The Lion's Mane Guide
That's the guide.
The extract is made on the same farm, from the same mushrooms.
The Lion's Mane ExtractFirst order: FIRSTBATCH
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Small scale. By design. Blue Mountains, New South Wales.
Read the guide as text
A note before you read
This is the guide we needed.
It is not another guide on the benefits of Lion's Mane.
We describe the mushroom itself, as well as the basics of what a good extract is.
What Lion's Mane is
Hericium erinaceus.
A white mushroom with a shaggy appearance, resembling a sea creature more than a fungus.
It is edible and it can be cooked, many chefs enjoy cooking it.
This guide is about what happens when you decide to consume it extracted.
What people use it for
It was first used in Buddhist monasteries in Japan named Yamabushitake.
Now, it is among the most researched edible mushrooms in the world concerning cognition. Hericenones and erinacines are the active compounds at the center of this research.
Many people who have used it report the same thing. A subtle change over time that becomes noticeable.
Not a buzz or a high. It is not a stimulant.
Why we use the fruiting body
The fruiting body is another word to name the mushroom.
A 2021 study identified 102 bioactive compounds in Lion's Mane.
The fruiting body carries the majority of these compounds, which includes hericenones to beta-glucans, sterols and phenolic acids.
How to read a label
Hericium erinaceus — the full species name. It tells you you're getting the right mushroom, and not a substitute.
Fruiting body — this is the actual mushroom. If a label says mycelium, it's something else.
Dual-extraction — hot water and alcohol. Without extraction, very little of what matters is bioavailable.
Short ingredient list — three to five things. If you don't recognise half of them, put it back.
A label doesn't need to be glamorous. It has to be honest.
Why extraction exists
Many of the interesting compounds in Lion's Mane are hidden behind a cell wall made of chitin.
Chitin is the same tough material found in the shells of crabs and insects. It gives the mushroom its structure, but the human body can't break it down. So most of the good compounds stay locked inside and pass through you unused.
Extraction is what opens them up.
Hot water releases the water soluble compounds, like the beta-glucans. Alcohol releases the ones that water can't reach, like the hericenones and hericerins.
Mushroom (fruiting body) → water extraction (hot, slow) and alcohol extraction (cold, weeks) → combined tincture → bottle.
Powder vs liquid
When you take powdered Lion's Mane, your body has to do the work of digesting chitin to reach the interesting compounds. Most of the powder passes through unused.
A liquid extract does the work for you. The compounds are already released, so your body can actually use them.
It is also more concentrated and more easily absorbed by the body.
Just a few drops is all you need.
Slow by choice
Modern extraction methods like high pressure or ultrasonic work well. They're effective, widely used, and done in a few hours.
We don't use them, because we don't need to.
Slow maceration is a traditional method that has been used for thousands of years. It takes about 8 weeks to fully extract the compounds.
It fits the way our farm is built: small scale, small batches.
The abundance
We don't buy our Lion's Mane. We grow it.
That means we never run short, so we never hold back.
Every 50 ml bottle holds the equivalent of 200 grams of fresh Lion's Mane.
You'll notice it right away. Our extract tastes of mushroom, not alcohol.
The routine
Take 1 to 3 ml a day.
Do this every morning, before you eat.
You can take it under the tongue, or add it to whatever you drink.
Lion's Mane works over weeks, not hours. It builds up in your system over time.
What to expect
When you take Lion's Mane, it is meant to be a gradual change.
You may find you have a little more clarity, with less afternoon fog.
This is the kind of change that's hard to notice day to day. But once you stop, you'll notice it.
If you're looking for a quick effect, you'll be disappointed. If you can take it for a month, you may find something worth keeping.
Not enhancement. Construction.
Caffeine accelerates the systems you already have.
Lion's Mane helps build new ones.
Compounds including hericenones and erinacines help stimulate Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which supports the growth and repair of neurons.
It gives your brain raw materials.
Farm first, brand second
We grow Lion's Mane in shipping containers, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.
The farm is small by design. We operate on 200 m² with solar power.
We have designed a circular economy system that feeds itself: mushrooms, compost, energy, water. Each part supports the next.
Small as it is, it still yields hundreds of litres of extract each year.
The research
A few of the studies we returned to most often:
Cognitive function. Mori et al., 2009. Phytotherapy Research.
Cognitive function. Saitsu et al., 2019. Biomedical Research.
Mood and anxiety. Nagano et al., 2010. Biomedical Research.
Neurotrophic properties and NGF. Lai et al., 2013. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms.
Chemistry and compounds. Friedman, 2015. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
We are not researchers. We are farmers who read studies.