Lions Mane Mushroom is known as the ‘brain’ mushroom

It is good for many things but it is best known for helping to reduce brain fog and boost productivity. This ‘brain boosting’ mushroom contains two powerful compounds that can help support the growth and maintenance of nerve cells in the brain; hericenones which are predominantly found in the fruiting body, and erinacines which are mostly found in its mycelium ‘roots’.

It also contains a wide range of nutrients and bioactive compounds, which can support overall health and wellbeing.

Grown Organically in Australia

Mushrooms typically requires a substrate like dead wood to grow, although we utilise a method developed over decades by the world famous mycologist, Paul Stamets, to grow them on organic brown rice. In this method, the mushroom consumes the brown rice as its food source. Once the mushroom is ready to harvest, it has consumed virtually all of the brown rice, and what’s left is the mycelium and fruiting body.

Mushrooms are nature’s sponges

Mushrooms will absorb any heavy metals and pollutants in the air or water, so it’s incredibly important that they’re grown in a clean environment. We grow our Lion’s Mane right here in Australia, to the highest certified organic standards, to ensure it’s the best quality on the planet.

The 4 reasons it works

1. It is 100% Australian Grown and organic so you can be confident that it is free of heavy metals and pollutants (lab test below).
2. We freeze dry our mushrooms this special drying process is (almost) the nutritional equivalent to eating the mushroom fresh. Other drying methods result in significantly more nutrient loss.
3. We use the whole mushroom so this product contains the full spectrum of nutrients, vitamins and compounds found in nature.
4. We include the mycelium: The ‘roots’ of the mushroom great for gut health + contains active compounds not found in the fruiting body

Lion’s Mane can be quite energising so we recommend taking it after your first meal, in the morning. Try adding a spoonful to your coffee for added productivity.

When it comes to maximising your results, consistency is key

Everybody has different experiences with different super foods. For some people they feel the difference within an hour, for others it can take weeks or months.

When you consume a whole food you can be sure it is doing you good, regardless of whether you are aware of it or not!

Our subscription service is particularly popular for this super food – simply select the ‘subscribe’ option to save 15% every single month.

Used for thousands of years

This special mushroom has deep roots in traditional medicine, and has been used for centuries to support overall health. Ancient herbalists recognised its potential to promote brain power and believed it could contribute to a clear and focused mind.

Today, Lion’s Mane has become renowned for helping to increase productivity and reduce brain fog, making it a go-to super food for when you need to get stuff done.

Unique mushroom compounds

Lion’s Mane contains many beneficial compounds, including hericenones found in its fruiting body and erinacines in its mycelium ‘roots’, which can help reduce brain fog and improve productivity. These compounds are found in the whole food form of Lion’s Mane, and may be missing from an extract.

Its nootropic factors make it an excellent super food in times when you may need to concentrate or spark creativity.

It has a range of other benefits as well, from supporting the gut and your body’s natural defences. There are many studies and articles online about the potential benefits of this amazing mushroom.

It is an incredible gift from nature that can help our brain to perform at its best… science is only just starting to uncover the incredible benefits contained in this special mushroom.

After 11 years in this industry, we have learnt that we should tamper with nature as little as possible – after all, nature is what created this incredible mushroom in the first place.

There are 4 things you should consider as a first time buyer of Lion’s Mane mushroom:

1. Is it a whole food or an extract?
2. Concerns about heavy metals/pollution
3. How is it dried?
4. Does it include the mycelium?

1. Is it a whole food or an extract?

Let’s break down what an “extract” is. You take a plant or a mushroom and extract one or two compounds and then suspend those compounds in water or alcohol. This is how you take a solid and make it into a liquid.

Whilst this is cheap to produce, it doesn’t contain the full spectrum of benefits contained within the mushroom. I’m pretty sure we can’t even identify half the active compounds in Lion’s Mane… let alone extract them!

Over thousands of years, this incredible mushroom has evolved to the super food it is today. To me it is a little arrogant to think we can improve on that further by adding alcohol/water.

What is more, both humans and the mushrooms have evolved together meaning our bodies recognise the mushroom as food. Once you isolate certain compounds, it is no longer as readily recognisable by the human body.

That’s why we prefer whole food Lion’s mane supplement. Something that contains the full spectrum of nutrients, vitamins and active compounds (even if we can’t yet identify what half of them are!)

2. Concerns about heavy metals/pollution

Mushrooms are super absorbent. If you ever go out foraging with an experienced person, you will notice they never harvest from the side of the road.

Why?

Because the mushrooms will most likely absorb the pollution from the passing cars. They can also absorb heavy metals from the water.

We wouldn’t feel comfortable eating an imported mushroom, so we won’t sell them when there is Australian grown readily available.

Even if it is “certified organic” we would still be dubious about the growing methods and quality of the water.

Australia has a reputation for the best clean air and clean water on the planet… it’s a no brainer for me.

3. How is it dried?

Fresh is always best. No matter what you are drying there is always some nutrient loss in the drying process. Our aim is to deliver our mushrooms as close to “fresh” as possible.

How do we do this?

With a technology known as freeze drying. Freeze drying very quickly takes the mushroom to -65 degrees celsius because it happens so quick it minimises nutrient loss dramatically compared to other drying methods. It’s “snap” dried.

Freeze drying is (almost) nutritionally equivalent to eating the mushroom fresh. 

It’s a very expensive process but one that we think is well worth the extra cost.

4. Does it include the mycelium?

Have you heard the claim “mycelium is just filler”? It’s an interesting claim and we are yet to see any evidence that it is true.

The mycelium contains a whole lot of the benefits contained in the mushroom. Just like the roots of other plant materials (think valerian root, ashwagandha root, etc).

The mycelium does not contain hericenones but does contain many more biologically active erinacines (15 identified thus far, A-K, P-S), making for a very strong case to incorporate mycelial into the mushroom supplement.

It becomes obvious that mycelium is not a filler if you do your research… so why do sellers of imported mushroom extracts still insist that it is? Because the farms they buy from overseas don’t bother with the hassle of incorporating mycelium into the finished product.

You can learn more about our Lion’s Mane mushroom here.

Unlike processed foods & extracts that are stripped of their natural goodness, whole foods retain their complete nutritional profiles, boasting a rich array of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and active compounds.

With their unparalleled ability to promote vibrant health, whole foods stand as the unrivalled champions of nutrition, offering us a safer and more varied amount of benefits than an extract.

There is no difference in terms of benefits, but some people find capsules to be more convenient. Whichever you choose, we recommend starting with half the recommended amount to let your body get used to it.

We don’t recommend consuming this mushroom if you are taking blood thinning medication, as they can both have the same effect on the body.

There are no other known contraindications.

Most people think it is the beta-glucans that are important in Lions Mane.. but Beta-glucans are found in many foods including oats and barley.

The unique active compounds of Lions Mane are the Hericenones and the Erinacines.

Studies have found that the Hericenones are present mostly in the fruiting body but the Erinacines are present mostly in the mycelium (the “roots” of the mushroom).

Our Lions Mane supplement contains both the fruiting body and the mycelium so you get the full spectrum of benefits.