What Is Lion's Mane? Meet the Brainiac

Lion's mane is a white, shaggy mushroom that grows on hardwood trees and looks like nothing else in the forest. People in China and Japan have been eating it and using it in traditional medicine for centuries.

No cap. No stem. Just a pom-pom of soft white spines hanging off a tree like it's waiting for someone to ask it a question.

At Milli we call it the Brainiac. It's the friend who wins every trivia night, always has the perfect advice, and somehow also has snacks in their bag. Here's the backstory.

Where lion's mane grows

Lion's mane is native to Europe, Asia and North America. It lives on old hardwood trees, mostly beech and oak, and shows up in late summer and fall.

It's a recycler. The mushroom breaks down old wood and hands the nutrients back to the forest, which is exactly the kind of quiet overachieving you'd expect from the Brainiac.

It's also picky. Lion's mane wants big, old trees in woods that have been left alone for a long time, and there are fewer of those every year.

In the UK it's so rare that it's one of only four fungi with the highest level of legal protection. Pick one and you've broken the law. One English garden found two growing and put a cage around them.

A mushroom with its own security detail.

One mushroom, a lot of names

Everybody who met this mushroom looked at it and saw something different.

In China it's hóu tóu gū, the monkey head mushroom. It's been food and traditional medicine there for centuries.

In Japan it's yamabushitake, named for the yamabushi, monks who live and train in the mountains. Depending on who you ask, that's because the monks ate it or because it looks like the pom-poms on their robes.

The French botanist who gave it a scientific name in 1780 went a different way. He called it erinaceus, Latin for hedgehog.

English speakers added bearded tooth, pom-pom mushroom and satyr's beard before settling on lion's mane. Monkey, monk, hedgehog, lion. The Brainiac contains multitudes.

From the forest to the farm

The earliest written mention of lion's mane is usually traced to China's Tang Dynasty, between 618 and 907 CE. That's more than a thousand years of people writing down that this mushroom is worth knowing.

For most of that time you had to find it. Somebody had to walk into the woods, look up, and get lucky.

That changed in the late 1980s, when growers worked out how to farm it. Today it's raised indoors on hardwood sawdust, so nobody has to bother the wild ones.

Chefs got there fast. Cooked lion's mane has a mild flavor people compare to crab or lobster, which is a strange thing to say about a mushroom and also true.

Scientists have been studying it for a few decades now. We'll leave the lab talk to them.

Why lion's mane is in Milli

A great night needs somebody at the table who's actually following the conversation. That's the Brainiac's job.

In the can, lion's mane teams up with cordyceps for a clear, calm head. Kava, damiana and mitragynine round out the squad, with 0% alcohol, no caffeine and 35 calories.

Milli is for adults 21+. Start with one, sip slow, and keep it to two cans max in 24 hours.

Meet the rest of the squad, read up on kava, the Zen Master, or grab a pack. Drink happy. Live Milli.

Lion's mane FAQ

What is lion's mane?

A white, shaggy mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) that grows on hardwood trees. It has no cap or stem, just a round clump of soft hanging spines.

Where does lion's mane come from?

It grows wild across Europe, Asia and North America, mostly on old beech and oak trees. Its longest history as food and traditional medicine is in China and Japan.

Why is it called lion's mane?

Because of the long white spines, which look like a mane. Other names include monkey head mushroom in China, yamabushitake in Japan, and bearded tooth in the UK.

Is lion's mane a psychedelic mushroom?

No. Lion's mane is a culinary mushroom, the kind you can order at a restaurant. It contains no psilocybin.

What does lion's mane taste like?

Cooked fresh, it's mild and often compared to crab or lobster. You won't taste it in Milli, which leads with lemon, lime and coconut water.

Is there lion's mane in Milli?

Yes. Lion's mane is one of five active botanicals in Milli Original, along with cordyceps, kava, damiana and mitragynine.