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

Summary & key facts

Researchers gave a single, concentrated dose of Lion’s Mane mushroom extract to 18 healthy adults and tested thinking and mood before and 90 minutes after. The study was carefully controlled so neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who had the real extract and who had a placebo, and each person tried both the extract and the placebo on different days. Overall, the extract did not improve global measures of thinking or mood, but one specific test of hand speed and coordination (a pegboard task) was better after the mushroom. The results are small and short-term, so they don’t prove the mushroom helps thinking or mood in daily life.

Key facts:

• Eighteen healthy adults aged 18 to 35 took part in the study.
• Each person tried both the Lion’s Mane fruiting body extract and a placebo on different days, and neither they nor the researchers knew which they had at the time.
• Participants took a single dose equal to 3 grams of a concentrated fruiting body extract and were tested 90 minutes later.
• On broad, combined measures of cognition and mood, the mushroom extract did not show a significant benefit compared to placebo.
• On one specific test measuring hand and finger speed and coordination (the pegboard test), people performed better 90 minutes after taking the mushroom extract.
• The study only tested a single, short-term dose in a small group, so it does not tell us whether longer use, different doses, or effects in other tasks or in people with mood or brain problems would be helpful.
• The researchers note that edible servings of fresh Lion’s Mane can be much larger in food (up to around 300 grams), and that fruiting body extracts differ from mycelial extracts in the chemical compounds they contain.

Abstract

Introduction: on the cognitive function and mood of healthy young adults. Methods: fruiting body extract (3g of 10:1 extract) on cognitive performance and mood compared to a placebo. Eighteen healthy participants aged 18 to 35 years took part in the study. At baseline and 90 minutes post-consumption of the interventions, cognitive and mood assessments were administered to measure various cognitive abilities such as executive function, working memory, psychomotor skills, attention and information processing speed as well as positive and negative affect. Results and discussion: . Conclusion: fruiting bodies. It must also be noted that typically only Lion's mane fruiting bodies are consumed culinarily, where up to 300g of fresh fruiting body are often consumed in the form of mushroom steaks.

Topics

Fungal Biology and Applications Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Alternative medicine Biology Clinical psychology Cognition Double blind Food science Hericium erinaceus Medicine Mood Mushroom Pathology Placebo Psychiatry Psychology Traditional medicine

Substances

Other

Conditions & symptoms

Difficulty focusing Sadness or low mood