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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Nov 20;15(22):4842.
doi: 10.3390/nu15224842.

The Acute and Chronic Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Stress and Mood in Young Adults: A Double-Blind, Parallel Groups, Pilot Study

Sarah Docherty  1 , Faye L Doughty  1 , Ellen F Smith  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Acute and Chronic Effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Stress and Mood in Young Adults: A Double-Blind, Parallel Groups, Pilot Study

Sarah Docherty et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Given the bioactive properties and limited work to date, Hericium erinaceus (Lion's mane) shows promise in improving cognitive function and mood. However, much of the human research has concentrated on chronic supplementation in cognitively compromised cohorts.

Objective: The current pilot study investigated the acute and chronic (28-day) cognitive and mood-enhancing effects of Hericium erinaceus in a healthy, young adult cohort.

Design: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups design investigated the acute (60 min post dose) and chronic (28-day intervention) effects of 1.8 g Hericium erinaceus in 41 healthy adults aged 18-45 years.

Results: Analysis revealed that following a single dose of Hericium erinaceus, participants performed quicker on the Stroop task (p = 0.005) at 60 min post dose. A trend towards reduced subjective stress was observed following 28-day supplementation (p = 0.051).

Conclusions: The findings tentatively suggest that Hericium erinaceus may improve speed of performance and reduce subjective stress in healthy, young adults. However, null and limited negative findings were also observed. Given the small sample size, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Further investigation in larger sample sizes is crucial, however the findings of this trial offer a promising avenue of interest.

Keywords: Hericium erinaceus; cognitive function; mood; mushroom.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. Sempera Organics provided the investigational product only and had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant disposition flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cognitive assessments. The running order of tasks and their contribution to the cognitive factors (to the right). The battery of tasks took approximately 25 min to complete. This identical assessment was carried out both at the pre-treatment baseline and 60 min after dosage on both Day 1 and Day 29.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Timeline of the testing visit assessment schedule.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Acute effects on Stroop task reaction time. Effects of a single dose of lion’s mane on speed of performance on the Stroop task, showing the interaction effect (treatment × timepoint) (panel (A)) and the planned comparisons (panel (B)) conducted on the data from Day 1. * = p < 0.05.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chronic effects on response to Stress VAS. Effects of 28-day supplementation of lion’s mane on response to Stress VAS showing the trending main effect of treatment (p = 0.051). * = p < 0.05; + = p < 0.07.
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Grants and funding

The investigational products were provided by Sempera Organics. This research received no additional external funding.

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