Does Lion's Mane Get You High? Why It Is Not a Psychedelic

No. Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) does not get you high. It contains no psilocybin, no psilocin and no other compound that acts on the brain the way a psychedelic does, and the placebo-controlled trials of it, at 1 g to 10 g a day and for up to 49 weeks (the longest supplier-run), reported no intoxication, hallucinations or change in perception.^{1, 2, 3} The confusion is the word mushroom: the species that cause a trip contain psilocin, and any fungus containing psilocin is a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; lion's mane is not one of them, and nor is reishi.⁴ Lion's mane is not a stimulant, a sedative or addictive, and it is legal to buy in the UK, although the wild fungus is protected. Which mushroom supplements have trial evidence, species by species, is in our guide.

Does lion's mane get you high?

It cannot, because nothing in it is psychoactive. Lion's mane is an edible mushroom, sold fresh and as a supplement. Its studied compounds are hericenones in the fruiting body, erinacines in the mycelium and beta-glucans in both; the first two raise nerve growth factor production in laboratory and animal studies, with no effect on perception shown in people.⁵ A psychedelic works differently: the psychedelic compound is converted in the body to psilocin, which binds to serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the brain, and that binding produces the trip.⁶ Nothing in lion's mane does this. Thirty Japanese adults took 3 g a day of fruiting-body powder for 16 weeks, 24 healthy adults ate 10 g a day in muffins for four weeks, and a pilot in mild Alzheimer's disease ran for 49 weeks on an erinacine-enriched mycelium; none recorded hallucinations, euphoria or dissociation, and the side effects that do appear in the literature are stomach discomfort, headache and allergic reactions.^{1, 2, 3, 5}

What drug is lion's mane?

It is not a drug. In UK law lion's mane is a food: not a controlled substance, not a licensed medicine and not on any list of psychoactive substances. It is sold as one of the "functional mushrooms", a shop and search label, not a claim: no mushroom has an authorised health claim on the Great Britain register, and the Advertising Standards Authority said in November 2024 that "functional" on its own is likely to be a problem, so what mushroom supplements can and cannot say on a label is in our guide. The point for this page is simpler: a food can be sold with or without an authorised claim, and a Class A fungus cannot be sold at all.

Is lion's mane illegal in the UK?

No, with one real exception that explains the rumour. Wild lion's mane, listed as "Fungus, Hedgehog, Hericium erinaceum", is protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Section 13 makes it an offence to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy a Schedule 8 wild plant, or to sell anything taken from one in the wild.⁷ So the offence is picking the wild fungus, not buying or selling lion's mane: cultivated lion's mane, grown for food and supplements, is not a wild plant under the Act. The second strand is food regulation. Under the novel-food rules Great Britain carried over from EU law, the fruiting body and its water extracts are not novel, because they were eaten in Europe before May 1997, while dried lion's mane mycelium was judged novel in a 2019 European Commission consultation and needs authorisation before sale; the FSA's own list could not be checked for this article, so that position is inferred from the EU documents GB tracks. Fruiting-body products are legal to sell; mycelium-only powders may not be. What lion's mane is good for covers the trials behind the fruiting body.

Is lion's mane a stimulant?

No. It contains no caffeine and nothing else that acts as a stimulant. The nearest the research comes is a 2023 trial in 41 healthy adults aged 18 to 45: an hour after a single 1.8 g dose they were faster on one attention task, and after 28 days a stress trend did not reach significance.⁸ A second study compared a 1 g lion's mane extract with a caffeinated tea extract, and the caffeinated drink improved more measures, including how focused people said they felt.⁹ If a lion's mane product gives you a buzz, read the label for caffeine, guarana or other added ingredients.

Is lion's mane a sedative, and is it addictive?

Neither. No trial has reported drowsiness as a side effect, and nothing in lion's mane acts on the receptors that sedatives use; the stress trend in the 2023 trial is the closest finding, and it did not reach significance.⁸ On addiction, no dependence, tolerance or withdrawal syndrome has been described in any trial or case report. The finding people mistake for withdrawal comes from the 16-week trial: the cognitive-score gain faded within four weeks of stopping.¹ That is an effect wearing off, not dependency. How lion's mane makes you feel goes through what people report day to day, including sleep and dreams.

Is reishi a psychedelic?

No. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a hard, woody bracket fungus whose studied compounds are triterpenes, including the ganoderic acids, and polysaccharides; none is psychoactive and it contains no psilocin. The Cochrane-reviewed trials of reishi gave 1.4 g to 3 g a day for 12 to 16 weeks, and none reported hallucinations or intoxication.¹⁰ Its reputation for calm or sleep rests on traditional use; no placebo-controlled trial of reishi for sleep in healthy people was found. The one safety point of note is that three published cases of liver injury involved reishi powder, which the mushroom side-effects page covers.

Does lion's mane feel like microdosing, and can you take it with a psychedelic?

It does not feel like microdosing, because microdosing means taking a small, sub-perceptual amount of a psychedelic, usually psilocybin or LSD, and lion's mane is not a psychedelic at any dose. Both of those substances are Class A in the UK, so possessing them is a criminal offence whatever the dose, and a "stack" that pairs lion's mane with the psychedelic compound is an offence for that compound, with a mushroom powder beside it.⁴ No trial has tested the combination, the lion's mane part adds nothing psychoactive to it, and the psychedelic compound is not an option this page describes.

Why does lion's mane make some people feel high or lightheaded?

Not through any psychoactive compound: trials to 10 g a day and 49 weeks reported no serious adverse effects, and a PubMed search for lion's mane with psychiatric terms returned no records on 11 October 2026.^{1, 2, 3} Online forum reports of feeling lightheaded, anxious or low after lion's mane mostly involve an existing condition, a psychiatric medicine, other supplements or drugs in the mix, or a doubled dose, and the forum theory that a bad reaction is a "mild psychedelic" effect to be pushed through has no basis: lion's mane is not psychedelic, and feeling unwell on a supplement is a reason to stop it. A 2026 US case report describes hallucinogen intoxication after a "mushroom extract" product with nonspecific labelling bought from a petrol station; lion's mane contains no psilocybin, so buy products that name the species and the part used.¹² Stop, and speak to your GP, a pharmacist or NHS 111; for suicidal thoughts contact NHS 111 or your GP urgently, or call Samaritans on 116 123. A suspected side effect can be reported through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.¹¹ The side effects of lion's mane sets out the reports, the trial safety data and the medicine interactions in full.

Is chaga or shiitake a psychedelic?

No. Chaga, a birch fungus with nothing psychoactive in it, is answered in does chaga get you high?, and shiitake, a cooking mushroom, in is shiitake a psychedelic?. No mushroom sold as a supplement in the UK contains psilocin; the hallucinogenic species are those that do, all Class A.⁴

Frequently asked questions

Is lion's mane a psychedelic, and can it make you trip?

No. It contains no psilocin or psilocybin, and the trials of it at up to 10 g a day recorded no change in perception.^{2, 4}

Why does lion's mane make me feel high?

Not through its own chemistry. Check the product for caffeine or other added ingredients; if you feel lightheaded or detached, stop and speak to a pharmacist or GP.

Do mushroom supplements give you a buzz?

No. None of the species sold as supplements contains caffeine or a psychoactive compound; a buzz from a mushroom coffee is the coffee.⁹

Will lion's mane show up on a drug test?

No. Workplace and roadside panels test for named drug classes; lion's mane contains no psilocin, THC, amphetamine or opioid, so there is nothing to detect. Tell the tester what you take.

Can reishi make you trip?

No. Reishi contains triterpenes and polysaccharides, not psilocin, and the Cochrane-reviewed trials at up to 3 g a day reported no hallucinations.¹⁰

Sources

1. Mori K, et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 2009. PubMed 18844328.
2. Grozier CD, et al. Four weeks of Hericium erinaceus supplementation does not impact markers of metabolic flexibility or cognition. International Journal of Exercise Science, 2022. PubMed 36582308.
3. Li IC, et al. Prevention of early Alzheimer's disease by erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus mycelia pilot double-blind placebo-controlled study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2020. Supplier-run. PubMed 32581767.
4. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Schedule 2 (Class A: psilocin, and any fungus containing psilocin or an ester of psilocin). legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/38/schedule/2.
5. Menon A, et al. Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025. PubMed 40959699.
6. Nichols DE. Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews, 2016. PubMed 26841800.
7. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 13 and Schedule 8 (Fungus, Hedgehog: Hericium erinaceum). legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69/section/13; legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69/schedule/8.
8. 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. PubMed 38004235.
9. La Monica MB, et al. Acute effects of naturally occurring guayusa tea and Nordic lion's mane extracts on cognitive performance. Nutrients, 2023. PubMed 38140277.
10. Klupp NL, et al. Ganoderma lucidum mushroom for the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015. PubMed 25686270.
11. MHRA. Yellow Card: report a suspected side effect. yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.
12. Udoro AJ, et al. Acute hallucinogen intoxication following ingestion of a commercially available mushroom extract product: a case report. Cureus, 2026. PubMed 42445624.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If lion's mane makes you feel unwell, stop and speak to a pharmacist, your GP or NHS 111; if you take a regular medicine, ask before starting it.