Could Lion’s Mane Help Protect Your Aging Brain?| EP 403.A

Summary

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The Dr. Gundry Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode: Could Lion’s Mane Help Protect Your Aging Brain? (EP 403.A)
Air Date: May 20, 2026
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry

Episode Overview

In this highly-informative episode, Dr. Steven Gundry explores the science and culinary appeal behind Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). The podcast examines why Lion’s Mane is gaining popularity in brain health circles, the compounds that set it apart from other mushrooms, its effects on cognitive decline, and proper supplementation strategies to maximize its benefits. Dr. Gundry distills research, clinical insights, and practical suggestions, concluding with a thoughtful Q&A around supplement safety.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is Lion’s Mane Mushroom?

• Description & Origin

  • Lion’s Mane is a distinct, white, “fuzzy” mushroom native to Eastern cultures, traditionally used for digestion, cognition, and vitality.
  • “It’s this big white fuzzy…of course, I’m talking about lion’s mane mushrooms.” — Podcast Host (02:11)
  • Scientific name: Hericium erinaceus, literally meaning "hedgehog," referencing its tooth-like projections.

• Comparison to Other Mushrooms

  • Unlike typical cap-and-stem mushrooms, Lion’s Mane features unique tooth-like projections.
  • Stands out due to two rare compounds: erinacines and hericenones.

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2. The Science: How Lion’s Mane May Help Your Brain

• Unique Brain-Active Compounds

  • Erinacines and hericenones are unique to Lion’s Mane and are thought to cross the blood-brain barrier.
  • They stimulate the production of two critical brain compounds:
    • BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
    • NGF (Nerve Growth Factor)
  • These compounds are vital for nerve growth, repair, and synaptic connections — all fundamental to memory and learning.

• Clinical Evidence

  • Japanese Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial (2009)
    • 30 adults (ages 50–80) with mild cognitive impairment took 3g/day of Lion’s Mane extract for 16 weeks.
    • “Their cognitive function actually improved significantly over the placebo group.” — Dr. Gundry (05:44)
    • Caveat: Four weeks post-trial, benefits faded after discontinuation.
      • “The bad news…scores had dropped significantly, showing that the effect was unfortunately not long lasting.” — Dr. Gundry (06:10)

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3. Broader Health Benefits of Lion’s Mane (and Other Mushrooms)

• Mood & Mental Health

  • “Studies show taking Lion’s Mane could actually relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.” — Podcast Host (07:08)
  • Likely due to anti-inflammatory effects and positive impacts on the gut microbiome.

• Gut & Immune Support

  • Mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides (indigestible sugars that serve as prebiotics for gut bacteria).
    • “Mushrooms are one of the better sources for polysaccharides…our gut bacteria digest these chemical bonds and think that these polysaccharides and mushrooms are some of the best stuff they ever ate.” — Dr. Gundry (07:34)
  • Supports immune health by boosting “natural killer” cells (a type of white blood cell).

• Other Reported Effects

  • “It’s also been shown to help fight diabetes, help fight cancer through natural killer cells...” — Podcast Host (09:52)
  • These effects are shared by many mushrooms, not just Lion’s Mane.

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4. Culinary Appeal & Cooking Suggestions

• Flavor & Texture

  • “Lion’s Mane is one of the few mushrooms that doesn’t taste mushroomy or really taste slimy…actually got a texture very similar to lobster, crab, or scallops.” — Podcast Host (10:26)
  • Chefs use it as a seafood substitute; its flavor is “sweet, almost seafood like.”
  • “Chefs love Lion’s Mane...even picky diners would ooh and ah over the look...when they put it in their mouth, they actually liked the taste.” (11:22)

• How to Prepare

  • Becoming widely available in supermarkets and farmers markets.
  • Can be grilled, sautéed, or used in imitation crab cakes, soups, and stir-fries.
  • Absorbs flavors well—can pair with olive oil, butter, garlic, lemon, and herbs.

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5. Supplementation: Forms, Dosing, & Quality Concerns

• Forms Available

  • Fresh, dried, extract/powder, capsules, tablets, and increasingly in coffee or snack blends.

• Efficacy & Dosing

  • Clinical trials use high doses (approx. 3g/day).
  • Caution: Most retail blends use much lower concentrations.

• Quality & Safety

  • “At least by their reporting, about 85% of the products sold on Amazon do not contain the amount that they say they contain.” — Podcast Host (13:54)
    • “85%.” — Dr. Gundry (14:04)
  • Importance of third-party testing, GMP seals, and buying from reputable brands.
  • Anecdote: A patient’s CoQ10 supplement (purchased online) contained none of the advertised ingredient, underscoring the need for supplement vigilance. (14:05–16:24)
  • Look for standardized products and verify with trusted manufacturers.

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6. Listener Q&A: Lion’s Mane & Medications

Q: Is it safe to take Lion's Mane with duloxetine (Cymbalta)?
A:

• No known interaction; Lion’s Mane doesn’t affect serotonin levels.
• “Anytime you’re using a prescription medicine with a supplement, you’re best off asking your prescribing physician…” — Dr. Gundry (16:38)
• Warns against combining Cymbalta with other serotonergic supplements like 5-HTP or Coenzyme Q10 without professional advice.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brain Health:

  • “These compounds actually stimulate nerve growth…really fundamental to the memory process.” — Dr. Gundry (05:10)

• On Mushroom Skeptics:

  • “My wife happens to be in that group that thinks mushrooms are slimy…But lion’s mane doesn’t taste mushroom-y.” — Podcast Host (10:38)

• On Supplement Quality:

  • “Just because you see a trendy thing on a capsule, know your supplement manufacturer.” — Podcast Host (15:42)

• On Real-World Practice:

  • “Everything I share here comes from my research when writing my next book, and my clinics where I’ve been seeing patients six days a week for over 25 years...” — Dr. Gundry (19:17)

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Key Timestamps

• [02:11] — What Lion’s Mane is and its unique compounds
• [05:44] — Overview of the Japanese study on cognitive function
• [07:34] — Mushroom polysaccharides and gut/immune benefits
• [10:26] — Culinary properties and taste profile
• [13:54] — Quality concerns with mushroom supplements
• [16:24–16:54] — Listener Q&A: Lion’s Mane and medication interactions
• [19:17] — Dr. Gundry on his real-world, clinic-informed approach

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Conclusion

Dr. Gundry’s examination of Lion’s Mane is both enthusiastic and grounded in evidence. Lion’s Mane stands out for unique neurotrophic compounds, with clinical studies showing cognitive benefits—though ongoing consumption appears necessary for sustained results. Culinary enthusiasts may enjoy its seafood-like texture and flavor, while health seekers should be vigilant about supplement quality. Dr. Gundry highlights the importance of consulting physicians before mixing supplements and medications, and encourages informed, cautious self-experimentation for those looking to support long-term brain and gut health.

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Curious for more, or have a health question? Subscribe and submit your query to The Dr. Gundry Podcast for a chance to be featured in future episodes.

Transcript

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

What if I told you there's a mushroom that may actually help your brain grow new connections. Today, we're diving into one of my favorite and most fascinating superfoods. Lion's Mane. And why I think everyone should be eating more of it. Did you know the air inside your home could be up to 100 times

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Now, you might have been in a grocery store or farmer's market and seen this mushroom that looks unlike any other mushroom you've ever seen. It's this big white fuzzy. Now, of course, I'm talking about lion's mane mushrooms. They are being used in coffee blends and even snack bars. If you've been browsing YouTube or looking at social media, you probably heard people raving about as many benefits. Now, this unique mushroom has been used for centuries in traditional Eastern cultures to help digestion, to help cognition and overall vitality. So let's take a closer look at this really interesting super mushroom that that everybody is talking about. So before we jump in, if you like what we're doing here at the Dr. Gundry podcast, please don't forget to subscribe and most importantly, share this with your friends and loved ones. Okay, so why is lion's mane different than other mushrooms? And quite frankly, how is it similar to other mushrooms? So lion's mane mushroom, scientific name is heracium irenaceous. Now heresium in Latin literally means hedgehog. So you can see how this mushroom got its moniker. It has many other names of things that it resembles, but we can see which one stuck. Now this is not your typical cap and stem mushroom. They actually have these teeth like projections instead of the gills that you see in most mushrooms. Most mushrooms are amazing nutritional powerhouses. But lion's mane stands out because of two unique compounds, erysinones and erasions. Lion's mane mushrooms are the only food that we know of that contains these two compounds. So these compounds can actually cross the blood brain barrier. And we think that many of these compounds also have ability like lion's mane, but they haven't been as identified as these. So researchers have been interested in lion's mane not only for improving everyday focus, but also for protecting against cognitive decline and actually helping repair damaged nerves. So how's it doing? These compounds in Lion's mane actually stimulate the production of two very similar compounds that have actually fairly similar names. One is brain derived neurotropic factor BDNF and also nerve growth factor ngf. Now, as the names imply, these compounds actually stimulate nerve growth, they stimulate nerve repair, and they stimulate nerves making connections with other nerves. And if you think about nerves making connections with other nerves is really fundamental to the memory process. And so there's been a lot of interest in lion's mane and really other compounds that stimulate the production of BDNF and ngf. How do they do in that respect? Well, a study In Japan in 2009 was a double blind placebo controlled trial. They took 30 adults age 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment. That's kind of the first step in the beginning of Alzheimer's. So they took Lion's Mane tablets, 750 milligrams three times a day. So basically three grams a day for 16 weeks. So that's essentially four months. So of interest is the group that got the actual drug. Their cognitive function actually improves significantly over the placebo group. Now here's the bad news. It's important to note that four weeks after the trial, their scores had dropped significantly, showing that the effect was unfortunately not long lasting. But Lion's mane isn't just for cognitive improvements or treating dementia. Now there's other studies that show taking Lion's mane could actually relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. And it's probably because lion's mane also has an anti inflammatory effect which could also help the gut microbiome. Now, I want to pause for a second on that point. One of the things we have to realize about mushrooms in general is that mushrooms are one of the better sources for polysaccharides. What the heck is a polysaccharide? Well, a saccharide is a sugar, and polysaccharides are multiple sugar molecules bound together with chemical bonds. The cool thing about these sugar molecules and their chemical bonds is we don't digest these chemical bonds very well. But our gut bacteria digest these chemical bonds and think that these polysaccharides and mushrooms are some of the best stuff they ever ate. So what? Well, when gut bacteria are happy, they make us happy through all the compounds they produce as postbiotics. Also, when they're happy, they actually tell our immune system that they've got things under control in the gut and that our immune system has better things to do than get all excited. In fact, that's why mushroom consumption has shown to boost immunity and boost natural killer cells, one of our immune system white blood cells. So just because we're talking about lion's mane in this video doesn't mean that we should forget that lion's mane shares many other beneficial properties with other mushroom family, including these sources of polysaccharides.

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[Podcast Host or Co-host]

It's also been shown to help fight diabetes, help fight cancer through NITRO killer cells. But again, it's all because there's nothing unique to lion's mane in this respect. But it's unique to mushrooms in general as a great source of polysaccharides. Now here's the fun part. There are a great number of people who really do not like mushrooms, that mushrooms are slimy. My wife happens to be in that group that thinks mushrooms are slimy. But lion's mane is one of the few mushrooms that doesn't taste mushroomy. Or does it really taste slimy when it's cooked, it's actually got a texture very similar to lobster crab or scallops. And my wife happens to love lobster crab. It's scallops. So there is a good one. Flavor is actually very different than most other mushrooms. It's kind of a sweet, almost seafood like flavor. So you can use it where you might consider using seafood. Now, chefs love lion's mane. I was first introduced to it at a very famous restaurant in Manhattan in New York City. And the chef was just this huge fan of lion's mane mushrooms because he found that his really picky diners who were there for a three star meal would actually ooh and ah over the look of this thing, which was one thing, but when they put it in their mouth, they actually liked the taste of it. So it was a win win for a three star show. And that was actually where I was first introduced to the culinary benefit of lion's mane. So how do you do it? Well, if you can find it fresh and interestingly enough, we're finding it more and more available in regular supermarkets. Certainly upscale supermarkets and farmers markets are frequently brimming with lion's mane because of its newfound popularity. You can slice it into steaks and grill it. You can cook it on a pan. A lot of people like to add olive oil or butter with it to even improve its flavor even more. You can season it like you would seafood with garlic and lemon and herbs, and really you can can make it into a remarkable imitation of a crab cake. They're easily put in soups and stir fries. And it not only adds texture, but it's got kind of a visual, cool look to it as well. These mushrooms, like all mushrooms, will really absorb the flavor of anything you're cooking it with, which really enhances its appeal. Now, most people are going to acquire it either dried or in an extract form. And this is available in powders, it's available in capsules. I've seen it in tablets, and you can even get it in coffee. Blends in tea blends. So however you want to acquire it, look into adding it to your repertoire with the understanding that as far as we know so far, the effect is not going to be long lasting. It's something you're just going to have to add to your repertoire. And as someone who has a rather large repertoire of supplements, I see nothing wrong with adding another supplement to my repertoire. Please look for standardization. Look for words like good practice seals. Look for third party testing to make sure that what you're getting is actually in that product. The NOW Corporation, who I have no affiliation with, has recently begun testing products that are sold on Amazon for whether they actually contain what they say they contain. And at least by their reporting, about 85% of the products sold on Amazon do not contain the amount that they say they contain.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

85%.

[Podcast Host or Co-host]

Recently, I had a patient who we had found that her proper dose for a supplement called CoQ10 CoEnzyme Q10, you see that advertised on TV almost every night. Her dose to get an adequate level of coenzyme Q10 in her blood was about 600 milligrams. And she was taking two 300 milligram capsules from a reputable company. She found on Amazon A 600 milligram capsule in a single capsule. And it also had a lot of really cool stuff and it was almost too good to be true. She started taking that and when I saw her a couple of weeks ago, her coenzyme Q10 was virtually undetectable. And I said, what the heck? You stopped taking your coenzyme Q10? She said, no, I didn't. I've been taking 600 milligrams just like always. You know, I'm going, are you sure? I said, something's really different. And I said, it's the same ones you've always taken. Oh. She said, I found the capsule, one capsule with 600 milligrams from a new company on Amazon. And I went there. It is perfect confirmation of what now has found that there wasn't any CoQ10 in that capsule. So needless to say, she's back taking the ones that work. So what I'm saying is just because you see a trendy thing on a capsule, know your supplement manufacturer know that there's some guarantees that what they say is in there is actually in there. And that goes those with lion's mane as well. You can also find it in energy snacks and coffees. Chocolates now are incorporating lion's mane, but the quality varies. So read the labels. The other thing you Gotta realize is that the studies that have been done in human trials were using a lot of the actual extracts of lion's mane, like three grams a day of the extract to achieve a result. And that's usually not what you're getting when you're buying these blends. So again, just because it works at a high concentration doesn't mean that a little dab will do you.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

Now it's time for the question of the week. A question from Oxpruit 1889 over on YouTube. On my episode about lion's maneuver, they asked, is it okay to take lion's mane with duloxetine? Well, that's Cymbalta. It is a antidepressant. There is no known interaction between lion's mane and these antidepressants. But remember that antidepressants in general are SSRI inhibitors and they purportedly increase serotonin levels. Lion's mane luckily does not increase serotonin levels, at least as far as we know. It's not its mechanism of action, but anytime you're using a prescription medicine with a supplement, you're best off asking your prescribing physician what he or she thinks about that interaction. But I've talked to several plant pharmacologists and they don't think it's going to be a problem. On the other hand, there are other mind helping supplements like 5 HTP, like CooperZion A that you absolutely should not use if you're taking Cymbalta. Now it's time for the review of the week. Review came from Vladipoo, who rated the podcast five stars on Apple Podcast. They said this is one of the top health information podcasts. This is not just research. This is advice from a practicing physician who is excellent at distilling without watering down cutting edge health and wellness information. Highly recommended podcast. Well, thank you very much, Vladiboo. And in fact, if you're enjoying this podcast, please like us, rate us 5 stars on Apple or Spotify, because this is actually how these podcasts get suggested to you. And the more the better. At first I didn't think it was real. I woke up to this blinding light and I was transported to another place. Pluto tv. Then I heard a voice. Come with me if you want to live. There were thousands of movies and shows and they were all free.

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That's a wrap on today's episode and before you go, I want to leave you with one task. If anything you heard today made you sink, made you want to dig deeper, or gave you something you're going to pass along to someone you care about, please take 15 seconds and leave a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I know that sounds small, but those reviews are how Apple and Spotify decide which shows to surface to new listeners. And this show only grows when people who've never heard of it suddenly find it. That person finding this podcast today could hear something that genuinely improves their life or the life of someone they love. Maybe even saves one. Everything I share here comes from my research when writing my next book and my clinics where I've been seeing patients six days a week for over 25 years, working with nutrition and supplements as the primary treatment. This is real world medicine. Help me get it to more people. And thank you. Truly thank you. I'm Dr. G and I'm always looking out for you.

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