Are you someone who struggles to stay focused and productive in work and life, whether it’s due to a demanding workload or a general lack of motivation? If so, you’re not alone in your quest to optimise your cognitive performance. As much as I love working and I could spend hours doing so, my brain has other ideas and decides to fog over.
However, the solution we’re about to explore in this guide doesn’t involve any pharmaceuticals or questionable shortcuts. Instead, we’re delving into the fascinating world of natural supplements, with a particular focus on the remarkable lion’s mane mushroom.
I have had significant success with this functional mushroom. And I’m now going to show you how to unleash your full mental potential with these 6 awesome lion’s mane supplements – all tried and tested by myself.
My top picks
- Best capsules: Solve Labs | Skip to review
- Best tincture: No Ordinary Moments | Skip to review
- Best pure powder: Erbology | Skip to review
- Best mocha mix: Spacegoods | Skip to review
- Best instant coffee blend: London Nootropics | Skip to review
- Best protein powder: Wild Nutrition | Skip to review
What are the benefits of taking lion’s mane?
Lion’s mane is one of the most popular mushroom supplements that you can buy and for a very good reason. Despite the little scientific research to back it up, there are numerous and effective well-known benefits. Here are some of the awesome benefits you may experience from supplementing with lion’s mane:
- Improve cognitive function
- Improve mood and mental health
- Nervous system support
- Reduce gut inflammation and maintain good digestive health
- Immune system support
- Combat oxidate stress
You can find out more about this incredible mushroom in my extensive guide to lion’s mane.
Do lion’s mane supplements work?
This entirely depends upon the lion’s mane supplements that you are buying. For instance, one supplement may be extracted from just the fruiting body and the other may include some mycelium. The former is a stronger and much more potent form than the latter. In this guide, I’ve only included brands that make their supplements using 100% fruiting bodies.
Moreover, it won’t work if you’re underdosing it. To get the right amount each day I would recommend taking high-dose capsules, tinctures or powders. You can then top this up with coffee or vegan protein powder blends, which tend to include lower doses.
What are the side effects of lion’s mane supplements?
Lion’s mane supplements are generally safe but for a few individuals, they may cause side effects such as allergies, mild gastrointestinal discomfort, potential interactions with medications, nausea, headaches (rarely), and blood sugar regulation, particularly concerning individuals with diabetes. Consult your doctor before use if you have any underlying health conditions, like allergies or asthma, or take any medications. Start with a low dose and gradually increase as you learn how your body tolerates it.
Here are the best lion’s mane supplements
Let me take you through all of my favourite lion’s mane supplements including capsules, powders, and tinctures, as well as a few awesome blends with coffee, protein and chocolate.
Best capsules
1. Solve Labs
- Form: Capsule
- Amount: 1000mg per serving (2 capsules)
- Price: £0.77 per serving
Solve Labs is dedicated to providing some of the cleanest and most effective mushroom supplements. Created by a CrossFit athlete, they focus on offering products that will enhance both your physical and mental performance.
They have a wide range of lion’s mane supplements, all of which are made using 100% fruiting bodies. This includes a plant-based protein powder, matcha powder, ground mushroom coffee, a pure lion’s mane powder, and these lion’s mane capsules.
Each capsule contains 500mg and you take two a day. I like to take my first one with breakfast and my second one with my lunch. It keeps me focused throughout the morning and throughout the afternoon, when I would usually start to lose focus. I like how easy the capsules are to take, no mixing them with anything as you can simply swallow them with some water.
Best tincture
2. No Ordinary Moments
- Form: Tincture
- Amount: 800mg per serving (2 full droppers)
- Price: £1.16 per serving
Tinctures are a really easy way to add a little extra something to your daily coffee or tea rituals. The lion’s mane mushroom is extracted using both water and alcohol (although it’s a really small amount that won’t get you drunk). You can add it to your favourite hot or cold drinks and I promise you won’t be able to taste it. Well, that is unless you decide to add a whole bunch of other mushroom tinctures on top.
No Ordinary Moments has made this tincture from UK-grown lion’s mane using 100% fruiting bodies. They have one of the highest extraction rates for a tincture, meaning you will need to use less to get a high dose. That also makes it one of the most affordable tinctures available.
They also sell a decaf coffee alternative with mushrooms and a plant protein powder with mushrooms.
Best pure powder
3. Erbology
- Form: Capsule
- Amount: 1000mg per serving (1/2 teaspoon)
- Price: £0.50 per serving
This is another lion’s mane supplement that provides you with some flexibility in dosage since it comes in a powder form. You can stir it into your tea or coffee, or you can add it to a hot soup or your morning porridge. I do recommend adding it to something hot though to ensure it mixes in well.
Erbology grows most of its own mushrooms which is great to see. Their lion’s mane is organic and grown in Europe. They dry the mushroom before grinding it into a fine powder for you to mix into your drinks and food.
They also sell loads of other awesome mushroom powders so you can mix and match. Plus when you consider the cost per serving, this is one of the most affordable ways to get a high dosage of lion’s mane.
Best mocha mix
4. Spacegoods
- Form: Instant coffee powder with cacao
- Amount: 1000mg per serving (3 scoops)
- Price: £1.30 per serving
If you’d prefer a done-for-you solution, and you love chocolate, then you’ll love this chocolate coffee powder from Spacegoods. It is mixed with 1000mg of lion’s mane, as well as cordyceps and chaga mushroom. It also contains ashwagandha (to help with stress), maca root (to increase energy), and rhodiola rosea (to improve focus).
Simply mix the powder with hot water and a splash of your favourite plant-based milk. It has a lovely subtle chocolate taste and is slightly sweet. You can even get it in handy travel sachets for enjoying on the go!
They have used stevia to sweeten it, which is great if you are avoiding sugar, but I do have to limit my sweetener intake as it can negatively affect my gut. Their blend also contains coffee, but at only 80mg it won’t give you any horrific coffee jitters. Unless you’ve already consumed 5 coffees that day, that is.
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Best instant coffee blend
5. London Nootropics
- Form: Instant coffee powder
- Amount: 466mg per serving
- Price: £1.25 per serving
These instant coffee sachets from London Nootropics make for the perfect gift or travel companion. The box is beautifully designed and the coffee tastes great too! I don’t usually like instant coffee but this tastes great, especially when made into an adaptogenic latte with oat milk.
Their lion’s mane option comes with rhodiola rosea extract to provide you with a sustainable energy boost. The dosage is somewhat lower than the others mentioned here, but I wouldn’t rely on this to get your daily required intake. Instead, I would have this as a treat, or as a daily booster for my other lion’s mane supplements.
They also sell two other adaptogenic coffee blends, all helping with a different area of concern. Be it to bring a sense of calm, improve energy or increase your focus, they’ll have a blend for you! Find out more in my London Nootropics review.
Best protein powder
6. Wild Nutrition
- Form: Protein powder
- Amount: Approx. 300mg per serving (3 tablespoons)
- Price: From £2.40 per serving
This lion’s mane supplement is a little different from the rest because it isn’t a dedicated supplement nor a mushroom blend, rather it is a protein powder that contains a mix of adaptogenic mushrooms, one of which is lion’s mane. I find this a very clever way to consume mushrooms, since the protein can help your muscles to repair and the mushrooms can assist with inflammation, energy and focus.
The dosage is pretty low per serving, but if you also take a capsule, some powder or a tincture every day, then this will help to boost your intake.
What I really love about Wild Nutrition’s protein powder is the packaging. It is fully home-compostable, making it a great eco-friendly option for you to buy!
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