So when would be the best time to take Lion’s Mane extract?
Lion’s Mane is perhaps the most popular functional mushroom and has deservingly earned its place in the mushroom supplement market due to its brain-boosting benefits. Still, it does much more than improve your cognitive function and brain health!
The brain could be considered the most crucial organ in the body; aside from being in charge of controlling all the body’s functions, it is also what makes us think – our memories and feelings or what makes us human, and what makes you “yourself.” No wonder brain health is among the top priorities when taking care of one’s overall health and wellness.
Brain health is also correlated to mental health and wellness. After all, you can’t have a sound mind without a properly functioning brain in the first place!
What Are Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?
The appearance of Lion’s Mane is far from your typical mushroom, resembling some fuzzy, white alien more than an actual mane of a lion. Lion’s Mane is also called bearded hedgehog, bearded tooth fungus, or mountain-priest mushroom.
While best known for being a medicinal and functional mushroom, Lion’s Mane is also classified as an edible culinary mushroom. In terms of taste, Lion’s Mane could be best described as seafood-like, which is best described as similar to lobsters or crabs.
That makes them a great addition to enhancing seafood flavors, like with seafood chowder, or for adding a seafood-like flavor, such as pasta.
Lion’s Mane grows on hardwood such as maple and is usually found on dead trees, although it could also be found on living ones. They thrive during late summer and fall and have a widespread distribution from Asia to Europe and North America, so they are available and can be grown and harvested locally.
Lion’s Mane is called Yamabushitake in Japanese and Houtougu in Chinese, which also had long been part of traditional Chinese medicine and Japan, where it was mainly utilized to nourish the gut.
Nutrition Value Of Lion’s Mane
Lion’s Mane also has high nutritional value, which makes consuming them worthwhile.
Lion’s Mane is packed with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, including potassium, protein, iron, vitamin D, zinc, and B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine (which is a crucial player in nerve regeneration.) It also has 8 non-essential and 7 essential amino acids, which are critical to a properly functioning body system.
Lion’s Mane is also low in calories and saturated fats, so they are great if you don’t want to gain weight. Like all medicinal mushrooms, it is rich in beta-glucans and polysaccharides.
Potential Benefits Of Taking Lion’s Mane
Aside from a high nutritional value and the potential to promote brain health, Lion’s Mane also offers other potential health and wellness benefits, making them superb for both the brain and the body.
Here are some of the potential benefits of Lion’s Mane with links to clinical research and studies conducted:
May Promote Brain Health
What Lion’s Mane is best known for, Lion’s Mane mushroom extract may help enhance or restore your brain to its peak working condition. Lion’s Mane contributes to the growth of brain cells and stimulates nerve growth factor – thanks to the 2 unique compounds it contains, hericenones and erinacines, which work by stimulating the brain, resulting in nerve growth and better brain cell production.
Brain function tends to degenerate as we age, and Lion’s Mane’s properties may help slow down that process. Here are links to research and studies conducted on mice involving the neuroprotective properties of Lion’s Mane, with the results looking positive. (1),(2),(3)
May Ease Stress
Lion’s Mane is also considered adaptogenic since they contain properties that may help cope with the damaging effects of stress in the body. Here is a link to research and studies conducted on mice involving the antidepressant-like properties of Lion’s Mane and its potential as a potent alternative therapy for depression. (1)
May Promote A Healthy Immune Health Function
Taking Lion’s Mane mushrooms may also help boost your immune system defense and protect you better against contagious illnesses from viruses and bacteria via the activation of innate immune cells.
Here are links to research and studies conducted on mice involving its immunomodulatory activities in the gut and how it helped protect the liver from damage due to salmonella infection. (1),(2)
May Promote Healthy Digestion
Lion’s Mane activities in the gut may also help promote better digestive health since it also contains prebiotics which serve as food for the good bacteria in your gut, allowing them to thrive more. Such activities in the gut may also help prevent the formation of stomach ulcers by hampering the growth of the bad bacteria H. pylori.
Here are links to research and studies regarding the activities of Lion’s Mane in the gut and its inhibition in the growth of H. pylori. (1)(2)(3)
May Provide Better Restful Sleep
Perhaps the least known effect of Lion’s Mane, few seem aware that it may also help in providing you with a good night’s rest due to its effect on REM sleep. Here is a link to research and studies conducted on patients regarding its potential effects on mood and sleep disorders with positive results. (1)
When Is The Best Time To Take Lion’s Mane?
When to take Lion’s Mane is determined by your primary reason for taking Lion’s Mane supplements, along with your main goal for the day, so even as you make it a part of your daily routine, it doesn’t always have to be taken at a strictly consistent time should the situation require it.
Start Your Day With Lion’s Mane
Energize your brain as soon as you wake up by taking them first thing in the morning after breakfast! Everyday activities, such as chores, going to work, or attending uni, typically occur in the morning.
If you are the typical person whose significant activities that require the use of your noggin take place in the morning, then this would be the best time to take your daily dose of Lion’s Mane.
Taking Lion’s Mane Mushroom In The Afternoon
Do most of your activities require thinking and mental energy in the early afternoon? Not your typical morning person? Feeling drowsy at work as soon as noon hits? Then it would be better in your case to take them at this time of the day, around after lunch or even afterward.
It is also better to take them at this time frame if you also have more specific activities at noon, such as a chess or video game tournament.
Taking Lion’s Mane At Night
If you want to get a good night’s rest, you can take this mushroom during mid-day or even in the morning, as Lion’s Mane has a short-term effect that could keep you mentally active and alert, which could affect your sleep and keep you up at night so that energy brain boost is better off spent first.
Rather than making you drowsy, Lion’s Mane improves your rest cycle instead. You’ll only want to take Lion’s Mane at night when pulling an all-nighter, like needing to finish some school paper or beating the deadline for some writing piece.
Factors To Consider When Timing Lion’s Mane Intake
You must consider your primary goal, daily activities, specific activities for the day, have taken or taken them with food, and the short burst of mental clarity and alertness Lion’s Mane provides.
Benefits Of Taking Lion’s Mane Daily
Take them daily as part of your routine to attain maximum results and reap their long-term nutritional benefits as soon as possible.
Can Lion’s Mane Cause Negative Side Effects?
Lion’s Mane is generally safe and well-tolerated, with infrequent side effects and nothing severe. The worst you could get is stomach discomfort, nausea, or a skin rash.
How To Take a Lion’s Mane?
You can boil fresh Lion’s Mane mushrooms to make a cup of tea or make soup. Some even use it as an added ingredient to their meals. But some Lion’s Mane also comes in the form of various types of Lion’s Mane mushroom supplement.
Lion’s Mane Supplements
Lion’s Mane supplements make it possible to take them daily due to their convenience and availability. They eliminate the need to eat actual Lion’s Mane mushrooms daily while simultaneously allowing you to incorporate their health benefits if you add Lion’s Mane into your diet.
Since they are in concentrated form, they offer more beneficial and potent compounds. Aside from your typical Lion’s Mane capsules, they also come in the following types to cater to your preference in how you want your daily dose of Lion’s Mane:
Lion’s Mane mushroom Powder
The choice for you if you prefer to incorporate your daily dose of Lion’s Mane powder into your meals and drinks, similar to eating them as mushrooms but in a more concentrated and convenient powder form. Lion’s Mane mushroom powders also allow you to take control of your dosage more.
Lion’s Mane Tinctures
If you are after potency and fast-acting effects, especially getting to experience the short-term brain-boosting benefits as soon as possible. Tinctures are taken sublingually or underneath the tongue so they can proceed more directly into your bloodstream.
Lion’s Mane Glycerites
Quite similar to tinctures, the difference being glycerin-based, which possesses better properties in preserving herbs, so this is often used on those that also contain extra herb content.
Glycerin adds a sweet taste, making them an excellent addition to beverages aside from being taken sublingually. It is also the choice for those who want something like tinctures but are staying away from any alcohol content.
Serving Suggestions for Lion’s Mane Supplements
Always stick to the recommended dose of the manufacturer. But generally, a daily dose of 250 mg up to 750 mg is considered the efficient dose for the average adult.
How Long Does Lion’s Mane Take To Work?
How long Lion’s Mane takes to work varies per person, along with what is considered short-term effects, such as cognitive functioning, and other purported potential health benefits.
But based on average feedback, it takes around half to an hour for the short-term effects and approximately 2 to 4 weeks for the long-term benefits if taken daily.
Where To Get The Best Lion’s Mane Supplements?
You could save a lot of money, time, and trouble by ordering online directly from the manufacturer themselves, such as here at Edible Alchemy! We also offer 20% off by just signing into our email newsletter!
You get to save a lot for premium quality Lion’s Mane supplements that use only certified organic mushrooms and have undergone our signature 100-day extraction process for the best amount of beneficial compounds! You can rest assured of the content quality as they are 3rd party lab tested!
When To Avoid Taking Lion’s Mane?
Avoid taking Lion’s Mane products if you are currently:
- Pregnant
- Breastfeeding
- Have scheduled surgery, including dental surgery.
Anyone taking the following medications should also avoid them and consult their doctor first:
- Anticoagulant drugs
- Antiplatelet drugs
- Diabetes medications
Can Lion’s Mane Be Taken On an Empty Stomach?
As with supplements that are taken directly, it would be better to take them after you have eaten since there is a risk of a stomach ache if you wouldn’t do so. However, it should be fine if you have incorporated them into your food (such as powders) or are eating the actual mushrooms.
Who Shouldn’t Take Lion’s Mane?
Anyone with the following conditions shouldn’t take Lion’s Mane:
- Allergy to mushrooms.
- Bleeding disorders.
Final Thoughts – Best Time To Take Lion’s Mane
Now that you know when is the best time to take Lion’s Mane, you definitely want to add it to your daily diet, alleviate brain fog, and restore your brain to its former glory or upgrade it to a better functioning one! Just make sure to choose a brand that uses the whole fruiting body of the mushrooms and not mycelium on grain.
