Lion's Mane Mushroom is an incredibly potent medicinal mushroom, exploding in popularity recently here in Australia due to it's powerful 'nootropic' brain-enhancing and cognitive-boosting properties.
Having been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for thousands of years, it's profile has received a massive boost lately as more clinical studies uncover it's benefits, and a wide-range of high-level athletes (e.g. Ben Greenfield), 'biohackers' (e.g. Dave Asprey), CEO's (e.g. Tom Bilyeu) and celebrities (e.g. Joe Rogan) adopt it to help improve their performance and productivity.
As the demand for Lion's Mane has increased, so has the number of companies that now sell it - leading to a flood of products that are poor-quality with low-potency and questionable sourcing.
This article will outline who I believe are the best producers of Lion's Mane Mushroom in Australia, what makes them so good and where you should go to get it (as well as subscriber-only bonus on offer for our readers).
CONTENTS:
- What Is Lion's Mane Mushroom?
- Who Are The Best Producers of Lion's Mane In Australia?
- Bonus Offer For Our Readers!
What Is Lion's Mane Mushroom?:
Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus), also known as hou tou gu or yamabushitake, is a fascinating and powerful medicinal mushroom found growing wild on decaying timber throughout Asia, Europe and North America.
It's unique appearance has lent itself to many different names and comparisons. Named in modern times due to its unique resemblance to a Lion's Mane, it's traditional latin name translates to 'hedgehog mushroom' with many also touting its close resemblance to ocean coral.
Lion's Mane mushroom has been used in Traditional Chinese & Japanese Medicine for thousands of years, primarily for boosting and improving the brain and nervous system function as well as supporting good digestion and treating gastric ulcers.
In the last few years Lion's Mane has seen another explosion in popularity due to it's potent 'nootropic' properties - namely it's ability to increase focus and concentration. Beyond a noticeable cognitive boost though, Lion's Mane is also famous for a number of other health benefits with the most notable and highly researched being immune system support, nervous system support and mood regulation.
Who Are The Best Producers Of Lion's Mane Mushroom In Australia?:
For a number of reasons I will go in to below for you, I believe that the two best Lion's Mane producers in Australia are SuperFeast and Life Cykel by a long shot!
Both of these companies produce exceptional Lion's Mane extracts, however, there a few key differences that are worth knowing about.
1.) SuperFeast:
I've personally used and worked with SuperFeast for a number of years now and their dedication to customer service, product quality and business ethics is very impressive.
Some of the features that make SuperFeast 1 of 2 of my preferred suppliers for Lion's Mane include:
- Customer Service - with some of the best customer service I've experienced from any online retailer, SuperFeast have become quite well-known for having a brilliant buyer experience. Postage is quick, the team is super-friendly and every order comes with a personal hand-written note!
- Sourcing Standards - SuperFeast goes to extremes to uphold the Di Tao philosophy, meaning all products are sourced wild or wild-crafted in their home regions. In alignment with their 'Earth First' policy, SuperFeast's Lion's Mane is 'semi-wild' and cultivated on oak wood chips in it's natural environment to reduce the rapid depletion of it in the wild!
- Complete Transparency - As a 100% family-owned business, SuperFeast put it all on the table. From internal and independent pesticide, heavy metal & microbiological testing through to regular audits and supplier visits, they are always working to operate to the highest standard. You can view all these practices in detail here.
- Uniquely Processed for Super High-Potency -SuperFeast's Lion's Mane powder is extracted in a 10:1 ratio, meaning that 10kg of mushroom is processed down to 1kg of powder. Processing is done in a 3 stage high-pressure single water extraction with respect to the individual temperature and extraction time limits of the herb. All of this results in maximum potency and bioavailability.
2.) Life Cykel
Founded in 2015, Life Cykel have fast become renowned as 'mushroom innovators' that create super high-quality extracts and unique eco-products. They are a fascinating company with very high-standards, great products and excellent principles.
Some of the features that make Life Cykel 1 of 2 of my preferred suppliers for Lion's Mane include:
- Circular Economics - One of the driving principles of Life Cykel is to work within a 'circular economy' - meaning they look to recycle resources & reduce wastage as much as possible. Life Cykel recover massive amounts of discarded coffee grounds as the substrate for many of their mushrooms, preventing it from going to landfill.
- Available As A Liquid Extract - Life Cykel are one of very few companies producing a Lion's Mane liquid extracts. It's Non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free & considerably potent - made via a double extraction method (water & alcohol) in a 1:2 ratio (1kg mushroom gives 2L of extract). Many people find this easier to take than a powder extract as you can simply drop it under your tongue and get on with your day without having to stir it into something.
- Australian-Grown Lions Mane - Life Cykel are again, one of very few companies to produce their extracts from organic Lion's Mane grown here in Australia. Where SuperFeast choose to source according to Traditional Chinese Medicine Di Tao principles, Life Cykel prefer to go with Australian-grown & made. Both are valid in my eyes and as for which one you prefer - that's up to you!
- Extensively Tested - Life Cykel have extensively tested their Lion's Mane with full results available for mycotoxins, pesticide & heavy metals. Transparent testing is an important factor when considering any medicinal mushroom products.
Bonus Offer For Our Readers!:
As mentioned at the beginning, we are lucky enough to have built a great relationship over time with both of these suppliers.
As a result - they've given us an exclusive discount for Bircher Bar email subscribers to use on their site, shaving some significant $$ off every order.
All you need to do to grab a discount is hit the 'Join Our Email' button in the top header and subscribe to our mailing list - then check your inbox. Easy As That!
That's A Wrap:
I hope you've gained some good recommendations from this article and feel more confident in deciding which Australian Lion's Mane supplier you'd prefer to purchase from.
There is no way we'd be using and promoting either of these companies unless we'd tried, tested and loved their products - I'm confident you'll have the same experience!
Go and get that focus!