Lion’s Mane vs Cordyceps vs Reishi: Which Is Best?

Last updated: October 2026

Lion’s mane is mostly studied for memory and focus, cordyceps for exercise and energy, and reishi for fatigue and wellbeing, usually as an evening drink. The human evidence for all three is early and comes from small trials. They don’t compete: choose by goal and time of day, or combine them sensibly.

Lion’s mane vs reishi vs cordyceps at a glance

Mushroom	Studied for	Evidence strength	Best time of day
Lion’s mane	Memory, focus	Low, but the most consistent: small memory trials	Morning
Cordyceps	Exercise capacity, energy	Low and mixed: small exercise trials	Morning or before exercise
Reishi	Fatigue, wellbeing	Low: one larger trial, little on sleep	Evening

Mushroom	Taste	Amounts used in trials
Lion’s mane	Mild, slightly seafood-like	1.8g to 3g a day
Cordyceps	Mild, earthy	About 1g to 4g a day
Reishi	Very bitter	Varies widely by extract

For each mushroom on its own, see our guides to lion’s mane, cordyceps and reishi.

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If reishi suits you, our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is an evening hot chocolate with reishi extract, cacao, maca and coconut milk. Cacao contains a little natural caffeine. Many people pair it with our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex, as magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Flow CBD Oil combines broad spectrum CBD with ashwagandha and maca.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

What the research shows

Lion’s mane

In a Japanese trial of 30 adults aged 50 to 80 with mild cognitive impairment, 3g a day of lion’s mane for 16 weeks improved cognitive scores compared with placebo. Scores fell again within four weeks of stopping.
A 12-week Japanese study found improved scores on one of three cognitive tests.
In 41 healthy adults aged 18 to 45, a single 1.8g dose made people slightly quicker on one attention test. After 28 days there was no clear change in cognition, only a trend towards lower stress.

Cordyceps

In 20 healthy adults aged 50 to 75, about 1g a day of a CS-4 extract for 12 weeks improved some measures of exercise capacity compared with placebo.
In 22 trained male cyclists, 3g a day of the same extract for 5 weeks made no difference to endurance.
In 28 active young adults, a blend containing Cordyceps militaris made no clear difference after one week; the 10 who carried on for three weeks showed a higher VO2 max.

Reishi

In a Chinese trial of 132 people with neurasthenia (long-term fatigue and low wellbeing), a reishi extract for 8 weeks improved fatigue and wellbeing scores more than placebo.
There’s little good human research on reishi and sleep; most of it is in animals. See reishi for sleep.

Overall: small trials, often of one specific extract, so results may not apply to every product. There are no authorised health claims for these mushrooms in Great Britain.

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Lion’s mane vs cordyceps

Both are daytime mushrooms, studied for different things. Lion’s mane is researched for memory and focus, with the more consistent human evidence of the two. Cordyceps is researched for physical energy and exercise, with mixed results: a small lift in older and less-trained people, no change in trained cyclists.

For a demanding working day, people usually start with lion’s mane; before the gym or a run, cordyceps. Many take both in the morning. Spacegoods’ Rainbow Dust lists lion’s mane, cordyceps and chaga (see what’s in Spacegoods), while DIRTEA sells them as separate gummies and powders (see our DIRTEA guide). For energy more widely, see adaptogens for energy.

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Reishi vs cordyceps for energy

For energy, cordyceps is the one to look at. Reishi isn’t a pick-me-up: people take it in the evening to wind down. The reishi trial above measured fatigue over eight weeks in people with neurasthenia, a long-term wellbeing measure rather than a boost you would feel before a workout.

So they aren’t competing choices: cordyceps in the morning, reishi in the evening. If you’ve felt tired for a few weeks and aren’t sure why, the NHS advises seeing your GP.

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Lion’s mane vs reishi

Lion’s mane for daytime focus, reishi for evening calm. If stress is what’s hurting your focus, an evening reishi drink plus a morning lion’s mane is a common pairing. Some products combine them: DIRTEA’s Cacao and Chai list lion’s mane, tremella and reishi.

For mood and stress, see best mushrooms for anxiety.

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Can you take lion’s mane, cordyceps and reishi together?

Yes, for most healthy adults. We found no known problem with combining them, and many blends do, though no trial has tested all three together. Each keeps its own cautions (see the safety section).

Split by time of day: lion’s mane and cordyceps in the morning, reishi in the evening.
Add one at a time, so you can tell what suits you.
Give each at least four weeks; most trials ran for 4 to 16 weeks.

With coffee

Lion’s mane and cordyceps are often stirred into coffee, and mushroom coffee is how many people try them. Watch the caffeine. EFSA, Europe’s food safety authority, says up to 400mg a day, and single doses up to 200mg, raise no safety concerns for healthy adults outside pregnancy, and that 100mg close to bedtime may affect sleep in some adults.

That’s one reason reishi is usually taken in a low-caffeine evening drink. Our reishi hot chocolate isn’t caffeine-free, as cacao contains a little natural caffeine, so if you’re sensitive, have it earlier in the evening.

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How to choose a mushroom supplement

Fruiting body or mycelium: the fruiting body is the mushroom itself; mycelium is the root-like network, often grown on grain. The US National Cancer Institute notes that mycelium grown on grain contains large amounts of alpha-glucans (starch) from the grain, while fruiting body extracts are beta-glucan in nature.
Extract ratio: 10:1 means 10g of dried mushroom went into each gram of extract. An “equivalent” amount may describe the dried weight before extraction.
Beta-glucans: look for a stated beta-glucan percentage, not just “polysaccharides”. Labs can measure beta-glucan separately from starch.
Species and dose: “Cordyceps militaris” or “CS-4”, not just “cordyceps”, and mg of each mushroom per serving.
Testing: the NCI warns that ingredients can vary from batch to batch, so ask for third-party lab reports.

Powders suit coffee or cacao, capsules are tasteless and teas suit reishi: see mushroom tea and mushroom gummies vs powder. For a full label checklist, see best mushroom supplement UK, and for chaga and the rest, our functional mushrooms guide.

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Side effects and who should avoid them

Mushroom	Possible side effects	Check with your GP or pharmacist if you…
Lion’s mane	Stomach upset, skin rash; allergic reactions in people sensitive to mushrooms	Have a mushroom allergy or take diabetes medication
Reishi	Dry mouth, stomach upset; rare reports of liver problems with powdered reishi	Take blood thinners, blood pressure or diabetes medicines, or have liver problems
Cordyceps	Stomach upset, dry mouth	Take blood thinners, diabetes medicines or immunosuppressants, or have an autoimmune condition

Reishi and the liver: rare, but a Thai case report described fatal hepatitis after a patient switched from boiled reishi to reishi powder. If your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow, stop and ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111.
Blood thinners: Memorial Sloan Kettering notes that reishi and cordyceps may each increase bleeding risk, and that cordyceps may lower blood sugar.
Medication or surgery: check with your GP or pharmacist if you take any regular medicine, and tell your surgeon if you take reishi or cordyceps.

There isn’t enough safety data for any of the three in pregnancy and breastfeeding. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. All our products are for adults only. These mushrooms aren’t psychoactive or addictive. See also mushrooms for menopause and reishi cacao benefits and safety.

Related guides

For how reishi compares with a herb rather than a mushroom, see reishi vs ashwagandha.
To read a shop label, see Holland and Barrett lion’s mane: what to check.
If you settle on reishi, our guide to choosing a reishi form explains extracts, tinctures and labels.
Turkey tail is the other mushroom people often compare; see turkey tail mushroom: benefits and side effects.
Tremella is a different mushroom again: see tremella mushroom.
Comparing mushrooms with other brain supplements? Read are nootropics legal in the UK, and which work.

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FAQs

Which is better, lion’s mane or reishi?

They do different jobs. Lion’s mane is used in the morning for focus and memory; reishi in the evening as part of a wind-down routine. Many people take both.

Is cordyceps or lion’s mane better for energy?

Cordyceps is the one used for physical energy and exercise. Lion’s mane is used for mental focus. Human evidence for both is small and early.

Is reishi or cordyceps better for energy?

Cordyceps. Reishi isn’t stimulating and is usually taken in the evening. Cordyceps is studied for exercise capacity, though its trials are small and mixed.

Can I take lion’s mane, reishi and cordyceps together?

Yes, healthy adults can combine them. Take lion’s mane and cordyceps in the morning and reishi in the evening, and add one at a time.

Can you take lion’s mane and cordyceps with coffee?

Yes. Keep total caffeine within 400mg a day, the level EFSA says raises no concerns for healthy adults, and avoid it close to bedtime.

Does lion’s mane show up on a drug test?

No. Lion’s mane isn’t psychoactive and standard workplace drug tests don’t screen for it.

Is lion’s mane addictive?

There’s no evidence that lion’s mane is addictive. It isn’t psychoactive.

How long do functional mushrooms take to work?

Most trials ran for 4 to 16 weeks. Take them daily for at least four weeks before deciding whether they suit you.

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