Lions Mane Powder

I recently started to dry and grind the lions mane mushroom into powder and I have been quite pleased with the results. The method I use is drying the mushrooms in a food dehydrator for 10 - 12 hours at 110F to preserve the bioactive compounds in the mushroom. Then I use an electric grinder to pulverize the dried mushrooms into powder (70 - 300 mesh) which is a fineness acceptable to most consumers.

There are a few notable qualities to lions mane powder which is why its experienced such an increase in usage as a supplement in recent years. "Research" suggests that compounds such as erinacines and hericenones support nerve growth factor (NGF) which are a protein crucial for the development and maintenance of nerve cells in the brain

Accordingly, they are able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and this is corroborated by my own anecdotal evidence, where I feel a small tingly sensation in my brain upon ingestion of just a teaspoon's worth of powder (I am very sensitive to what I eat).

As with other mushrooms, they also contain amounts of beta-glucans which increase immune function by activating macrophages and other immune cells. They also exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and supposedly support gut health.

This part of is more anecdotal, but friends to whom I have given lions mane mushrooms (in the whole, wet form), reported better sleep and vivid dreams, which aligns with my own experiences. However, I doubt that this is exclusive to lions mane and it more true of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms in general. As I was experimenting with various tinctures, Chaga seemed to give me explosive dreams reliably when taken before sleeping.

This could be due to a couple of reasons. One, it may be the case that mushrooms such as lions mane are simply good sources of nutrition - protein, B vitamins, and various trace minerals and are providing nutrients not commonly found in many American's substandard diets. Alternatively, a specific compound or group of compounds could be facilitating REM sleep, which is when I believe these vivid dreams occur. Regardless, the promotion of good sleep should be seen as a good thing regardless of the reason, and the fact that lions mane and other mushrooms have this effect is interesting to say the least.

One more point to note is that lions mane is offered both in the form of powder and extracts. Typically, they have a similar effect, but the lions mane extract is more concentrated and targets the extraction of specific active compounds, whereas the powder containers higher amounts of fiber. Additionally, the tincture which is liquid is more quickly absorbed by the bloodstream whereas the powder takes a bit longer. All in all, they have similar effects and which one is taken is just a personal preference.

The pricing of lions mane powder varies dramatically, with lower end stuff (cheap chinese product mixed with grain/mycelium filler) going for close to $1/ounce and the most expensive locally grown, quality controlled versions going for up to $/20 an ounce, a twenty fold increase in price! What justifies this enormous price difference. There are a few factors.

First, the more expensive varieties are ONLY made using the fruiting body of the lions mane, which container higher concentrations of the active compounds, and nothing else. Cheaper varieties use mycelium which may contain residual grain filler, which dilutes the active compounds.

Second, the cheaper varieties often come from China, where lions mane mushrooms (and most other - 90% of mushroom production is in China) grow in sub-optimal conditions. What I mean by this is that air quality and water quality inevitably affect the mushroom quality as outside air and water is channeled into the facility to grow the mushrooms. No matter how robust the quality control - although China hardly has a stellar reputation for this in food production - environmental contaminants will seep into the product. Therefore, China with its great amount of pollution, inevitably produces mushrooms with higher amounts of trace contamination. As such, locally grown lions mane is likely to be higher quality. This is then confirmed through independent lab tests, which can confirm levels of active compounds erinacines, beta-glucans, etc.

Third, marketing obviously matters. While the mushroom market is not yet saturated, mushroom powder which is a nonperishable food item, is a clear commodity product. Local brand build up and brand trust is crucial for ability to price at higher level.

Lions mane powder is a pretty common product at this point, so I'm very curious to see how customers at the farmers market and small-scale digital advertisement will work moving forward!