Lion’s Mane linked to modest attention gains in adults
An eight-week randomized trial in 109 adults with cognitive concerns also linked the mushroom supplement to faster improvements in sleep quality, restedness and mood.
Paper by Azure Grant, Julie Daoust, Steve Farrar et al.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled
Limit: Treatment lasted only eight weeks
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Adults aged 40–75 with self-reported cognitive difficulty participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Lion’s Mane, a mushroom supplement. After a one-week baseline period, participants took 2 g daily of a preparation combining the mushroom itself and its threadlike growth, or placebo, for eight weeks. Researchers evaluated 109 participants: 57 receiving Lion’s Mane and 52 receiving placebo.
Participants completed computerized cognitive tests remotely and reported sleep and wellbeing daily. Compared with placebo, Lion’s Mane was associated with greater improvements in visual attention and working memory—the ability to hold information briefly for use in a task. The authors described the attention improvement as modest. Sleep quality, morning restedness and mood also improved faster. No adverse events were reported among participants receiving Lion’s Mane.
Why it matters
For people in midlife and older age with cognitive concerns, the trial addressed whether a daily supplement might support mental performance and wellbeing.
Caveats
Sleep and wellbeing outcomes were self-reported, and the abstract did not provide numerical effect sizes. The findings do not establish longer-term benefits or effects outside adults aged 40–75 with self-reported cognitive difficulty.
Where the evidence stands
Lion's mane
- 2 independent labs in 2 countries
- 3 trials, 3 with no results posted
- Funders: Universita degli Studi di Pavia and 2 more
- 5 of 15 findings with company ties
The paper
Azure Grant, Julie Daoust, Steve Farrar et al.
Frontiers in Nutrition, Oct 30, 2026, CC BY, Accepted, not yet published
