How Much Lion's Mane Per Day? Amounts Studied and Safety (UK Guide)

Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom that has been eaten in East Asia for centuries, and there is no official amount to take: trials in people have used from a single 1g dose to 10g a day. It has no authorised health claims in the UK, it has not been studied in pregnancy, and anyone allergic to mushrooms should avoid it.

Key takeaways

• No official daily amount. There is no Nutrient Reference Value or official upper level, and each trial used a different product.
• Fruiting body or mycelium? The fruiting body is the mushroom, the mycelium the threads it grows from. In the UK, dried mycelium powder is a novel food that needs authorisation before sale. The fruiting body is not.
• The research is small. About ten published trials in people, most with 50 or fewer. None tested our gummies.
• Our Ashwagandha Gummies are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or by under-18s or anyone allergic to mushrooms (they contain lion's mane), ginkgo or any other ingredient. With a thyroid, liver, heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including thyroid medication, sedatives and blood thinners, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

From us: Our Ashwagandha & Lion's Mane Gummies contain 1,000mg of lion's mane (fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus) per two gummies, alongside 2,500mg of KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract, 1,000mg of ginkgo biloba, 200mg of magnesium and vitamins B6 and B12 (4,700mg in total). Vegan, £16.99 for 60 gummies (30 days), third-party lab tested.

Lion's mane at a glance

What is lion's mane?

Lion's mane is a fungus that grows on dead and decaying broadleaf trees. It forms a white, cushion-like mound covered in long hanging spines that turn yellow with age.

Since 1998 it has been one of only four fungi listed in Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and in England and Wales it is an offence to intentionally pick it in the wild.

Fruiting body or mycelium, and the UK rules

The fruiting body is the mushroom, the part that is picked and eaten. The mycelium is the network of fine threads it grows from.

A novel food is one not eaten to a significant degree in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997, and it needs authorisation before sale. A 2019 decision, published by the European Commission, found that the fruiting body had that history in the EU but dried mycelium powder did not, so the powder is a novel food. The Food Standards Agency says EU decisions made before 2021 still apply in Great Britain. Our gummies use the fruiting body.

What has been studied?

We found about ten published trials in people, most with 50 or fewer. Four, all with some company involvement, show the range:

None tested lion's mane with ashwagandha or ginkgo, or tested our gummies. That is too little to support a health claim, and lion's mane has no authorised health claims in the UK.

How much do people take?

Lion's mane is not a vitamin or mineral, so it has no Nutrient Reference Value (NRV), and no official upper level has been set for it. Amounts on record:

• In trials: a single 1g dose of fruiting body, a single 3g dose of a 10:1 extract, 1.8g a day for 28 days, and 10g a day in muffins for four weeks.
• As food: widely eaten in China and Japan, with no official portion figure.

The authors of the 2022 muffin trial wrote that research is still needed to establish a supplement dose and duration.

No trial has used our gummies, and mushrooms, powders, extracts and gummies are made differently, so their weights cannot be compared like for like. Two of our gummies, the daily serving, give 1,000mg of lion's mane fruiting body. Take them with breakfast or in the evening. Do not take more than two a day.

Side effects and who should avoid it

In trials. Trials in people have been small, and most lasted three months or less, so they say little about less common side effects. We found no published study of lion's mane with medicines. If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to your GP or a pharmacist.

Allergy. In 2003, doctors in Japan reported a severe lung reaction (acute respiratory distress syndrome) in a 63-year-old man who had taken a lion's mane extract. A blood test showed a strong immune reaction to it, and he recovered with steroids on a ventilator. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999.

Do not take our Ashwagandha Gummies if you:

• are pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18
• are allergic to mushrooms (lion's mane is a mushroom), to ginkgo or to any other ingredient

Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you:

• have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication (for the ashwagandha)
• have a liver condition (for the ashwagandha)
• have a heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels or hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (for the ashwagandha)
• have epilepsy or take a medicine that can make seizures more likely, or have an operation coming up (for the ashwagandha and ginkgo)
• have a bleeding disorder, or take blood thinners such as warfarin, clopidogrel, dabigatran or aspirin, or anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen (for the ginkgo)
• take efavirenz, an HIV medicine (for the ginkgo)
• take sedatives, sleep medication, or medicines for diabetes, blood pressure, seizures or the immune system (for the ashwagandha)
• take levodopa, isoniazid, phenytoin, theophylline or phenobarbital (for the vitamin B6)
• have another long-term condition, or take any other regular medicine

Whoever you are, if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or persistent itching, stop and see your GP.

Two gummies give 200mg of magnesium and 1.6mg of vitamin B6. Check other labels: limits for supplements are 250mg of magnesium (EU upper level) and 10mg of B6 (NHS advice) a day.

Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.

List prices, before any discount code, correct on 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much lion's mane should I take a day?

There is no official recommended amount or upper level. Trials in people have each used a different product and amount, from a single 1g dose to 10g a day, and none used our gummies, so those amounts cannot be applied to them. Our Ashwagandha & Lion's Mane Gummies contain 1,000mg of lion's mane fruiting body per two gummies. Our Ashwagandha Gummies are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or by under-18s or anyone allergic to mushrooms (they contain lion's mane), ginkgo or any other ingredient. With a thyroid, liver, heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including thyroid medication, sedatives and blood thinners, ask your GP or pharmacist first.

What are the benefits of lion's mane?

Lion's mane has no authorised health claims in the UK. We found about ten small published trials in people, most with 50 or fewer, using different products and amounts. None tested our gummies. That is too little to support a health claim.

Is lion's mane safe?

Some people should not take it. Anyone allergic to mushrooms should avoid it, and a 2003 case report described a severe lung reaction to a lion's mane extract. It has not been studied in pregnancy, breastfeeding or children. Our Ashwagandha Gummies are not for use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, or by under-18s or anyone allergic to mushrooms (they contain lion's mane), ginkgo or any other ingredient. With a thyroid, liver, heart or autoimmune condition, high androgen levels, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder, an operation coming up or another long-term condition, or on any regular medicine, including thyroid medication, sedatives and blood thinners, ask your GP or pharmacist first. If a new symptom appears, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.

What are the side effects of lion's mane?

Trials of lion's mane in people have been small, and most lasted three months or less, so they say little about less common side effects. A 2003 case report from Japan described a severe lung reaction in a man who had taken a lion's mane extract. If your lips, mouth or throat suddenly swell, or you struggle to breathe, call 999. For any other new symptom, stop and speak to a GP or pharmacist.

Is lion's mane legal in the UK, and is mycelium different?

The fruiting body, the mushroom itself, was eaten in the EU before 15 May 1997, so it is not a novel food, though it has no authorised health claims. Dried mycelium powder, made from the threads the mushroom grows from, is a novel food under a 2019 EU decision that still applies in Great Britain, so it needs authorisation first. Wild lion's mane is protected, and picking it is an offence in England and Wales.

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References

1. Woodland Trust. "Bearded Tooth Fungus (Hericium erinaceus)." woodlandtrust.org.uk.
2. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 13 and Schedule 8 (entry added by S.I. 1998/878). legislation.gov.uk.
3. Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). "Application for consultation to determine the status of a novel food, pursuant to Article 4(2) of the Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on novel foods." Hericium erinaceus dehydrated mycelium powder. European Commission, Ref. Ares(2019)6700914, 29 October 2019. food.ec.europa.eu.
4. Food Standards Agency. "Novel foods authorisation guidance." gov.uk.
5. Grozier CD et al. "Four Weeks of Hericium erinaceus Supplementation Does Not Impact Markers of Metabolic Flexibility or Cognition." Int J Exerc Sci, 2022;15(2):1366-1380. doi:10.70252/XZKO8571
6. Docherty S, Doughty FL, Smith EF. "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." Nutrients, 2023;15(22):4842. doi:10.3390/nu15224842
7. La Monica MB et al. "Acute Effects of Naturally Occurring Guayusa Tea and Nordic Lion's Mane Extracts on Cognitive Performance." Nutrients, 2023;15(24):5018. doi:10.3390/nu15245018
8. Surendran G et al. "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." Front Nutr, 2025;12:1405796. doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1405796
9. European Commission. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII: Nutrient Reference Values.
10. Nakatsugawa M et al. "Hericium erinaceum (yamabushitake) extract-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome monitored by serum surfactant proteins." Intern Med, 2003;42(12):1219-1222. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.42.1219
11. NHS. "Anaphylaxis." Page last reviewed 21 June 2023. nhs.uk.
12. European Medicines Agency, HMPC. "European Union herbal monograph on Ginkgo biloba L., folium." EMA/HMPC/321097/2012, 28 January 2015.
13. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. "Ashwagandha: Usefulness and Safety." Last updated March 2023. nccih.nih.gov.
14. Brendler T et al. "Ashwagandha: Is It Safe? Part 1: A Regulatory Review." Phytother Res, 2026;40(8):4845-4857. doi:10.1002/ptr.70151
15. Björnsson HK et al. "Ashwagandha-induced liver injury: A case series from Iceland and the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network." Liver Int, 2020;40(4):825-829. doi:10.1111/liv.14393
16. Scientific Committee on Food. "Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Magnesium (expressed on 26 September 2001)." European Commission, SCF/CS/NUT/UPPLEV/54 Final, 11 October 2001.
17. NHS. "Vitamins and minerals: B vitamins and folic acid." Page last reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk.

Food supplements are not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before use.