Stimulates Nerve Growth Factor
Hericenones and erinacines upregulate NGF synthesis, supporting neuronal growth, maintenance, and synaptic plasticity — the biological foundation of learning and memory.
Hericium erinaceus · Brain & Focus
Lion's Mane
The Mushroom
for the Mind
The only mushroom known to contain hericenones and erinacines — unique neuroactive compounds that stimulate Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) synthesis and cross the blood-brain barrier.
✓GMP Certified
✓EU Registered Facility
✓ISO 22000
0%
1/3, 1/6-D Beta-Glucans
HPLC Verified
Dual
Extraction Method
Water + Ethanol
GMP
Certified Facility
EU Registered
EU
Finished Products
GMP Facility
Key Benefits
Five Reasons Lion's Mane
Leads the Nootropic Category
Enhances Memory & Focus
Clinical trials demonstrate significant improvements in cognitive function scores in adults with mild cognitive impairment after 16 weeks of daily supplementation.
Supports Nerve Regeneration
NGF stimulation promotes peripheral nerve repair, with emerging applications in neuropathy, post-injury recovery, and age-related neurological decline.
Reduces Anxiety & Depression
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in menopausal women showed significant reductions in depression and anxiety scores after just 4 weeks of supplementation.
Gut-Brain Axis Support
Beta-glucans act as prebiotics, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria and supporting the bidirectional gut-brain communication pathway that influences mood, cognition, and immunity.
The Science
How Lion's Mane
Rewires the Brain
Hericium erinaceus is the undisputed leader in the emerging category of nootropic mushrooms. Its mechanism of action is unique in the natural world: two classes of bioactive compounds that directly stimulate the brain's own repair and growth systems.
01
NGF Synthesis Upregulation
Hericenones and erinacines — found in the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus — are the only naturally occurring small molecules known to stimulate NGF production in the brain.
02
Blood-Brain Barrier Penetration
Erinacines are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, allowing direct action on central nervous system neurons — a rare property among natural compounds.
03
Neuronal Growth & Plasticity
NGF is essential for the growth, maintenance, and survival of neurons. Elevated NGF supports synaptic plasticity — the cellular basis of learning and long-term memory.
NGF Pathway Visualisation — Hericenones and erinacines activate TrkA receptors, triggering downstream signalling cascades that promote neuronal survival and differentiation.
Bioactive Compounds
Two Unique Compound Classes.
One Extraordinary Mushroom.
No other organism in nature produces both hericenones and erinacines. This dual-compound profile is what makes Lion's Mane irreplaceable in the nootropic formulation space.
Hericenones
Found exclusively in the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus
"Stimulate NGF synthesis in peripheral and central nervous system"
- ✓Aromatic compounds (benzaldehyde derivatives)
- ✓Directly upregulate NGF gene expression
- ✓Enhance cognitive performance and memory consolidation
- ✓Measured and standardised by HPLC in FUNGY extracts
Erinacines
Present in the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus
"Cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate NGF in the CNS"
- ✓Cyathane diterpenoids — rare class of natural compounds
- ✓Small molecular weight enables BBB penetration
- ✓Promote neurogenesis and neuroprotection
- ✓Potent stimulators of central NGF synthesis
FUNGY Extraction Standard: Dual extraction (hot water + ethanol) of 100% fruiting body captures both hericenones and erinacines. Standardised to 30–40% 1/3, 1/6-D beta-glucans with verified hericenone content by HPLC.
Available Formats
Four Formats.
Infinite Applications.
FUNGY manufactures Lion's Mane extract in every format your brand needs — from bulk powder for formulation to finished shots and tinctures ready for retail. All formats are GMP-certified and standardised to verified bioactive content.
Mushroom Powder
- 4:1 Extract
- 8:1 Extract
- 30–40% 1/3, 1/6-D Beta-Glucans
Nootropic stacks, mushroom coffee blends, capsule fills, superfood blends
Liquid Tincture
- 30ml dropper bottle
- 50ml dropper bottle
- Alcohol-free option
Sublingual delivery, functional beverages, premium supplement lines
Capsule Fill
- Vegetarian capsules
- Gelatin capsules
- Custom blend ratios
Daily cognitive supplements, neuroprotection formulas, mood & wellbeing products
Nootropic Shot
- 30–60ml shots
- Custom flavour
- Combined with adaptogens
Focus & productivity shots, energy drinks, functional RTD beverages
Product Applications
Nootropic Stacks & CapsulesFocus & Productivity ShotsCognitive Health SupplementsMushroom Coffee BlendsNeuroprotection FormulasMood & Wellbeing Products
Quality Assurance
Dao Di Sourced. EU Finished.
Verified at Every Step.
GMP Certified Facility
Manufacturing takes place in an EU-registered, GMP-certified facility operating under the strictest pharmaceutical-grade standards for cleanliness, process control, and documentation.
3rd Party Lab Testing
Every batch is independently tested for potency, purity, heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial contamination. Full certificates of analysis available on request.
ISO 22000 Certified
FUNGY operates under ISO 22000 food safety management standards, ensuring systematic hazard analysis and preventive controls across the entire supply chain.
Full Batch Traceability
Every batch is fully traceable from raw material sourcing through extraction, testing, and finished product delivery. Complete supply chain transparency.
Raw Material Origin
What is Dao Di?
Dao Di (道地, pronounced "dow-dee") is a concept from Traditional Chinese Medicine describing the specific geographic regions where a botanical species grows under its ideal natural conditions — the right altitude, soil composition, humidity, and seasonal temperature range that produce the highest concentration of bioactive compounds.
For Hericium erinaceus, the Dao Di regions are found in the mountainous provinces of China where the species has been cultivated and wildcrafted for centuries. Mushrooms grown outside their Dao Di region — in generic indoor farms or unsuitable climates — consistently show lower hericenone density and beta-glucan content.
✓All FUNGY Lion's Mane fruiting bodies are sourced exclusively from verified Dao Di regions
🏔️
Ideal Altitude
High-altitude cultivation produces denser fruiting bodies with elevated bioactive compound concentration.
🌱
Native Soil
Mineral-rich native soils unique to Dao Di regions directly influence beta-glucan and hericenone profiles.
🌡️
Seasonal Climate
Distinct seasonal temperature cycles trigger the stress responses that drive secondary metabolite production.
📜
Centuries of Practice
Dao Di cultivation knowledge has been refined over generations, ensuring consistent quality and harvest timing.
Extraction Process
From Mushroom to Standardised Extract
01
Raw Material Sourcing
Certified organic Hericium erinaceus fruiting bodies from Dao Di cultivation regions in China — the traditional growing areas where the species thrives in its ideal climate and soil. No mycelium or grain filler.
02
Dual Extraction
Hot water extraction for 1/3, 1/6-D beta-glucans; ethanol extraction for hericenones and erinacines.
03
Concentration & Drying
Extracts are concentrated under low-temperature vacuum and spray-dried to preserve bioactive integrity.
04
HPLC Standardisation
Final extract is verified by HPLC for 30–40% 1/3, 1/6-D beta-glucans and confirmed hericenone content.
Raw Material Origin
The Dao Di Difference.
Why Origin Defines Quality.
Dao Di (道地, pronounced "dow-dee") is a 2,000-year-old Chinese concept identifying the specific geographic regions where a botanical species reaches its highest medicinal potency. It is not a marketing term — it is the empirical foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine's entire pharmacopoeia, and it is directly measurable in the chemistry of the plant or mushroom.
For Hericium erinaceus — Lion's Mane — the Dao Di regions are concentrated in the mountainous provinces of southern and central China. These are the areas where the species evolved, where the climate, soil, altitude, and forest ecosystem have shaped its biochemistry over millennia. A Lion's Mane fruiting body grown in a generic indoor farm in a non-native climate is genetically the same organism — but chemically, it is a fundamentally different product.
The hericenones and beta-glucans that make Lion's Mane the world's leading nootropic mushroom are secondary metabolites — compounds the mushroom produces in response to environmental stress. Remove the stress of altitude, seasonal cold, and native substrate, and you remove the biochemical trigger for their production. This is why Dao Di sourcing is not a preference — it is a prerequisite for a standardised, efficacious extract.
Dào Dì
"Authentic place" — the origin that defines potency
FUNGY Dao Di Source Regions
Zhejiang
Primary Lion's Mane Dao Di province
Yunnan
High-altitude forest cultivation
Sichuan
Mineral-rich mountain terrain
Fujian
Coastal humidity, hardwood forests
"The concept of Dao Di is essentially the same insight that modern terroir science has confirmed for wine — geography, climate, and soil are not background conditions. They are active ingredients."
Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacopoeia Principle
Six Reasons Dao Di Sourcing Is Non-Negotiable
Altitude & Terrain
Lion's Mane thrives at 800–2,000m elevation in the mountainous forests of China's Zhejiang, Yunnan, and Sichuan provinces. The thin air, cool temperatures, and high humidity at altitude trigger the fruiting body to produce elevated concentrations of hericenones as a natural stress response.
Native Soil Composition
Dao Di soils are rich in specific mineral profiles — calcium, magnesium, and trace elements — that are absorbed directly into the fruiting body during growth. These minerals act as co-factors in the biosynthesis of beta-glucans and aromatic compounds. Generic farm soils cannot replicate this mineral fingerprint.
Seasonal Temperature Cycles
The pronounced seasonal contrast in Dao Di regions — cold winters followed by warm, humid summers — forces the mushroom through natural dormancy and growth cycles. This biological stress is the primary driver of secondary metabolite production, including the hericenones that give Lion's Mane its nootropic properties.
Forest Humidity & Substrate
Dao Di Lion's Mane grows on hardwood logs in mist-rich forest environments. The specific lignin and cellulose composition of native hardwoods provides a substrate that supports the full expression of the mushroom's bioactive compound profile — a condition impossible to replicate with sawdust blocks in industrial indoor farms.
Centuries of Cultivation Knowledge
Dao Di cultivation is not simply a geographic designation — it encodes generations of empirical knowledge about harvest timing, substrate preparation, and post-harvest handling. FUNGY's Dao Di partners have refined these practices over decades, ensuring that every batch reflects the full potential of the species.
Verified by HPLC Analysis
The difference between Dao Di and generic-source Lion's Mane is measurable. HPLC analysis consistently shows higher hericenone density and beta-glucan content in Dao Di fruiting bodies. FUNGY's 30–40% 1/3, 1/6-D beta-glucan standardisation is only achievable because we source exclusively from Dao Di regions.
Every FUNGY Lion's Mane batch is Dao Di verified.
Full supply chain traceability from Dao Di region to EU-finished product. COA available on request.
Source from FUNGY
Ready to Add Lion's Mane
to Your Product Line?
Partner with Europe's premier medicinal mushroom manufacturer. GMP-certified, ISO 22000, dual-extracted Lion's Mane — white label or private label, from pilot to full production.
✓GMP Certified
✓ISO 22000
✓EU Finished Products
✓3rd Party Tested
✓Full Traceability