[2/2] The (Non-Psychoactive) Mushroom That Makes You Smarter
In the first part of this investigation, I took 2 grams of Lion’s Mane mushroom powder daily for a month to answer the question “Can daily consumption of Lion’s Mane mushrooms improve my everyday cognitive function?” I concluded through some very rough experiments and anecdotal findings that taking Lion’s Mane over a month significantly and satisfyingly increased my productivity in both left-brain and right-brain activities such as reading comprehension, focus, and quite possibly even creativity. To get a more measurable and objective view of these potential benefits, I set out to run a placebo-controlled double-blind study on myself to eliminate the large flaws in my initial experiment and further justify my findings to apply to a larger audience.
It was quite difficult trying to figure out how to set up a double-blind test by myself. Luckily, I had a stash of 1-gram creatine pills packed in a strikingly similar unmarked white pill for the placebo. I figured if I could randomly choose between these creatine pills and the Lion’s Mane mushroom pills, I could have practically no idea which one I took. You may go “Wait a minute, aren’t you adding another uncontrolled variable?” and to that, I say, “Well, technically yes but practically not really…” I’ve been taking 5 grams of creatine daily before my afternoon workout or run for a while (even during the initial Lion’s Mane experiment) so taking another 2 grams throughout the day is unlikely to significantly affect me cognitively. Now the question arises: How do I randomly administer the Lion’s Mane and placebo? This part took me a minute to design but after a little cup of matcha and another Lion’s Mane pill, I came up with a simple solution. I would take four identical containers and add the Lion’s Mane to three and the placebo to one (I made it three times more likely to choose the Lion’s Mane to get a larger sample of non-placebo data) and label them accordingly. Then, I would cover the labels with tape and ask a buddy of mine to mix the containers around so I wouldn’t know which is which. Finally, I would number each mystery container 1~4. In the morning, I would draw a random number, take two pills from that container, and record the number in my diary. At the end of the experiment, I could take off the tape and go back to my diary entries and assign every day as either a Lion’s Mane day or a placebo day. Using this framework, I conducted my study for another month maintaining the same routine of taking one gram of Lion’s Mane with breakfast and dinner and working at my military desk job, reading books, drawing, writing my backlog of Monstera Deliciosa, and socializing with my brothers-in-arms. The results are as follows:
Reexamining right-brain productivity
In my first non-placebo-controlled, non-blind trial (green) of right-brain productivity through word count of my daily progress conducted in part 1, I observed a 42% increase in productivity after taking Lion’s Mane. However, this new data set (red) shows a more turbulent graph that actually suggests a 10% decrease in productivity throughout the month. This makes sense since on eight days of the month I had taken the placebo pill (orange) suggesting that I overall took 27% less Lion’s Mane in total. Furthermore, considering that my overall average is still around 13% higher than the roughly 2800 words-per-day average I was on before Lion’s Mane, it could be that I’m experiencing a combination of diminishing returns and my body slowly building a tolerance to 2 grams of Lion’s Mane. Then again, I could just have naturally gotten 13% better at my job over the course of two months — I’ve been working here for just over a year so getting 13% more efficient in two months is pretty realistic. The days that I had taken the placebo pill are clearly represented by dips in the graph which is a good sign of something happening. However, overall, the data doesn’t definitively suggest that with Lion’s Mane, I was at my most productive, and without it, I was failing to meet my average. The most meaningful trend that I’ve gleaned from this trial is that, except Day 7~12, the placebo days are almost always local minima with a drastic increase the following day when the Lion’s Mane is again taken. All in all, I believe it’s pretty reasonable at this point to say that Lion’s Mane does have a direct influence on my day-to-day right-brain productivity — just not as much as I had initially observed.
Increased awakeness / improved quality of sleep
One habit I would be happy to break is my increasing tendency to take an unplanned afternoon nap after work. When I return to my barracks after a busy day, I usually lay on my bed for half an hour to an hour before going to the gym and dinner to catch up on my reading goals or check if any of my favorite YouTube channels have uploaded. I oftentimes find myself passed out and waking up in the middle of dinnertime now being forced to skip the day’s workout and go to dinner. When this inevitably occurs, I never fail to write it down in my diary out of shame so I have a reliable record of the days I napped and the days I didn’t. Cross-referencing my napping record with the days I took a placebo pill, I see a generally positive correlation between the days I took the placebo and the days I napped. I’ve also noticed that taking Lion’s Mane gives me more consistent and sustained energy until I go to bed which helps me sleep better at night and wake up bright and early.
Quantitative measures of mental clarity
In the real world, I’m an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney studying International Relations. I’m currently taking a leave of absence to fulfill my military service and since two years have passed since my initial enrolment date, I needed to soon resubmit my SAT scores (in place of the ATAR) to qualify for my scholarship and a bunch of other stuff. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and do some practice tests this month in preparation for the upcoming exam. For those who were happy in high school and didn’t spend their summers memorizing obscure vocabulary words, the SAT is an English and Math test divided into Grammar, Reading, Math — calculator, and Math-no calculator sections. The math is relatively straightforward with nothing more advanced than higher school pre-calculus only really requiring you to solve the questions on time while the Grammar and Reading sections are based on reading paragraphs of literary or academic texts and answering evidence-based questions. There are a plethora of SAT resources online and the ones I used most frequently were the free official Collegeboard practice tests on Khan Academy and the leaked PDFs of previous SATs. However, after a couple of tests, I realized that it was hard to judge the effects of my mental state on the SAT as not to brag about an exam made for high schoolers but, I would frequently get full marks. Instead of my score, I decided to focus on time. While these were relatively easy questions, they were not simple as they required attention to detail and long stretches of extreme focus. I decided that the more focused I am, the less I’ll have to reread and ponder the questions so I would finish earlier. Over the month, I solved 20 practice tests.
Since the 65-minute reading test requires the most focus and is generally regarded as the most difficult portion of the exam, I tracked my time over 20 practice tests. There is a clear downward trend toward the 55-minute mark over the twenty trials with minor spikes represented by the days I took the placebo. However, these differences could be simply due to minor differences in each practice test or random uncertainties. Although the data shows that Lion’s Mane slightly increases focus, there is room for scientific skepticism.
Further trials
To definitively test my hypothesis, I would need to do another month-long study where this time I take no Lion’s Mane and act exactly the same. However, in all truth and fairness, I do not want to invest another month into that experiment. Over these past two months, regardless of whether it was the active compounds in the Lion’s Mane mushroom or my own brain chemistry, I have seen significant progress in my own productivity and wellness. It would be a stupid move for my personal development to willingly break this routine of positive habits for a pseudo-scientific self-diagnostic test.
Conclusion
So with everything considered, the answer to my question is yes. Daily consumption of Lion’s Mane mushrooms has improved my everyday cognitive function. But so has the placebo effect, sticking to a diligent routine, and applying myself. I think if this study has taught me anything, it’s that good habits have a compounding effect. It doesn’t have to be taking Lion’s Mane. It could be cutting back on sugar or going for a morning jog. It could even just be a daily reminder to smile and be positive. Personal growth isn’t always achieved by a great movie-montage-esque struggle of life or death. When you look back, you realize that all the minor positive choices you’ve made have guided your path to becoming a better you.
A quick note on the culinary uses of Lion’s Mane mushroom:
Don’t believe anybody who says Lion’s Mane tastes like chicken or steak or whatnot. It doesn’t. Fresh Lion’s Mane is impossibly bitter and soggy no matter how you try to cook it. For supplementation, stick to the powdered stuff. If you want a meaty, umami-packed mushroom, just take some porcinis or portabellos, fry them with some olive oil in a hot pan, and deglaze them with some soy sauce and water. Trust the guy who’ll try basically anything, Lion’s Mane is not good eats.
