Dave Asprey on Bulletproof Radio: Your guide to Lion's Mane Mushroom

Following a recent podcast with Dave Asprey from Bulletproof Radio, Dave highlighted our Lion's Mane liquid extract.

“I've been working with them for the last several months and really testing out their species and their extracts,” said Dave. “And I actually became an investor and adviser in the company because I'm pretty excited about it."

If you’ve never heard of Lion’s Mane before, let alone Lion’s Mane extract, here are a few things you should know:

Photo shared on Bulletproof Radio blog

Lion's Mane is commonly used for its anti-ageing properties

Lion's Mane is known as the "lobster of the woods", Julian explained on the podcast, it is very popular for its delicious seafood-like taste when the fruiting body is eaten. However it is just as popular in research as it shows great health benefits, especially for the fact that it stimulates nerve growth factor.

Nerve growth factor supports the growth and survival of developing and mature neurons. This involves myelin production, myelin is a fatty sheath that surrounds our neurons and allows electrical impulses within our brain to transmit quickly and efficiently. As the ageing process takes place, occurring from pretty much our early 20s, the myelin sheath starts to decay slowly. Research into the bioactive compounds within Lion's Mane have shown that they may help to remyelinate the neurons by stimulating the production of nerve growth factor. [1]

Therefore this may allow our brain to continue to rapidly and efficiently process information, which may improve cognition including memory, focus, intelligence and awareness. [2, 3]

Known to improve mood:

A study by Vigna et al. showed that after 8 weeks of oral supplementation of Lion's Mane, volunteers had decreased levels of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. [4]

When is the best time to consume Lion's Mane?

Lion's Mane can me taken in the morning or the evening. In the morning it may help to stimulate brain function for the day. People often pair the extract with their coffee.

However, Lion's Mane is also commonly taken right before bed and has been known to help improve sleep and dreaming.

Asprey said he usually takes 4ml of the extract right before bed, and has found nothing else that increases his REM sleep as much as the Lion’s Mane extract does.

“I’ve noticed very profound effects from your extracts and I’ve held them up against other strains,” he said. “When I tried the extract, my rem sleep dramatically went up. When I skip a night, I don’t get as much, when I take it again, it gets better.”

What is the difference between Lion's Mane powder vs. extract?

Lion's Mane extract is more bio-available through the liquid extract, to add to this it is grown, made and engineered in Byron Bay, Australia. This means the entire process, from growing the mushrooms to bottling and packaging the extract.

The extract is more easily consumed as it can be taken with water or in tea, coffee, or any drink such as smoothies or juices, and you can also be added to any desired food recipe such as soups or energy balls.

Mushroom powders are a little bit more challenging to consume, as they generally need to be added to a recipe and require more ingredient to get the same benefits working out more closely for the customer.

However, Life Cykel offers a Lion's Mane Latte mix, which can be added directly to hot water and enjoyed instantly this has a malty caramel flavour which is very unique and delicious. We also carry a regular Lion's Mane powder that can be added to any recipe, smoothie, or hot drink such as coffee or cacao.

Customer feedback:

“I started using Lion’s Mane to improve my concentration and focus and after 5 days noticed a significant positive change in my attention span and work output. Plus as an added bonus my cognitive memory of the dreams I had also improved.”

- Leigh Kelly, Bondi

Mushroom Research:

[1] Wittstein, K., Rascher, M., Rupcic, Z., Löwen, E., Winter, B., Köster, R. and Stadler, M. (2016). Corallocins A–C, Nerve Growth and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Inducing Metabolites from the MushroomHericium coralloides. Journal of Natural Products, 79(9), pp.2264-2269.

[2] Mori et al.,Nerve growth factor-inducing activity of hericium erinaceus in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2008. Department of Cellular Signaling, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University.

[3] Zhang, J., An, S., Hu, W., Teng, M., Wang, X., Qu, Y., ... Wang, D. (2016). The Neuroprotective Properties of Hericium erinaceus in Glutamate-Damaged Differentiated PC12 Cells and an Alzheimer’s

[4] Vigna, L., Morelli, F., Agnelli, G.M., Napolitano, F., Ratto, D., Occhinegro, A., Di Iorio, C., Savino, E., Girometta, C., Brandalise, F. and Rossi, P. (2019). Hericium erinaceus Improves Mood and Sleep Disorders in Patients Affected by Overweight or Obesity: Could Circulating Pro-BDNF and BDNF Be Potential Biomarkers? Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019, pp.1–12