laboratory studies

Most reports on the effects of lion’s mane come from animal and cell studies, and they are consistent:

• Nervous system. In rats with a crushed peroneal nerve, an aqueous lion’s mane extract (from 14 days before the procedure to 20 days after it) sped up recovery: treated rats regained normal walking 4–7 days earlier than the controls, and after 14 days severe axon damage was seen in 2–3 rats out of 10 in the extract groups, compared with 8 out of 10 in the control group.^[8] In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (amyloid beta peptide), a diet containing lion’s mane prevented the decline in short-term spatial memory and object recognition.^[9]
• Mood. In stressed mice, a mycelium extract rich in erinacine A (100–400 mg/kg for 4 weeks) reduced depressive-like behaviour, restored dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the hippocampus and lowered inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α).^[10]
• Immunity and the gut. Lion’s mane polysaccharides increased cellular and humoral immunity in mice, as well as the activity of macrophages and NK cells and secretory IgA in the gut.^[11] A protein isolated from the fruiting bodies improved immune markers in immunosuppressed mice, influenced the composition of the gut microbiota and eased inflammation in a model of colitis.^[12]
• Diabetes and lipids. In rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, an aqueous extract (100 and 200 mg/kg for 28 days) lowered blood glucose much like the drug glibenclamide and raised insulin levels, and the higher dose lowered triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL and raised HDL.^[13]
• Stomach. In rats, an aqueous extract significantly reduced the area of ethanol-induced ulcers and protected antioxidant enzymes in the stomach lining.^[14]
• Cancer. In mouse studies, the protein mentioned above reduced tumour mass (growth inhibition of 35.7% at the low dose and 70.6% at the high dose).^[12] Memorial Sloan Kettering points out that anticancer effects have so far been seen only in preclinical models, and there are no human studies.^[7]

The best documented effects in humans are on memory in people with mild cognitive impairment and on mood (the studies described above).^[4][5] The other properties have so far been described in animals and in the laboratory, and confirming them in humans requires further research.

Safety and side effects

• Studies have reported rare and usually mild side effects: stomach discomfort, diarrhoea, headache, nausea and rash.^[6][7]
• There is also a case report of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a 63-year-old man with untreated diabetes who had been taking lion’s mane for a long time; the review authors suspect an allergic reaction.^[6]
• MSKCC warns that lion’s mane may interact with some medications, but does not name specific ones; talk to your doctor before taking a supplement.^[7]
• Supplement quality varies because of inconsistent processing and labelling.^[1]

I have no reliable safety data for pets, so do not give them lion’s mane supplements.

Summary

Lion’s mane is a beautiful mushroom, rare and protected in Poland, and at the same time a tasty ingredient if it comes from cultivation. Human studies (memory, mood) and numerous animal studies (nerves, immunity, blood sugar, stomach) point to health-promoting properties, and confirmation in humans is still under way. A supplement is no substitute for treatment; if you take medication or have a chronic condition, consult your doctor.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Hericium erinaceus.
2. Rozporządzenie Ministra Środowiska z 9 października 2014 r. w sprawie ochrony gatunkowej grzybów (Dz.U. 2014 poz. 1408): text in ISAP; overview: grzyby.pl, list of protected species (in Polish).
3. Aloha Fungi: Soplówka jeżowata: jak wygląda, gdzie rośnie i czy można ją zbierać w Polsce (in Polish).
4. Mori K. et al. (2009). Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research 23(3): 367–372. DOI.
5. Nagano M. et al. (2010). Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomedical Research 31(4): 231–237. DOI.
6. Menon A. et al. (2025). Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition 12. DOI.
7. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Lion's Mane Mushroom.
8. Wong K.H. et al., Peripheral nerve regeneration following crush injury to rat peroneal nerve by aqueous extract of medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. PMC.
9. Mori K. et al. (2011), Effects of Hericium erinaceus on amyloid β(25-35) peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice, Biomedical Research 32(1): 67–72. J-STAGE.
10. Chiu C.H. et al. (2018), Erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelium produces antidepressant-like effects through modulating BDNF/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling in mice, International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19(2): 341. MDPI.
11. Sheng X. et al. (2017), Immunomodulatory effects of Hericium erinaceus derived polysaccharides are mediated by intestinal immunology, Food & Function 8: 1020–1027. RSC.
12. Diling C. et al. (2017), Immunomodulatory activities of a fungal protein extracted from Hericium erinaceus through regulating the gut microbiota, Frontiers in Immunology 8: 666. DOI.
13. Liang B. et al. (2013), Antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of aqueous extract of Hericium erinaceus in experimental diabetic rats, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13: 253. BMC.
14. Wong J.Y. et al., Gastroprotective effects of lion’s mane mushroom Hericium erinaceus extract against ethanol-induced ulcer in rats, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. PubMed.

This article was originally written in Polish and has been translated into English.

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This article comes from my blog Laboratorium Natury (“Nature Lab”), where I write about my garden plot in Poland and a more self-sufficient life. It was originally written in Polish and translated into English. Full version with photos: https://jaworznia.pl/en/2026/10/28/lions-mane-hericium-erinaceus-growing-health/