Best Time to Take Lion's Mane and Ashwagandha

Quick answer

No trial we found gave lion's mane and ashwagandha together, and none compared times of day for either. Lion's mane trials that found a difference used about 3 g a day of fruiting body powder for 12 to 16 weeks. Ashwagandha trials mostly used 600 mg of extract a day, in two doses.^1,2,3

Key facts

Each has one best-graded finding and they do not overlap: lion's mane for memory and thinking test scores in adults over 50 (early), ashwagandha for stress scores (moderate).^1,3
The lion's mane trials that found a difference gave about 3 g a day to older adults, while 10 g a day for 4 weeks changed nothing measured in college-age adults.^1,4
Both sets of trials judged results over weeks: lion's mane scores differed from placebo at week 8 of a 16-week trial, and ashwagandha scores at week 8 but not week 4.^1,5
NIH's liver database rates lion's mane an unlikely cause of liver injury and ashwagandha a likely cause of rare liver injury.^6,7
The official sources we check list no medicine interaction for lion's mane. That reflects how little it has been tested alongside medicines, not a finding. Ashwagandha has several listed.^6,8

Why the two get paired

Lion's mane is an edible mushroom sold as a powder or an extract. Ashwagandha is a root sold mostly as an extract. On paper they cover different ground: the mushroom's one graded finding is about memory and thinking test scores in older adults, and the herb's best finding is about stress. People put them together for that reason, not because a study tested the pair.^3,6

What each is graded for

May support memory and thinking test scores in adults over 50 at about 3 g a day of fruiting body powder; not shown in younger adults*^1,2,4,9,10

Early evidence

Two small Japanese trials. In 30 adults aged 50 to 80 whose memory and thinking had been assessed as mildly below normal for their age, about 3 g a day of fruiting body powder for 16 weeks raised scores on a cognitive scale more than placebo at weeks 8, 12 and 16, and the gain faded within 4 weeks of stopping. In 31 adults over 50, 3.2 g a day for 12 weeks gave a slightly higher result than placebo on one screening test and no difference on two others. In younger adults, 10 g a day for 4 weeks changed nothing measured, and single doses of 1 to 3 g gave mixed results.

Amount studied: About 3 to 3.2 g a day of fruiting body powder for 12 to 16 weeks

Helps the body handle occasional stress, with lower cortisol levels measured in trials*^3,5,11

Moderate evidence

Two placebo-controlled trials of a branded root extract at 600 mg a day (64 adults for 60 days; 60 adults in three groups for 8 weeks) found lower stress questionnaire scores and lower blood cortisol than placebo; in the larger trial cortisol fell 27.9% against 7.9% on placebo. NIH's summary of seven trials (491 adults, all in India) points the same way, but the trials were small and short and the maker supplied the extract.

Amount studied: 600 mg a day of root extract, as 300 mg twice a day, for 8 weeks to 60 days

The two grades describe different people. The lion's mane finding was seen in adults over 50 and not in younger adults, so a younger reader should not assume it applies to them. The ashwagandha finding comes from adults reporting stress, in small trials run mostly in India.

What is missing

A PubMed search on October 7, 2026 for ashwagandha together with lion's mane or Hericium returned only four broad reviews of supplements for memory and thinking, and no trial of the pair. NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements has no lion's mane fact sheet, and NCCIH has no lion's mane page. The main official source is the liver database LiverTox, which says the brain effects seen in cell and animal work have not been shown to any great extent in people.⁶

So there is no official statement either way about taking lion's mane with another supplement. What follows describes the two separately and says where they meet.

When the trials had people take each

In a 28-day trial of 1.8 g a day, people took three 600 mg capsules every morning after breakfast.⁹

In the 16-week trial, scores differed from placebo at week 8 and again at weeks 12 and 16, rising the longer people took it.¹

One strength trial had people take one capsule shortly after waking and one shortly before bed.¹²

In trials that measured along the way, stress scores, cortisol and self-rated sleep quality differed from placebo at week 8 but not yet at week 4.^5,13

That leaves the question in the title without a tested answer. What the trials do show is that both were judged over weeks. In the 16-week lion's mane trial the scores had fallen again within 4 weeks of stopping, so the variable the trials actually tested was steady daily use for weeks, not the hour of the day.¹

Amounts studied and amounts on our labels

Lion's mane and ashwagandha: studied amounts and labels^1,2,3,4,9,11
Item	Amount	Note
Lion's mane, adults over 50	About 3 to 3.2 g a day of fruiting body powder, for 12 to 16 weeks	The two trials that found a difference
Lion's mane, adults 18 to 50	1.8 g a day for 28 days, or 10 g a day for 4 weeks	Little or nothing measured
Ashwagandha, most trials	600 mg of root extract a day, as two doses	Trials NIH reviewed
Our Lion's Mane	1,000 mg of fruiting body and mycelium powder per serving	Proportions of the two parts are not stated
Our Mushroom Complex	266 mg of lion's mane per serving	One of five ingredients
Our Ashwagandha Complex	600 mg of a branded root extract per serving	Amount most trials used

What’s in ours

Ashwagandha Complex: KSM-66 Ashwagandha Extract, 600 mg per serving, from the label

Our Lion's Mane gives about a third of the 3 g a day the older-adult trials used, and its powder blends the fruiting body with the mycelium. Those are two different parts of the mushroom with different compounds, so the older-adult finding does not carry over to the label.^1,14

Cautions for each, and for using both

Stomach discomfort, nausea or diarrhea, reported by under 10% of people in longer trials.^6,15

Headache and allergic reactions are listed as possible side effects in a 2025 systematic review, which notes that side effects often go unreported.¹⁶

Common side effects are usually mild: upset stomach, loose stools, nausea and drowsiness. Vomiting has also been reported.^3,8,17

Both can upset the stomach, so starting them together makes any problem hard to place. A case report describes a severe lung reaction in a man in Japan who had been taking a lion's mane extract. It is rare, but anyone who has reacted to a mushroom product should not use lion's mane.^6,18

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

NIH says ashwagandha might interact with thyroid hormone medicines, such as levothyroxine. The concern comes from studies in which ashwagandha raised thyroid hormone levels, and from case reports of an overactive thyroid in people taking it.^3,8,17,19

Expected from how the two work, not shown in studies

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

NIH's complementary health center says there is evidence that ashwagandha might interact with medicines for high blood pressure, and NIH's dietary supplement office lists them too. Neither says how large the effect might be or which medicines are most affected.^3,8,17

Reported in studies

A compound from lion's mane slowed platelet clumping in laboratory tests, which is the reason to ask first if you take a blood thinner or have surgery planned. NIH's complementary health center also advises against ashwagandha before surgery.^8,20

Do not use lion's mane if you have had an allergic reaction to it or to another mushroom.^16,18
Do not use ashwagandha if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. No human safety studies of lion's mane were found for either situation.^6,8
Ask first if you have liver disease, a thyroid condition, or take thyroid hormone, sedatives or anti-seizure medicines.^3,7
Ask first if you take any prescription medicine every day, because lion's mane has not been tested alongside most of them.⁶
Ask first before giving either to anyone under 18. The trials enrolled adults.^1,3

Stop and see a doctor if you notice yellow skin or eyes, itching or unusual tiredness, which can be signs of liver injury from ashwagandha, or if breathing becomes difficult after taking a mushroom product.^7,18

Questions people ask

Can I take lion's mane and ashwagandha at the same time?

No source we use says they cannot be taken on the same day, and no trial tested them together. Lion's mane has little interaction information at all. Read the safety section, especially if you take a thyroid medicine, a sedative or a blood thinner.^3,6

Should lion's mane go in the morning and ashwagandha at night?

No trial compared times of day. The lion's mane trial of 1.8 g a day had people take their capsules each morning after breakfast, and ashwagandha trials usually split 600 mg into two doses after food, so neither pattern points to a particular hour.^9,11

How long before I would see a difference?

The trials measured over weeks. Lion's mane scores differed from placebo at week 8 of a 16-week trial, and ashwagandha stress scores differed at week 8 but not at week 4.^1,5

Does lion's mane carry the liver warning that ashwagandha does?

Not on the evidence we have. NIH's liver database rates lion's mane an unlikely cause of liver injury, and ashwagandha a likely cause of rare injury, so liver signs are worth watching mainly with ashwagandha.^6,7

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Sources

*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 page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.