Frequently Asked Questions

Tinctures are the best way to take medicinal mushrooms. The fruiting body of mushrooms is made up of an ingredient called chitlin. Our bodies can’t digest chitlin so in turn, can’t efficiently process the ingredients to pull the medicine out. We would have to eat a ton of mushrooms to get the same amount of medicine from a dropperful of extraction. Chewing and digesting mushrooms provide very minimum results. The best way to pull the medicine out of Lion’s Mane is through an alcohol extraction and a water extraction process called “Dual Extraction”.

Dual extraction is the process in which the medicine is pulled out of the mushrooms using alcohol and water soaks. The first extraction, with alcohol, is used to extract the component known as Hericium A. After we grind up 1 lb. of fresh lion’s mane, we add 2 lbs. of alcohol (3 cups) and let it sit for one month. The second extraction requires us to low boil another batch of fresh lion’s mane in distilled water at 165° to 180°F for 24 to 48 hours. We use fresh lion’s mane at the same 2:1 ratio (2lbs distilled water to 1 lb. fresh lion’s mane). This process allows us to extract beta glucans and other important medicines that can’t be extracted from the alcohol soak. Once we have both extractions, we do a 50/50 mix to give the full spectrum of medicinal benefits the mushroom has to offer.

Our company’s mission is to make medicine that works. The medical studies that have been done show that patients who have taken 3-5 grams of Lion’s Mane daily had the best results. We wanted to provide that same amount in our daily dose. This is why we insist on using fresh mushrooms for both extractions, while most of our competitors reuse the mushrooms for theirs. By taking our recommended dosage of 3 droppers a day, you will get the equivalent of 3 grams of fresh Lion’s Mane mushrooms and will get two weeks’ worth in our 1 oz. bottles and one month’s worth in our 2 oz. bottles. It is up to you if you want to increase your dosage to 5 grams. For those who want to increase their doses should take only 1 dropper a day for 2 days before increasing by another dropper. Use this 1 dropper/ 2 days schedule until you have reached the desired amount.

It all depends how well your body adapts to the new medicine and the delivery method in which you take it. Those that add it to their morning drink seem to take about 5 to 7 days before they start noticing any results. Those that take it under their tongue have noticed results in 1 to 3 days. It also depends on the benefits you are looking for. Depression relief and mood improvement takes about a week, while energy, mental clarity, and gut healing (such as fighting H. Pylori) will happen within the first few doses. If you aren't seeing the improvements within that time frame your body may need more and we suggest adding more droppers to your regimen. We suggest using our 1 dropper/2-day schedule.

Mycelium is the root system of mushrooms and does have some medicinal benefits. It is a white wispy substance that is propagated over grains. This is the first step in growing any mushrooms. As the industry has gotten more popular, the need to mass produce medicine has increased. Since it takes longer to cultivate mushrooms into complete fruiting bodies, companies have been cutting corners by growing mycelium on grains and grinding them into powders (grain and all). They use this powder and mix it with coffees, put them into pills, or extract what they can out of this mix. Even though they are legally extracting Hericium and beta glucans through the mycelium, they are only getting a fraction of what they could if they had used the fruiting bodies instead. In doing this they are not only getting a less quality product, but they are also adding grains into their medicines. Beware of any product that has the word Mycelium in their list of ingredients.

No. Even though psychedelic mushrooms are medicinal mushrooms as well, we do not choose to grow these types of mushrooms. Medicinal Mushrooms Hawaii LLC is a small family business and because of the legality surrounding the psylocibin we choose to not grow these types of mushrooms and focus on the other medicinal varieties instead.

There are very little-known side effects of Lion’s Mane mushrooms, and generally considered safe. It has been found to be non-toxic at different dosages, even over extended periods of time. Anyone allergic to mushrooms should not take this product. Anyone pregnant or breast feeding should not take this product because of the alcohol we use in our tinctures. This product may affect certain blood thinning medications like warfin and other diabetic medications so we suggest consulting your physician before taking this product. People who have higher levels of H. Pylori tend to have an upset stomach the first few days when taking our tinctures. It usually takes 2 to 3 days for the Lion’s Mane to do its work in the gut and returns to normal once the H. Pylori has been regulated. We would also like to point out that some benefits that are felt or gained from taking any mushroom supplement go away once you stop taking the product. This might not be a smart thing to advertise but we feel it is important for everyone to know the facts before starting anything new. If you are unsure how your body will react, we suggest following our 1 dropper/2 days schedule until you hit 3 dropperfuls. Taking too much Lion’s Mane may cause an upset stomach, so listen to your body. Lowering the dose or prolonging the days in which you increase the dose, will allow your body to adjust to the new medicines. One thing we would like to point out here is that some of the health benefits Lion’s Mane provides are of a cleansing-type nature, and as our bodies detoxify it may cause feelings of nausea and sickness, but these feelings usually pass quickly. Listen to your body and see a physician right away if you suspect anything.