Ashwagandha and lion's mane: what the research does and doesn't show

No published trial has tested ashwagandha and lion's mane together. They're studied separately, for different outcomes — ashwagandha mainly for stress and cortisol, lion's mane mainly for cognition — and each has a thin, small trial base of its own. Here's what's documented about lion's mane specifically, since it's the less familiar of the two.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support ashwagandha and lion's mane, together or separately, as a treatment for a diagnosed cognitive or mood condition. It doesn't support the idea that combining them sharpens focus or lowers stress more than either alone — that pairing has never been studied. And for lion's mane specifically, it doesn't support strong claims about memory or focus: the one relevant trial we found was small, and its own authors described the results as tentative.

What the trials found

Because no trial has combined ashwagandha and lion's mane, there's no dose, population or duration to report for the pairing itself. See ashwagandha benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what's separately documented about ashwagandha.

Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) has its own small research base. A 2023 double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study gave 41 healthy adults aged 18-45 either 1.8 g of lion's mane or placebo, and measured both an immediate (60-minute) effect from a single dose and a longer effect after 28 days of daily use. Sixty minutes after a single dose, the lion's mane group performed significantly faster on one cognitive test (the Stroop task, a measure of processing speed and attention). After 28 days of daily supplementation, there was a trend toward lower subjective stress, but it didn't reach statistical significance. The same study reported null results and some limited negative findings elsewhere in its test battery, and the authors were explicit that with only 41 participants, the findings should be read as tentative and need confirming in a larger trial.

No study we've found documents a specific interaction between lion's mane and ashwagandha when taken together.

Questions people ask

Can you take ashwagandha and lion's mane together?

No trial has tested it, and we haven't found a documented case of a specific problem from combining them. Lion's mane is a mushroom, so anyone with a mushroom allergy should avoid it regardless of what else it's paired with; anyone on prescription medication should mention both supplements to a doctor.

Lion's mane vs ashwagandha — which is better studied?

Neither has a large human trial base. Lion's mane's main relevant trial had 41 participants and its own authors called the findings tentative; ashwagandha's research is larger in total but mostly uses different doses and forms than what a typical capsule delivers (see ashwagandha dosage: what the trials actually used). Neither is well-established enough to declare a winner.

Ashwagandha and lion's mane for focus — does it work?

No trial has tested that specific combination or outcome. The one lion's mane trial that measured a cognitive effect found a faster result on a single attention test after one dose, not a broad "focus" improvement, and it hasn't been replicated in a larger sample.

When to talk to a doctor

Neither ashwagandha nor lion's mane is a treatment for a diagnosed cognitive, memory or mood condition, and nothing above supports using either, alone or combined, as a substitute for medical evaluation. If you take prescription medication, or have a mushroom allergy, check with a doctor before adding lion's mane, ashwagandha, or both.

Related reading: ashwagandha benefits: what's established and what isn't, ashwagandha dosage: what the trials actually used, and ashwagandha and cortisol.