Source: Lion's Mane RCT (Mori 2009) + Examine — Mori 2009 used ~3 g/day of powdered fruiting body; 500 mg of a concentrated extract is the common supplement serving — hence the 'Studied' tier.
500 mg of a concentrated extract; the classic powder trial (Mori 2009) used ~3 g/day of powder.
A culinary and medicinal mushroom studied as a nootropic for nerve health.
Compounds appear to stimulate Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), which maintains and repairs neurons.
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment improved on a cognitive scale vs placebo — but the gains faded within 4 weeks of stopping.
Double-blind RCT · n=30 · 3 g/day, 16 weeks — Mori et al., 2009 — Phytotherapy Research
A single acute dose modestly improved speed of performance on a stress test and reduced subjective stress in healthy younger adults.
Double-blind crossover RCT · n=41 · single standardized dose — La Monica et al., 2025 — Frontiers in Nutrition
Bottom line: Promising mechanism (it may raise nerve-growth factor) but thin human data: one small trial showed cognitive gains in impaired older adults that disappeared after stopping, and acute studies show only minor effects. Nowhere near the evidence base of creatine or caffeine.
Generally safe. Rare skin rash or GI upset. Human evidence is still emerging and doses/extracts vary widely.
Anecdotes, not evidence, and not medical advice. Frequency labels are our read of forum sentiment, not a formal survey. Individual responses vary widely.
| Per serving | |
|---|---|
| Typical branded single-ingredient product | $0.83 |
| Bulk powder at the clinical dose (250g, $23.97) | $0.05 |
Buying bulk powder instead of a branded bottle saves about 94% per serving.
Bulk price: $23.97/250g → Alt source: $22.99/125gEducational only — not medical advice. Grades and clinical doses are computed from public labels against sourced research (citations on the main site); prices last verified 2026-07-21. Expensive Powder has no sponsors; bulk links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a grade. Talk to a clinician before starting any supplement.