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Ingredient guide

Lion's mane for women: what the trials in women found

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

The only trial we found that tested lion's mane in women alone gave 30 Japanese women cookies providing 2 g a day for 4 weeks, and a few questionnaire answers differed from placebo. Women also took part in several other trials, including the 16-week trial in adults over 50. There are no safety studies in pregnancy.1,2,3,4

Key facts

  • The women-only trial enrolled 30 women and lasted four weeks.1
  • Women were 14 of the 20 people taking lion's mane in a 49-week trial.3
  • The 16-week trial in adults aged 50 to 80 enrolled both men and women.5
  • Women were 22 of the 40 adults in a single-dose trial of 1 g.4

The one trial in women

The one trial run only in women gave four cookies a day, each holding 0.5 g of fruiting body powder, so 2 g a day for 4 weeks.1,2

In the women-only trial, 30 Japanese women ate lion's mane or placebo cookies for 4 weeks. Two items on a questionnaire of everyday complaints ended lower with lion's mane than with placebo, while mood, sleep and menopause scales did not differ between the groups.1,6

According to LiverTox's summary, the women had various everyday complaints but no diagnosed illness, and the trial used a standard menopause scale among its questionnaires. With 30 people and four weeks, it is a small trial, and most of its measures did not differ from placebo.1,6

Women over 50

The trials that found higher memory and thinking scores enrolled adults over 50, and the 16-week one included both men and women. Its published summary does not break the results down by sex, so the graded claim below applies to the group as a whole.5,7

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*2,5,7,8,9

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

How many women were in the trials

Women took part in several trials: they were 14 of the 20 people taking lion's mane in the 49-week trial, and 22 of the 40 adults in a single-dose trial of 1 g.3,4

The 28-day trial in young adults aimed for an even split of men and women. Apart from the women-only trial, none of the trials we read reported results for women on their own.2

Hormones, periods and menopause

We found no study in women of lion's mane and sex hormones or periods, so claims about hormones are untested. The one measure close to this, the menopause scale in the women-only trial, ended no different from placebo.1,6

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

We found no human study of lion's mane in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Ask your doctor before taking it if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding.

In a study by the maker of an erinacine A-enriched mycelium, pregnant rats were given 875 to 2,625 mg per kg of body weight a day, and their fetuses did not differ from those of untreated rats.10

That rat study was run by the company that makes the mycelium, and animal results cannot show that a supplement is safe in human pregnancy.10

Side effects in women

No side effect specific to women has been reported. In the 49-week trial, where most of the people taking lion's mane were women, 3 stopped because of stomach discomfort, nausea or a skin rash.3

  • Do not take it if you have ever reacted to mushrooms11
  • Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding
  • Ask first if you take prescription medicines every day, especially a blood thinner12

What's in ours

Neither product is made for women in particular. Lion's Mane gives 1,000 mg a day and Mushroom Complex 266 mg, both under the 2 g a day of the women-only trial and well under the roughly 3 g a day used in adults over 50.1,5

Questions people ask

What does lion's mane do for women?

Nothing specific to women has been shown. The one women-only trial found a few questionnaire answers different from placebo after four weeks, and the clearest memory finding in adults over 50 came from a trial that included women.1,5

Is lion's mane good for women over 50?

Two small trials in adults over 50 found slightly higher memory and thinking test scores at about 3 g a day of fruiting body powder, and the 16-week one enrolled both men and women. The evidence is graded early.5,7

Is lion's mane safe while breastfeeding?

We found no studies, so its safety while breastfeeding is unknown. Ask your doctor before taking it.

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Sources

  1. Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, et al. Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010;31(4):231-237. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. 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. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Li IC, Chang HH, Lin CH, et al. Prevention of early Alzheimer's disease by erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelia pilot double-blind placebo-controlled study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2020;12:155. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. La Monica MB, Raub B, Ziegenfuss EJ, et al. Acute effects of naturally occurring guayusa tea and Nordic lion's mane extracts on cognitive performance. Nutrients. 2023;15(24):5018. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009;23(3):367-372. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Lion's Mane. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Last update January 5, 2024. Opened 2026-10-01.
  7. Saitsu Y, Nishide A, Kikushima K, Shimizu K, Ohnuki K. Improvement of cognitive functions by oral intake of Hericium erinaceus. Biomed Res. 2019;40(4):125-131. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Grozier CD, Alves VA, Killen LG, Simpson JD, O'Neal EK, Waldman HS. Four weeks of Hericium erinaceus supplementation does not impact markers of metabolic flexibility or cognition. Int J Exerc Sci. 2022;15(2):1366-1380. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Surendran G, Saye J, Binti Mohd Jalil S, et al. Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study. Front Nutr. 2025;12:1405796. Opened 2026-10-07.
  10. Li IC, Chen WP, Chen YP, Lee LY, Tsai YT, Chen CC. Acute and developmental toxicity assessment of erincine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelia in Sprague-Dawley rats. Drug Chem Toxicol. 2018;41(4):459-464. Opened 2026-10-07.
  11. Nakatsugawa M, Takahashi H, Takezawa C, et al. Hericium erinaceum (yamabushitake) extract-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome monitored by serum surfactant proteins. Intern Med. 2003;42(12):1219-1222. Opened 2026-10-07.
  12. Mori K, Kikuchi H, Obara Y, et al. Inhibitory effect of hericenone B from Hericium erinaceus on collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Phytomedicine. 2010;17(14):1082-1085. Opened 2026-10-07.

*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.