Guide To The Best Lion's Mane Mushroom Powder in Australia
Are you looking for high quality Lion’s Manes mushroom powders in Australia? Lion’s mane mushrooms, also known as Hericium erinaceus, are prized for their medicinal properties and have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. They are now gaining popularity in the West as a natural remedy for a variety of health problems, as well as a cognitive booster for focus, mental clarity, and removing brain fog. It is one of the most popular products.
But not all lion’s mane mushroom supplement products in Australia are created equal!
It’s important to do your research and find a supplier you can trust before buying this mushroom product. This guide will help you learn about where to buy Lion’s Mane in Australia – ensuring you’re getting the highest quality product.
Buying Guide For The Highest Quality Lion’s Mane Supplements In Australia
Mycelium vs fruiting bodies
There is ongoing discourse between growers and producers about which is more beneficial – the fruiting body or the mycelium.
The general consensus is that a high quality Lion’s Mane product in Australia should made from the whole fruiting body and if there is mycelium included, that is an added bonus. However, this does not mean mycelium-only products are all bad. Lion’s Mane mycelium contains high quantities of erinacines which can be purified via dual extraction. What we do suggest however is to avoid myceliated grain products that contain high amounts of grain filler. While they are still beneficial, more often than not, the product will need to be consumed at higher doses than pure fruiting-body products.
Fruiting Body Must Be The Primary Component
Make sure that primary component of the Lion’s Mane supplement is the mushroom fruiting body. The fruiting body contains high amounts beta-glucans, which improves immunity and gut health.
Avoid products where the primary component is mycelium, mycelial biomass, myceliated brown rice, or any other grains. If mycelium is included, make sure this is the secondary component. Also not all mycelium are equal; Liquid grown mycelium is superior than grain-grown mycelium.
NGF and BDNF
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has the ability to activate the secretion of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) directly in the brain. This has a positive effect on the brain cells improving neurogenesis, cognition, memory, mood and aging. This is the core reason why Lion’s Mane is so popular and considered a ‘brain boosting’ supplement.
- The fruiting body of the mushroom contains Hericenones and Beta-Glucans
- The mycelium contains Erinacines
Recent research suggests that erinacines (Erinacine A, to be exact) found in pure mycelium, is helpful in inducing Nerve Growth Factor. While it makes sense to choose a product that contains both the fruiting body and the mycelium, the challenge with mycelium products is:
- Most mycelium products are mycelium biomass on grain. This means that what you are getting may be more grain filler than mycelium. Research and studies are done on actual mycelium, not mycelium biomass.
- Many brands that include mycelium don’t state the ratio of fruiting body to mycelium in their products. This is a problem because you could be using a product which is made predominantly of mycelium biomass and grain-filler, rather than the fruiting body.
To be safe and sure, we recommend avoiding supplements with grain and rice filler, and always look for a Lion’s Mane product that has the fruiting bodies as its main ingredient.
Extraction
Dual extraction
If purchasing a Lion’s Mane Extract, Australians should look for dual-extracted products. Hot water extraction can isolate the Beta-Glucans but cannot isolate the NGF-inducing compounds: Hericenones, Erinacines and Sterols. Alcohol extraction can isolate these NGF-inducing compounds.
Extraction ratios
The extraction ratio only refers to the quantity of raw material consumed in the production of the completed extract eg. 10:1 ratio of 1kg of Lion’s Mane extract would take 10kgs of raw material to make 1kg of extract. This can often mislead consumers and used as a marketing label.
If you are buying a Lion’s Mane extract, understand that higher extraction ratios after a certain point offer no additional benefits and may even cause harm to the extract’s quality. The ideal Lion’s Mane Mushroom extracts will have an 8:1 extraction ratio or less, although most Lion’s Mane extracts marketed as 10:1. Extraction ratios do not imply that an extract is x times more concentrated than a 1:1 extract. This isn’t correct. The potency of an extract is not measured by an extraction ratio, rather determined by the standardisation (percentage of bioactive compounds present) eg. beta-glucans.
Beta-glucan content
Look for beta-glucan content on the label of of the product packaging. The higher the beta-glucan amount the better! This is a strong indicator of the nutritional data guaranteed from the Lion’s Mane mushroom. Do not look at the polysaccharide amount. Polysaccharide amount is not a clear indicator of quality, as starch, grain fillers, and other non beneficial components can increase the polysaccharide content.
If the label contains both polysaccharide content and beta-glucan content, the total quantity of polysaccharides should not exceed the Beta-Glucan content by more than 5%. The lower, the better. Polysaccharides in excessive amounts can be an indication of fraud, especially when the Beta-Glucan amount is not stated. This is the most frequent method for producers to mislead or scam customers into buying low-quality Lion’s Mane extracts. For extracts, the flavour and appearance will be a telltale sign; extracts with added starch tend to be sweeter in taste and lighter in colour than high-quality double extracts.
Australian grown Lion’s Mane vs Chinese imported
As an Australian founded, owned, and operated business we love local produce. However, people are unaware that China is the birthplace of the medicinal mushrooms and has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. It predates Western medicine and natural supplements, long before medicinal mushroom powders made it to Australian shelves and used as dietary supplements in Western Cultures.
There is frequent discussion about the quality of health foods and supplements coming from China. Yes, some main cities of China have high rates of air pollution which is not ideal for soil quality, but this does not mean Chinese medicinal mushroom products are low quality. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The anti-Chinese sentiment around medicinal mushrooms is quite contradictory to its medicinal historical Chinese roots. Unfortunately, this sentiment is a marketing ploy for some opportunistic brands to promote cheaper, inferior, locally grown products that can result in less bioavailability, impacting the reduction of the health benefits that medicinal mushrooms can truly offer.
China is the largest producer of organic medicinal mushrooms in the world. The highest quality medicinal mushrooms are grown in the rural mountain areas of China – away from polluted areas. This is where our organic Lion’s Mane mushrooms are grown.
With over 30 years of research and usage, our organic farm and lab in rural China has some of the most potent medicinal mushroom products in the global market, and also has one of the most sophisticated extraction labs in the world.
Organic
Look for Lion’s Mane supplements that are certified organic. This ensures that your products do not contain herbicides, fungicides or pesticides and other harmful chemicals that slowly poisons the body and creates deficiencies in your immune system and intolerances. Dr Noel's Lion's Mane Powders are 100% certified organic.
Certificate of analysis
If unsure, ask the producer for a third party Certificate of Analysis (COA). A Certificate of Analysis from a third party lab is important to identify the beneficial compounds (eg. beta-glucans, triterpenes, ergosterol) in the Lion’s Mane product, as well as to avoid heavy metals and other foreign contaminants. Heavy metals that are typically tested for range from arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Quality Australian sellers should be able to provide this upon request.
Types Of Lion’s Mane Products In Australia
Lion’s Mane powder
Dried Powders are made from pulverising the 100% fruiting body.
Lion’s Mane Extract Powder
Lions Mane extract contains the individual medicinal compounds of Lion’s Mane without the biomass. This is done via an extraction process with hot water and/or alcohol and solvents (dual extraction). This makes small doses of Lion’s Mane highly potent, extremely compact, and have a longer shelf life. With an extract, however, you don’t receive the full benefit of the consuming the mushroom as a whole food which can exclude some beneficial components.
There are two different types of extracts available in Australia:
- Lion’s Mane Tinctures – Tinctures are liquid extracts that most often use water and alcohol solvents. They are a convenient method of consuming Lion’s Mane.
- Lion’s Mane Powdered Extracts – Powdered extracts are the dry powdered result of extracting the individual medicinal compounds from the Lion’s Mane mushroom. Powdered extracts can be extracted from both the fruiting body and/or the mycelium. Dr Noel's Lion's Mane Powder are high potent extracts.
Lion’s Mane Capsules
Capsules and Tablets are usually either filled with mushroom powders or extracts. They are the most convenient way to dose and consume Lion’s Mane. Buying capsules are in growing demand in Australia as they are an easy option for those already regularly taking supplements or other medications in this form.
Lion’s Mane Coffee and Tea
Lion’s Mane can be incorporated into hot drinks such as coffee and tea. The big benefit these products have is that they are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. Lion’s Mane Tea can be purchased as tea bags containing both Lion’s Mane powder and dried tea herbs; leaves. Lion’s Mane Coffee products are sold as ground coffee beans mixed with Lion’s Mane powder.
Fresh Lion’s Mane mushrooms
Fresh Lion’s Mane Mushrooms are trending in popularity due to surge of interest in their supplement counterpart. Australian farmers growing Lion’s Mane Mushrooms as part of their commercial mushroom range is an exciting offering to the industry.
We hope this has been helpful!
We hope this guide has educated you about buying lion’s mane in Australia. We are proud to have created the highest potency dual extracted, organic lion's mane mushroom powder in Australia. Many of our customers feel the difference in quality and cognitive benefits just from their first dosage in comparison to previous brands they've tried earlier.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our team.
