Few mushrooms look as unlikely as Lion’s Mane. Instead of a cap and gills, it grows as a soft, creamy-white ball of long hanging spines, like a frozen waterfall or, as the name suggests, a lion’s shaggy mane.
A rare sight in British woods
Hericium erinaceus grows on old and dying broadleaf trees, most often beech, and occasionally oak. It fruits in late summer and autumn, usually high on a trunk or in a wound where a branch has fallen. In Britain it is genuinely rare: it is one of a handful of fungi protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, so it is illegal to pick it from the wild. If you are lucky enough to find one, enjoy it where it is, and leave it to release its spores.
That rarity is one reason Lion’s Mane is now cultivated. Growers raise it indoors on blocks of hardwood sawdust, mimicking the dead wood it lives on in nature. Our Lion’s Mane is grown this way in the UK, without chemical sprays.
A long history at the table
In China and Japan, Lion’s Mane has been eaten for centuries. In Chinese it is hóu tóu gū, “monkey head mushroom”; in Japan, yamabushitake, after the shaggy robes of mountain hermit monks. Chefs prize it for its texture, which turns tender and slightly stringy when cooked and is often compared to crab or lobster. Sliced thickly and pan-fried in butter until golden, it is one of the most rewarding mushrooms to cook.
From fruiting body to tincture
Our Lion’s Mane tincture is made from the fruiting body, the part of the mushroom you would recognise and cook. It is dual extracted: first simmered slowly in hot water, then steeped in alcohol. The two extracts are combined at a 1:4 ratio and bottled in 50ml amber glass. You can read more about why we extract twice in What “dual extract” means.
How people take it
Many of our customers add a pipette to their first coffee or tea of the day, which is why we pair Lion’s Mane with Reishi in our Day & Night bundle. Take 1–2 pipettes a day and don’t exceed the amount on the label.
Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP before use.
