It’s finally here, Erinamax, our liquid culture lion’s mane mycelium standardized to 0.5% erinacine A! If you’ve been a part of the supplement scene for a while, and specifically the functional mushroom side of things, then you will immediately grasp the sheer importance of this product release! The mycelium of the lion’s mane mushroom can generate a very unique nerve growth factor (NGF) boosting compound called erinacine A.* To generate significant levels of erinacine A you need giant bioreactors in which you can grow lion’s mane mycelium to exacting standards in a liquid growth medium.* The common way of producing lion’s mane mycelium by cultivating the mycelium on grains simply does not yield significant amounts of erinacine A! Add to that the complexity of analytical testing and it starts to become eerily clear just how difficult it is to produce a genuine erinacine A containing lion’s mane product.
So, what can an erinacine A containing liquid culture lion’s mane mycelium do for you? The main appeal of erinacine A is that it can boost the synthesis of NGF, a compound which is a major driver of neuroplasticity and nerve regeneration.* By enhancing the level of NGF with erinacine A, we can dial in cognitive function, mood, focus and neuroprotection while also helping with pain management, specifically when it comes to nerve related pain.* It’s no wonder that erinacine A containing lion’s mane mycelium was always viewed as one of the “holy grail” mushroom supplements. Despite it being so sought after, we believe that with this release we have likely created the only real erinacine A containing lion’s mane mycelium on the market!
The lion’s mane mushroom has two distinct life cycles. The first of these life cycles is mycelium, which is a network of tiny strands of fungal material called hyphae. This mycelium builds up and condenses until the mycelium is so dense that it forms hyphal knots. These hyphal knots then condense further and form primordia. Once the primordia are exposed to their preferred environmental conditions the lion’s mane fruiting body starts to form. This whole life cycle process is nicely illustrated below in figure 1.
Figure 1. The life cycle of most mushrooms and the exact life cycle that lion's mane mushrooms follow. For our liquid culture lion’s mane mycelium we are interested in steps 4 and 5.
There are distinctly different bioactive compounds being generated in the mycelium and the fruiting bodies. For example, the fruiting bodies mainly express hericenones and hericenes whereas the mycelium mainly express erinacines. There certainly is some overlap between mycelium and fruiting body bioactives, but generally, if you want significant concentrations of erinacines you absolutely need to cultivate the mycelium! That being said, not all lion’s mane mycelium is created equal. In fact, a significant amount of work needs to be done to ensure that lion’s mane mycelium produces a large amount of erinacines. This is in very stark contrast to the process of cultivating mycelium on grains. It’s very easy to grow mycelium on grains, but on the flipside, it is basically impossible to isolate the mycelium from the grains. In fact, only a small amount of mycelium can be generated on grains, and worse yet, it seems that this mycelium is not very good at generating erinacine A. We now know this because we created the world's first commercial erinacine A reference standard and have been using it to determine what the best strategy for generating erinacine A is. You can see some of the testing we did on known and suspected lion’s mane mycelium on grain products in Figure 2. which will clearly demonstrate a lack of erinacine A in these products.*
Figure 2. This is data collected from our lab where we used our erinacine A standard to test for the presence of erinacine A in various different lion’s mane mycelium and fruiting body products. During this testing phase, we also determined that many products which are being sold as lion’s mane fruiting body are actually much more characteristic of lion’s mane mycelium on grain!
The only method we have found that can reliably generate high erinacine A containing lion’s mane mycelium that can be easily isolated and purified is via large scale liquid culture mycelium production. To pull this off, we need to cultivate lion’s mane mycelium in a liquid nutrient broth rather than on a solid substrate. This requires very large bioreactors that utilize highly precise nutrient broth solutions that stimulate erinacine A biosynthesis. We then need to harvest the lion’s mane mycelium at very exact time frames in order to maximize the erinacine A content. Quite a difficult process, but absolutely essential if we want to cultivate lion’s mane mycelium with meaningful concentrations of erinacine A and other erinacines!
One of the primary reasons we have been working tirelessly to come out with a real erinacine A standardized lion’s mane mycelium product is due to erinacine A’s unique effects on nerve growth factor (NGF).* When erinacine A is consumed from lion’s mane mycelium it can significantly upregulate the rate of NGF synthesis and release. NGF is a fascinating neurotrophic factor, which by acting on the TrkA receptor can enhance neuroplasticity, nerve regeneration, neuroprotection, cognitive function and even mood!* There are various theories as to why this occurs, one of which is that erinacine A can actually stimulate the production and release of norepinephrine. Norepinephrine in turn has the potential to stimulate NGF synthesis. NGF modulating effects can also be attributed to the lion’s mane fruiting bodies. However, research has shown that erinacine A containing lion’s mane mycelium is a much more potent stimulator of NGF synthesis.
By elevating NGF levels, erinacine A produces a very unique effects profile, some of which can be acutely felt while other aspects take a significant amount of time to become noticeable. Acutely, Erinamax produces a distinct sense of mental clarity and quieting of the mind.* These effects are then followed up by a deep sense of focus that does not involve much stimulation and a crisp positive mood.* The acute cognitive effects are likely being mediated by the effects erinacine A can have on norepinephrine levels. Erinamax can also be fantastic for dialing in memory and overall cognitive function.* However, since these effects rely heavily on neuroplasticity mechanisms, they can take a few weeks to fully manifest. Another interesting long-term benefit of erinacine A containing lion’s mane mycelium are its effects on our nerves and pain.* Various studies have indicated that erinacine A enriched lion’s mane products have a comprehensive pain management effect, especially when it comes to nerve related pain.*
Even though a big focus of Erinamax is on erinacine A, that does not mean it is devoid of other bioactives. In fact, Erinamax is not an extract and thus it will retain the full spectrum of bioactive compounds found in lion’s mane mycelium. There are lots of different erinacines and one that we are also particularly fond of is erinacine S. Erinacine S also has a very unique effect on neuroplasticity that is different from most other neuroplasticity modulating compounds we have come across.* Erinacine S leads to the accumulation of two neurosteroids in the brain, pregnenolone and progesterone, both of which have neurogenesis enhancing effects in the brain.* Erinacine S also appears to produce robust pain management effects by modulating calcium signaling and seems to be very important for the overall pain management effects of lion’s mane mycelium. Other compounds such as herecine A and herierin IV have also been found in lion’s mane mycelium and seem to modulate some of the mood promoting effects.*
Overall, our cutting edge erinacine A standardized lion’s mane mycelium is a fantastic fungal supplement for those looking to experience the other side of lion’s mane mushroom.* The effects of ErinaMAX are distinctly different from our lion’s mane fruiting body extracts and need to be experienced if you are a lion’s mane mushroom fan! In fact, one of the best ways to experience Erinamax is by combining it with one of our lion’s mane fruiting body offerings.* We personally like combining Erinamax with our lion’s mane 8:1 extract for the most synergistic and pronounced nootropic effects!*
Nootropic Stack: Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium + OmegaTAU Capsules
Erinacine A from lion’s mane mycelium is a highly revered cognition enhancer in the nootropics scene, placing it on a similar level with one of the most talked about natural nootropic stacks, the Mr. Happy Stack. With this in mind, we thought it would be interesting to combine our take on the Mr. Happy Stack called OmegaTAU, with Erinamax, to further bring out the nootropic potential of our lion’s mane mycelium. Taken together, this stack should provide a very comprehensive and balanced nootropic effect!*
Mood Stack: Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium + Red Reishi Mushroom Ultra Concentrated Extract Capsules
One of our favorite mushrooms for mood is our ultra potent red reishi extract, which provides a very pleasant and natural feeling of relaxation and contentedness. We find that these effects stack great with the mental clarity effects of Erinamax, and the two together would be great for helping you find your inner peace!*
Nerve Stack: Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium + Palmitoylethanolamide Capsules
Lion’s mane mycelium has been shown to have beneficial effects on overall nerve function, and also appears to produce robust pain management effects. With this in mind, we thought that Erinamax would stack perfectly with one of our favorite supplements for nerve related pain, palmitoylethanolamide!*
As a dietary supplement, take one tablet of Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium daily.
To gain more insight, see the Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium reviews and experiences below.
Nootropics Depot offers 60ct. or 180ct. jars of high-quality Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium. Nootropics Depot’s Erinamax Lion's Mane Mycelium has been lab-tested and verified for both product purity and identity.
| *Attention: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. |
