# Lion's mane for nerve damage and neuropathy: what the evidence shows

Source: https://lionsmanemushroom.uk/benefits/nerve-damage/
Author: Jo Calder · Updated 2026-11-04

**Short answer:** There is no human evidence. Lion's mane has never been tested in people with nerve damage or neuropathy. In rats with a crushed leg nerve, a lion's mane extract helped the leg work again a few days sooner, and in mice it eased nerve pain. Those are small animal studies, not proof it works in people.

**Evidence grade:** No human evidence. Only cell or animal studies so far. No human trial supports this claim.

## Does lion's mane help nerve damage?

Nobody knows yet, because it has never been tested in people with nerve damage. Every study so far was done in rats, mice or nerve cells in a dish. A 2026 systematic review of mushrooms for peripheral nerve injury found five studies of lion's mane, all in animals or cells, and concluded that it now needs testing in people.

That is why we grade this claim **none**: there is no human evidence at all. When we searched ClinicalTrials.gov in November 2026, none of the lion's mane trials registered there was testing nerve damage or neuropathy.

## What did the animal studies find?

The animal studies are encouraging but small. The main ones:

| Study | What was done | What happened |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Wong 2011](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21941586/), rats | A leg nerve was crushed in 40 rats. Groups of 10 got water, a lion's mane extract at a low or high dose, or a form of vitamin B12 (mecobalamin), daily for two weeks before the injury and afterwards. | Rats given lion's mane or vitamin B12 walked normally again 4 to 7 days sooner than rats given water, and their nerves showed more regrowth. |
| [Wong 2016](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25159861/), rats | The same crush injury, looking inside the nerve cells. | Treated rats had more activity in signals linked to nerve repair. |
| [Yi 2015](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25960754/), rats | Rats with diabetes were given an extract for six weeks. | They tolerated more pain before pulling a paw away, and had lower blood sugar. |
| [Yang 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32508945/), mice | A spinal nerve was tied off to cause lasting nerve pain, then a mycelium extract was given. | The mice showed less pain behaviour and less inflammation. Four of the authors worked for a company that makes lion's mane mycelium products. |
| [Üstün 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30570422/), cells | Mouse nerve cells in a dish had their fibres cut with a laser. | Cells treated with lion's mane survived better and regrew longer fibres. |

The studies used different preparations, including a water extract of fresh fruiting bodies, an alcohol extract and a mycelium extract, at doses worked out per kilo of body weight. None of them translates neatly into a capsule dose for a person.

## Why can't we rely on these results?

Results in rodents often fail in people, and these studies share some weaknesses:

- **Small groups.** The main rat study had 10 animals in each group.
- **Artificial injuries.** A crushed nerve in a young, healthy rat recovers within weeks even without treatment: the untreated rats here walked normally by day 14 to 17. Most people looking for help have long-term nerve damage from diabetes, chemotherapy, a trapped nerve or getting older, which is a different problem.
- **The same few labs.** The two rat crush studies came from one university group, and the mouse pain study was partly written by staff of a supplement maker.
- **No dose for people.** The studies were not designed to tell anyone how much to take.

In lab studies, lion's mane compounds make nerve cells produce more nerve growth factor, a protein that helps nerves grow and survive. That is a reasonable idea to test, and it is the same idea behind the [memory trials](/benefits/memory-and-cognition/). A 2026 paper even proposed testing lion's mane alongside lithium and vitamin B12, but it is a proposal for future experiments, not a result.

## What about diabetic neuropathy and MS?

Neither has been tested in people. In the one study of diabetic nerve pain, rats with diabetes given an extract for six weeks tolerated more pain and had lower blood sugar. In a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, a diet containing 5% lion's mane reduced the loss of the protective coating around nerves in the brain. Both are early findings.

If you live with diabetic neuropathy or MS, the treatments your GP or specialist recommends have far better evidence. Lion's mane should never replace them.

## Is it worth trying for nerve damage?

Only as an add-on, after you have seen a doctor, and knowing it is a gamble. Numbness, tingling, burning pain or weakness in the hands or feet can have causes that need treatment, so see a GP first. The [NHS advises](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/) seeing a GP if you have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, and regular check-ups if you are at high risk, such as people with diabetes.

If you decide to try it:

- Use a dose in the range tested in human trials for other conditions, 1 to 3 g a day of fruiting body. See [how much to take](/how-to-take/dosage/).
- Tell your GP or pharmacist, especially if you take medicine for diabetes or nerve pain, or if you are having chemotherapy.
- Check the [side effects](/safety/side-effects/) and stop if you get a rash, itching or breathing problems.
- Be wary of any product that promises nerve repair. "Nerve regeneration" is not an authorised health claim for lion's mane in Great Britain. See [how to buy lion's mane](/buying-guide/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can lion's mane repair nerve damage?

Nobody knows, because it has not been tested in people. In rats with a crushed nerve, lion's mane extract helped the leg recover a few days sooner, about as well as a form of vitamin B12 that was used for comparison.

### Does lion's mane help diabetic neuropathy?

There is one study in rats with diabetes, where an extract raised their pain threshold and lowered blood sugar over six weeks. There are no studies in people. If you have diabetes, keep to your treatment plan and talk to your diabetes team before adding a supplement.

### Does lion's mane help with sciatica?

No study has tested lion's mane for sciatica. The animal studies used deliberate nerve injuries in rats and mice, which are not the same as a trapped or irritated nerve in the back.

### Can lion's mane help multiple sclerosis?

It has not been tested in people with MS. In mice given a chemical that strips the coating from nerves, a diet containing 5% lion's mane reduced the loss of that coating. That is early lab work and no reason to change MS treatment.

### How long would lion's mane take to help nerves?

There is no human data to say. In the rat study, the extract was given for two weeks before the injury and every day after it, and the treated rats walked normally 4 to 7 days sooner than untreated ones.

## References

1. [Taib NAB et al. Application of medicinal mushrooms for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury: a systematic review. Medical Sciences, 2026.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41562932/)
2. [Wong KH et al. Peripheral nerve regeneration following crush injury to rat peroneal nerve by aqueous extract of medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21941586/)
3. [Wong KH et al. Hericium erinaceus, a medicinal mushroom, activates peripheral nerve regeneration. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2016.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25159861/)
4. [Yi Z et al. Protective effect of ethanol extracts of Hericium erinaceus on alloxan-induced diabetic neuropathic pain in rats. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25960754/)
5. [Yang PP et al. Effects of Hericium erinaceus mycelium extracts on the functional activity of purinoceptors and neuropathic pain in mice with L5 spinal nerve ligation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2020.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32508945/)
6. [Üstün R, Ayhan P. Regenerative activity of Hericium erinaceus on axonal injury model using in vitro laser microdissection technique. Neurological Research, 2019.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30570422/)
7. [Yamashina K et al. Suppressive effect of fruiting bodies of medicinal mushrooms on demyelination and motor dysfunction in a cuprizone-induced multiple sclerosis mouse model. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 2022.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36004706/)
8. [Radanović D et al. Peripheral nerve regeneration and synergistic pharmacology using Hericium erinaceus, lithium, and vitamin B12: the triple neuromodulatory axis hypothesis. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2026.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41878942/)
9. [NHS. Peripheral neuropathy.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/)
10. [ClinicalTrials.gov. Studies with lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) as the intervention.](https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?intr=Hericium%20OR%20%22lion%27s%20mane%22)