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.

Sources checked on 29 October 2026.

Does lion's mane get you high?

It cannot, because nothing in it is psychoactive. 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 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 recorded side effects 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 regulator's guidance of November 2024 says the word "functional" on its own "is likely to be a problem"; what mushroom supplements can and cannot say on a label is in our guide.

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; cultivated lion's mane is not a wild plant under the Act. 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 GB list of consultation outcomes names no mushroom beyond enriched button mushrooms, so that position is inferred from the EU documents GB tracks.¹⁴ 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 covers the day-to-day reports, 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 case reports of liver injury involved reishi powder, which the mushroom side-effects page covers.¹³

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 are Class A in the UK, so possessing them is an offence whatever the dose, and a "stack" pairing lion's mane with a psychedelic is an offence for the psychedelic.⁴ No trial has tested the combination; the lion's mane adds nothing psychoactive.

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 29 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; the forum theory that a bad reaction is a "mild psychedelic" effect to push through has no basis, and feeling unwell on a supplement is a reason to stop. 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 reaction can be reported to your local authority's trading standards or environmental health team, which works with the Food Standards Agency.¹¹ The side effects of lion's mane has the reports, trial safety data and medicine interactions.

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

What we don't know

No trial set out to measure effects on perception, so "no intoxication" rests on adverse-event records and the chemistry.^{1, 2, 3} How often a product labelled "mushroom extract" contains something undeclared: one US case report exists and no UK survey has tested products.¹²

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.

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. Lion's mane (Yamabushitake) in mild cognitive impairment. Randomised placebo-controlled trial, 30 adults, 16 weeks; run by a producer's laboratory. Phytotherapy Research, 2009. PubMed 18844328.
2. Grozier CD, et al. Four weeks of Hericium erinaceus and metabolic flexibility or cognition. Single-blind placebo-controlled trial, 24 adults, 4 weeks; funding not stated. International Journal of Exercise Science, 2022. PubMed 36582308.
3. Li IC, et al. Erinacine A-enriched mycelia in early Alzheimer's disease. Randomised placebo-controlled pilot, 68 enrolled, 49 weeks; supplier-run. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2020. 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.
5. Menon A, et al. Hericium erinaceus as a supplement. Systematic review, 5 randomised and 3 pilot trials; no commercial funding. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025. PubMed 40959699.
6. Nichols DE. Psychedelics. Narrative review. Pharmacological Reviews, 2016. PubMed 26841800.
7. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 13 and Schedule 8. legislation.gov.uk.
8. Docherty S, et al. Lion's mane, cognition, stress and mood in young adults. Randomised placebo-controlled pilot, 41 adults, 28 days; product supplied by a producer. Nutrients, 2023. PubMed 38004235.
9. La Monica MB, et al. Guayusa tea and lion's mane extracts and cognitive performance. Randomised crossover, single dose; part-funded by the tea extract's supplier. Nutrients, 2023. PubMed 38140277.
10. Klupp NL, et al. Ganoderma lucidum for cardiovascular risk factors. Cochrane review, 5 trials, 398 adults; non-commercial funding. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015. PubMed 25686270.
11. Food Standards Agency. How to report a food safety or hygiene issue for members of the public. gov.uk.
12. Udoro AJ, et al. Acute hallucinogen intoxication after a commercial mushroom extract product. Case report, 1 patient; no funding. Cureus, 2026. PubMed 42445624.
13. Reishi liver injury case reports, 3 patients: Yuen MF, et al. Journal of Hepatology, 2004, PubMed 15464254; Wanmuang H, et al. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 2007, PubMed 17621752; Cureus, 2023, PubMed 37885515.
14. Food Standards Agency. Outcomes on novel food consultations (GB). Updated 26 June 2026; read 29 October 2026. gov.uk.

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General information, not medical advice: if lion's mane makes you feel unwell, stop and speak to a pharmacist, your GP or NHS 111; with a regular medicine, ask before starting.