Lion’s Mane Benefits for Men: What the Research Really Shows

Short answer: The best supported lion’s mane benefits for men are modest and mostly cognitive: small human trials have found faster performance on attention tasks, a possible drop in perceived stress, and better scores on memory scales in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. The evidence is not specific to men, the trials are small, and several found no effect at all. Lion’s mane appears well tolerated at 1 to 3 grams a day, with mild stomach upset as the most common complaint.

Key Takeaways

• Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom marketed for memory and focus. It is not approved in the U.S. to treat any disease.^[1]
• Human trials are small (fewer than 80 people each) and results are mixed: some show gains in processing speed, stress or mood, others show no change on cognitive tests.^[1][2]
• No human trial has studied lion’s mane for testosterone, fertility or sexual function in men. Those claims rest on a single rat study.^[4]
• Studied doses range from a single 1 g dose to 3 g daily for 16 weeks, with one trial using 10 g daily for 4 weeks.^[1]
• Side effects are usually mild digestive complaints. Rare allergic reactions have been reported, so anyone with a mushroom allergy should avoid it.^[1][2]

What Lion’s Mane Is

Lion’s mane is a white, shaggy mushroom that grows on hardwood trees. It goes by many names, including hedgehog fungus, monkey head, bearded tooth and yamabushitake. It is eaten as food in East Asia and has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine as a general tonic, especially for stress, anxiety and low mood.^[1]

Today it is sold mostly as a powder, capsule or extract for “brain health.” The mushroom contains several groups of compounds that researchers are interested in: hericenones and erinacines (terpenoid compounds), beta glucan polysaccharides, phenolic acids, sterols and the antioxidant L-ergothioneine. According to the NIH LiverTox database, the specific compound responsible for any effect in people is still unknown.^[1]

That matters for men shopping for a supplement. Because nobody knows which compound does the work, there is no agreed standard for what a “good” lion’s mane product should contain, and products vary a lot from one brand to the next.

Lion’s Mane Benefits for Men: What Human Studies Show

Most marketing copy blends human trials, animal work and test tube studies together. They are not equal. Below, they are separated.

Focus and processing speed

The cleanest recent trial comes from Northumbria University. In a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled pilot study, 41 healthy adults aged 18 to 45 took 1.8 g of lion’s mane or a placebo. Sixty minutes after a single dose, the lion’s mane group performed faster on the Stroop task, a classic test of attention and mental control. After 28 days of daily use, however, most cognitive tests did not improve, and the authors also reported null and some limited negative findings.^[3]

A separate trial of 40 healthy adults found minor improvements in working memory and reaction time within an hour of a single 1 g dose, with no change in mood or mental clarity scores.^[1][2]

Memory in older adults

The study most often quoted for memory gave 3 g per day to 30 adults aged 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment for 16 weeks. Scores on a cognitive scale improved compared with placebo.^[1] A smaller trial in people with early Alzheimer’s disease also reported better cognitive scores than placebo.^[1]

The picture is less rosy in healthy people. A 12 week trial in 31 adults over 50 found no significant differences versus placebo on three cognitive tests, and a 4 week trial in 24 healthy young adults taking 10 g daily found no effect on cognition.^[1] A 2025 systematic review in Frontiers in Nutrition also contained inconsistencies in how memory score changes were reported, which weakens confidence in its pooled numbers.^[2]

Stress, mood and sleep

In the Northumbria study, there was a trend toward lower subjective stress after 28 days, but it narrowly missed statistical significance (p = 0.051).^[3] An 8 week trial in 77 people with mood and sleep complaints, using 1.5 g per day, reported lower depression and anxiety scores and better nighttime rest.^[2] A small study in women, however, found no difference in sleep quality.^[2]

Bottom line for mood: interesting signals, small samples, and no large confirmatory trial yet.

Testosterone, sperm and sexual health: animal data only

Many “lion’s mane for men” pages claim it boosts testosterone. The only study we found on this was in rats. Researchers exposed 40 male rats to a high fat diet and polystyrene microplastics, which lowered testosterone and sperm counts, then gave erinacine A enriched mycelium at 100, 200 or 500 mg per kg of body weight for 6 weeks. Medium and high doses improved testosterone, sperm count and testicular tissue in those damaged rats.^[4]

The authors themselves note the work has no human data and needs much more study before any supplement use.^[4] A rat model of toxic exposure tells us very little about a healthy man. There is currently no human evidence that lion’s mane raises testosterone or improves sexual function.

Sources: LiverTox^[1], Menon et al. 2025^[2], Docherty et al. 2023^[3], Hwang et al. 2025^[4].

How Lion’s Mane Might Work

Lab and animal research suggests lion’s mane compounds may have antioxidant, anti inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. LiverTox points out that most of these effects were shown in cells or animals, not in humans.^[1] In the 8 week mood trial, researchers measured a shift in the ratio of pro BDNF to BDNF, a protein involved in brain plasticity, which offers one possible human mechanism.^[2] Computer modeling has also predicted that erinacine A and hericenone B may bind an enzyme that breaks down the memory chemical acetylcholine, but this is a prediction, not a measured effect in people.^[2]

In the rat fertility study, the authors attributed the improvements to lower oxidative stress and inflammation in testicular tissue.^[4] Again, that is a mechanism in animals, not proof of a benefit in men.

How Much Lion’s Mane to Take

There is no official dose. The human trials give a practical range:

• 1 to 1.8 g: the single doses used in the short term attention studies.^[1][3]
• 1.5 to 3 g daily: the range used in the 8 week mood trial and the 16 week memory trial.^[1][2]
• 10 g daily: used for only 4 weeks in one trial, with no cognitive benefit.^[1]

A few practical points:

• Give it time. The positive memory and mood trials ran 8 to 16 weeks. If you try it, track focus and stress for at least two months before deciding.
• Read the label. Products differ in whether they use the fruiting body (the mushroom itself) or the mycelium (the root like network), and LiverTox notes that preparations vary considerably in their L-ergothioneine content.^[1] Look for the part used, the amount per serving and independent testing. Our guide to third-party tested supplements explains what to look for.
• Fix the basics first. Short sleep and chronic stress hurt focus far more than any mushroom can fix. See our sleep routines for men.

Lion’s Mane Side Effects and Safety

Lion’s mane has a good short term safety record in the trials so far. The NIH LiverTox database reports:^[1]

• Mild digestive complaints (abdominal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea) usually in under 10% of participants, and generally not severe enough to stop.
• In one trial, 8% of patients reported these symptoms.
• No liver enzyme elevations or clinically apparent liver injury linked to lion’s mane. Its liver injury likelihood score is E, meaning an unlikely cause.
• At least one acute allergic reaction to oral lion’s mane has been described.

The 2025 systematic review lists headache and skin rash among reported side effects and describes a case report of a 63 year old man who developed acute respiratory distress while taking lion’s mane daily. The authors discussed a possible allergic mechanism, though cause and effect was not established. The review also notes that side effects are often not reported in these studies.^[2]

The key limitation: all safety data come from small, short trials, so long term safety has not been established.^[1]

Who should avoid it or talk to a doctor first

• Anyone allergic to mushrooms or with a history of reactions to fungi.
• Men with asthma or other breathing problems, given the rare respiratory case report.
• Men taking prescription medicines, especially for diabetes or blood clotting, since interaction data are lacking. Memorial Sloan Kettering advises telling your healthcare providers about any supplements you take.^[5]
• Anyone with memory loss or confusion. New memory problems need a medical evaluation, not a supplement.

Lion’s Mane, Other Mushrooms and Ultra Bann

Lion’s mane is often grouped with other “functional” mushrooms. Reishi is usually discussed for calm and recovery, and cordyceps for energy and exercise. You can read more in our guides to reishi mushroom benefits and cordyceps benefits. For stress specifically, men also look at herbs like rhodiola.

To be clear, Ultra Bann does not contain lion’s mane. Ultra Bann is a natural male vitality supplement by DL Bioproducts, taken as one capsule every 2 days. Each serving lists seven botanicals with exact amounts and no proprietary blend: Thai Butea superba 345 mg, Panax ginseng 110 mg, Cynomorium songaricum 85 mg, black ginger (Kaempferia parviflora) 85 mg, tongkat ali 85 mg, epimedium (horny goat weed) 45 mg and reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) 45 mg, for 800 mg in total. The full label is on our ingredients page. First orders ship free in the US and come with a 60 day money back guarantee. You can see Ultra Bann here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does lion’s mane increase testosterone in men?

There is no human evidence that it does. The only study we found was in rats whose testosterone had been lowered by microplastics and a high fat diet; lion’s mane mycelium improved their levels.^[4] That result cannot be applied to healthy men.

How long does lion’s mane take to work?

Two trials saw small changes in attention or reaction time about an hour after a single dose.^[1][3] The trials that reported memory or mood improvements ran 8 to 16 weeks.^[1][2] Give it at least two months before judging.

Is it safe to take lion’s mane every day?

Daily use for up to 16 weeks has been studied with mostly mild digestive side effects, and LiverTox lists it as an unlikely cause of liver injury.^[1] Long term safety beyond that has not been studied, and people with mushroom allergies should avoid it.

What is the best time of day to take lion’s mane?

No study has compared morning and evening use. Because it is not a stimulant and the short term attention effects appeared within an hour, many people take it in the morning or before focused work. Taking it with food may help if it upsets your stomach.

Is lion’s mane better than coffee for focus?

They work differently. Caffeine is a proven stimulant with fast, reliable effects on alertness. Lion’s mane is not a stimulant, and its effects on focus in human trials have been small and inconsistent.^[1][3] Some people use both.

References

1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Lion’s Mane. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. NCBI Bookshelf, updated January 5, 2024.
2. Menon A, Jalal A, Arshad Z, Nawaz FA, Kashyap R. Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025;12.
3. 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.
4. Hwang YY, Sudirman S, Wei EY, Shiu RF, Kong ZL, Hwang DF. Yamabushitake Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) Mycelium Improves Reproductive System Dysfunction in Male Rats Induced by Polystyrene Microplastics. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025;26(12):5735.
5. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Lion’s Mane Mushroom (About Herbs). Updated June 5, 2024.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.