When you think of mushrooms, you likely think of the portobello or white button mushrooms you often find at the grocery store. They’re two of the most popular mushrooms in the Western world, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only two types of mushrooms that are safe to consume.
In fact, there are more than 10,000 different species of mushrooms, and a strong majority of them are edible enough to eat. Of those that are edible, there are a select dozen of them that fall into the ‘functional mushroom’ category — and these are extremely special in unique ways.
They’re so special that companies all over the world are starting to utilize them in supplements for those that don’t enjoy the taste, texture, or thought of eating actual mushrooms. You can find these supplements in powders, capsules, liquid extracts, and a wide range of other forms.
One of the most popular functional mushrooms today is the Lion’s Mane mushroom, which comes with a variety of benefits for daily use. It’s the feature mushroom found in Life Cykel’s Lion’s Mane+ Liquid Double Extract formula, which can make this liquid supplement a popular choice. The question is, does it really provide all the benefits it claims to? We’ll find out in this thorough review of Life Cykel Lion’s Mane. Let’s dive in!
What Is Life Cykel Lion’s Mane?
Like we mentioned above, Life Cykel’s Lion’s Mane utilizes the Lion’s Mane mushroom. It’s designed for those that want to enhance their immune system and improve their cognitive function on a daily basis without having to eat the mushroom itself.
Instead of being in powder or capsule form, Life Cykel formulates this supplement in liquid extract form for extremely easy consumption. The bottle is small enough to take with you anywhere, and the liquid drops can be added to just about anything you eat or drink daily.
In addition to the Lion’s Mane mushroom, Life Cykel utilizes a small fruit called Kakadu Plum in this formula. Since it’s known as the richest food source of Vitamin C, adding it to the formula only magnifies the positive impact this supplement has on the body’s immune system.
Before we dive a little deeper into the two ingredients found in the Life Cykel Lion’s Mane formula, let’s first learn a little bit more about what functional mushrooms are, why they’re so special, who this supplement is designed for, and how you should take it daily.
Why are functional mushrooms so popular?
Functional mushrooms are an extremely special category of mushrooms. There are around 15 known mushroom species that fall into this category — including the Lion’s Mane mushroom — and they’re grown all over the world. They’re not poisonous, and some of them taste really good.
Like most mushrooms, functional mushrooms are extremely nutritious when added to your diet. While each functional mushroom species has its own unique benefit that gives it the ‘functional’ name, they all share one major benefit in common — they improve the body’s immune system.
For example, the Lion’s Mane mushroom is most known for improving cognitive function — as well as the immune system. Other functional mushrooms, like the Reishi and Oyster mushrooms, are known adaptogens that help the body adapt and overcome stress and anxiety.
Maitake and Turkey Tail mushrooms are great for digestion; Shiitake mushrooms enhance nail, skin, and hair health; Cordyceps mushrooms increase energy levels; Chaga and Enokitake mushrooms are known for their taste, and that doesn’t even cover all of them available today!
Do functional mushrooms make you hallucinate?
One of the first questions people have when they hear the term ‘functional mushrooms’ is whether or not they make you hallucinate. The main reason for this is because many people eat ‘magic mushrooms’ recreationally, which are a known psychedelic drug that is easy to find.
Needless to say, functional mushrooms and magic mushrooms are not the same thing. They’re two entirely different types of mushrooms. Magic mushrooms contain a naturally-occurring psychoactive compound called psilocybin — which is what makes a person hallucinate.
Functional mushrooms, which include Lion’s Mane mushroom and all the other mushroom species we mentioned above, don’t contain the psilocybin compound. Instead, they contain a wide variety of nutrients that are healthy for the body — antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc.
To be clear, functional mushrooms won’t make you hallucinate. They’ll improve your immune system, they might make you more focused, or increase your energy levels — but they’re not a psychedelic drug. They’re just regular old mushrooms with special and unique benefits.
Who is Life Cykel Lion’s Mane supplement designed for?
If you’ve come across Life Cykel Lion’s Mane, you might be wondering who it’s designed for. To be honest, it’s designed for everyone and anyone willing to give it a try. Since the Lion’s Mane mushroom is safe to consume, it’s up to you to try it!
With that said, it’s mostly designed for anyone looking to improve their immune system — especially with the addition of Kakadu Plum. Since Lion’s Mane mushroom is also known for improving focus, alertness, and memory, it’s designed for those that want a mental boost.
If that’s not enough to convince you or if mushrooms aren’t really your thing, Life Cykel Lion’s Mane+ Liquid Double Extract comes in liquid form. You won’t have to physically eat the mushroom to get its benefits. Instead, just add it to your meal or beverage for daily support.
How to take Life Cykel Lion’s Mane?
Like we mentioned above, Life Cykel Lion’s Mane is extremely easy to add to your daily diet routine. All you need to do is add a 2mL serving of liquid extract to your coffee, smoothie, water, or tea. You can also add it to your food if you prefer to do it that way.
In fact, some people even prefer taking it straight, especially since it doesn’t have a terrible taste. You can do this by adding the 2mL serving to your tongue and letting it digest. It doesn’t matter how you take it, so long as it’s digested into the body for maximum effect and benefit.
You should be taking the 2mL serving once per day. Since each serving is said to have 1,000mg of Lion’s Mane mushroom, it’s best if you limit yourself to just one serving. The body can generally handle 3,000mg per day, but that’s often pushing it when supplementing with it.
Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Ingredients
Now that we understand a little background behind this supplement, we can start to break down and detail the two major ingredients found in this formula — Lion’s Mane mushroom and Kakadu Plum. There’s a lot to unpack, so we’ll go through everything you need to know about each one.
It should be noted that this is a proprietary blend. While we don’t know the exact amount of each ingredient in each serving, Life Cykel has stated that there’s 1,000mg of Lion’s Mane mushroom per 2mL serving of liquid extract. They haven’t specified how much Kakadu Plum there is.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract
When you see Lion’s Mane mushroom supplements, you want to make sure they utilize the Hericium erinaceus species of mushroom that’s commonly found in Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, Life Cykel uses the Australian-grown Hericium coralloides species.
That’s not to say it won’t come with the same benefits, but they might not be as potent as a supplement that uses the other species. The good news is Life Cykel uses both the fruiting body and mycelium of the mushroom — though reports show they use higher concentrations of the mycelium.
Again, that doesn’t mean it won’t work, but it won’t be as potent as some of the other supplements out there. It’ll still give you the immune-boosting benefits and cognitive-boosting benefits that Lion’s Mane is known for — as well as improving your daily digestive health.
Kakadu Plum
Many people are unaware of the Kakadu Plum, but it’s one of the best fruits for improving the body’s immune system. A large reason for this is due to its high concentration of Vitamin C — which the body uses to produce lymphocytes and phagocytes (white blood cells) for immunity.
Known by its scientific name Terminalia ferdinandiana, the Kakadu plum is a small green fruit with an even smaller stone in the center. It’s tart and bitter, which is why most people don’t enjoy eating it straight-up. With that said, it’s widely been used in medicine and for its nutrition benefits.
In addition to Vitamin C, the Kakadu Plum is known for being a rich source of dietary fiber, iron, ellagic acid, copper, and a wide range of antioxidants that promote overall health. It should be taken in small doses due to the high levels of Vitamin C and high levels of dietary oxalates.
Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Dosage, Packaging, and Pricing
Although Life Cykel Lion’s Mane comes supplied in a small 60mL tincture bottle, it has a really neat label design that definitely catches your eye. The top of the label is green with orange lettering, the bottom is green with white and orange lettering, and the middle is orange with a white design.
Right in the middle of the label, you’ll see a picture of a lion’s face — which tells you right there that this product has Lion’s Mane mushroom in it. It markets itself as a full spectrum liquid extract of both Lion’s Mane and Kakadu Plum; that way, you know what to expect from it.
The only downfall is we don’t get the exact dosages of each ingredient, but we do know that one serving is 2mL, and each tincture bottle comes with 60mL of extract. That means the bottle will last you a full month when taking one serving per day. The bottle costs $35, which is reasonable.
Additionally, you can save 10% on your order of Life Cykel Lion’s Mane by using code “FITNESSCLONE10” at checkout.
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Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Pros vs. Cons
By now, we have a pretty firm idea of what to expect from Life Cykel Lion’s Mane. We’ve learned a little about functional mushrooms; we went over how to use it, what Lion’s Mane mushroom is, and what Kakadu Plum is known for.
In case you’re still on the edge of whether or not this supplement is right for you, we’re going to take it a step further and summarize everything we’ve learned in a pros vs. cons list below. This will tell you exactly what we like and what we don’t like about this Lion’s Mane supplement.
Let’s take a look!
Pros
- Lion’s Mane mushroom improves the immune system and cognitive function
- Kakadu Plum is the richest food source of Vitamin C, which improves immunity
- Since it’s a liquid extract, you can easily add it to your favorite beverage
- They say each serving has 1,000mg of Lion’s Mane, though it’s not listed on the bottle
- It’ll only cost a little over $1 per serving
- They cultivate their own Lion’s Mane from wild mushrooms found in Australia
- The Kakadu Plums are also wild-harvested in Australia
- The supplement is Non-GMO, Vegan-Friendly, and Gluten-Free
- They have a ton of other functional mushroom extracts that can be stacked with this one
- It’s safe to consume and shouldn’t cause any side effects
Cons
- Doesn’t tell us exact amount of Lion’s Mane and Kakadu Plum per serving
- Kakadu Plum needs to be taken in small doses, but we don’t know the dose
- Uses the Hericium coralloides species of mushroom, not the Hericium erinaceus
- Mostly uses the mycelium of the mushroom, not enough of the fruiting body
Claims vs. Reality
Lion’s Mane mushroom extracts are starting to take over the supplement community, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. While this supplement will benefit both your immune system and cognitive performance, it might not work as well as other formulas available today.
A large reason we say this is because they don’t utilize the most prominent mushroom species that gave Lion’s Mane mushroom its name. Instead of the Hericium erinaceus species, they harvest the Hericium coralloides species. It’s not a total bummer, but it is unfortunate.
In addition to that, some verified customers have reported that a majority of the extract comes from the mycelium of the plant (roots) as opposed to the fruiting body. It’s good that they use both of them, but it would definitely be much more wholesome if they focused on the fruiting body.
With that said, the liquid extract is extremely easy to use and doesn’t require you to actually eat a Lion’s Mane mushroom — which will appeal to a large variety of people that don’t like mushrooms. Since they are extremely nutritious and healthy for the body, that’s definitely a plus.
Life Cykel Lion’s Mane Competitors and Alternatives
Although a lot of people are unaware of what Lion’s Mane mushrooms are, the supplement market is quickly starting to make them more popular — especially in the Western world. As more people catch on to their amazing benefits, it’ll only continue to grow in the United States.
With that said, there are a ton of supplement options that feature Lion’s Mane mushrooms. In fact, we believe there are some options that are far superior to the one we discussed above — though that doesn’t mean you need to turn away from Life Cykel Lion’s Mane.
Let’s take a look at some of their competitors and alternatives — including Four Sigmatic, Laird Superfood, and Mind Lab Pro.
Four Sigmatic
Four Sigmatic is hands down the best supplement company that features functional mushrooms. As far as Lion’s Mane is concerned, they have three major products that you would thoroughly enjoy if you’re looking to try it out — a coffee, a liquid shot, and a powder formula.
The ground mushroom coffee is perfect for those that want to replace their normal morning cup of joe with a brain-boosting morning cup of joe. It features organic fair trade ground coffee from Honduras, 250mg of Lion’s Mane mushroom, and 250mg of Chaga mushroom for both taste and function.
The liquid shot is complete with 1,500mg of Lion’s Mane mushroom but also has Rhodiola Rosea, Guayusa, Rose Hips, Pink Himalayan Salt, and more. The powder formula is nothing more than just 1,500mg of Lion’s Mane, Rhodiola Rosea, Field Mint, and Rose Hips.
Laird Superfood
If you’re not quite feeling the Four Sigmatic brand, you can always turn to Laird Superfood. They also have three amazing supplements that each contain Lion’s Mane mushroom — a ground coffee blend, a protein blend, and a powder blend for all your favorite beverages and smoothies.
The Laird Superfood mushroom coffee blend combines coffee cherry powder, Peruvian Arabica ground coffee, Rhodiola Rosea extract, and Lion’s Mane mushroom for an energy-inducing, stress-relieving, immune-boosting, and cognitive-boosting morning cup of joe that tastes amazing.
If you’re not a coffee drinker, they have a protein powder blend that combines Lion’s Mane mushroom with Chaga, Cordyceps, Maitake, Ceylon Cinnamon, and Chlorella. Their functional mushroom powder blend combines Lion’s Mane with just Chaga, Cordyceps, and Maitake.
Mind Lab Pro
If you’re not really interested in coffee or powder formulas, don’t worry. Mind Lab Pro is a nootropic formula that comes in capsule form for easy consumption. It combines Lion’s Mane mushroom with a wide range of other cognitive-boosting ingredients that you’ll heavily enjoy.
In addition to the 500mg of Lion’s Mane, it also has Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12, Citicoline, Bacopa Monnieri, Phosphatidylserine, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, L-Theanine, Rhodiola Rosea, and Maritime Pine Bark Extract — all of which give your brain an all-around boost.
Keep in mind that this product is more geared towards cognitive benefits. While the Lion’s Mane and some of the other ingredients will help with the immune system, you’ll mostly experience a more positive mood, better memory, mental energy, improved brain health, and focus.
Final Verdict: Life Cykel Lion’s Mane
There are so many reasons why you should be considering adding Lion’s Mane mushroom to your daily diet. If you’re not able to eat it, then a supplement is the next best choice! Of course, it’s very important that you find a trustworthy, effective, and healthy supplement to do so.
Life Cykel Lion’s Mane is a great place to start, but it won’t be the most effective option out there. Four Sigmatic is 100% the way to go, and they have a ton of options to choose from, although they don’t have any liquid extracts available — so keep that in mind.
Laird Superfood is another good option but also won’t have liquid extracts. If you’re more after the cognitive boost, definitely give Mind Lab Pro a try — it also has Lion’s Mane in its formula. Either way, adding Lion’s Mane to your daily diet will yield a wide range of benefits that you’ll absolutely love.
