NGF and BDNF are two of the most important growth factors in your brain. They partly determine how sharp you think, how well you learn, and how resilient your nervous system is. Lion's Mane is one of the few natural substances that research suggests can support the production of both.
What are NGF and BDNF?
NGF stands for Nerve Growth Factor — a protein that drives the growth, maintenance and survival of nerve cells. BDNF, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, does something similar but focuses more strongly on learning, memory and brain plasticity.
Both are so-called neurotrophic factors. Think of them as maintenance staff for your nervous system: they keep existing connections intact and stimulate the formation of new ones.
Low NGF levels are linked in research to neurodegenerative conditions. Low BDNF levels to depression, brain fog and reduced learning capacity. Not minor players, then.
How does Lion's Mane work on this?
Lion's Mane — the comb-like mushroom with long white spines — contains two unique bioactive compounds: hericenones and erinacines. These are the substances central to scientific research on NGF stimulation.
Hericenones are found in the fruiting body of the mushroom. Erinacines in the mycelium. Both can cross the blood-brain barrier, making them biologically relevant. Once in brain tissue, they stimulate the synthesis of NGF — its production, not just a temporary spike.
Studies suggest these compounds can upregulate NGF gene expression. Put simply: they prompt your body to produce more NGF itself.
The role of the myelin sheath
Beyond NGF stimulation, Lion's Mane may also support the integrity of the myelin sheath — the protective layer around nerve fibers that speeds signal transmission. Damaged myelin leads to slower cognitive processing. Healthy myelin does the opposite.
This mechanism makes Lion's Mane interesting for more than just productivity. It touches on the structural health of the nervous system itself.
What does the research say?
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study from 2009 (Mori et al.) showed that participants taking Lion's Mane achieved significantly higher scores on cognitive function tests than the placebo group. After stopping, scores declined again — evidence that the effect was linked to intake.
More recent research, published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, showed that erinacines in cell models significantly increased BDNF production. Research on BDNF stimulation in humans remains limited, but the mechanistic basis is there.
Studies also suggest Lion's Mane has neuroprotective properties: it can reduce oxidative stress in neurons, which indirectly contributes to an environment where NGF and BDNF can do their job better.
What does this mean in practice?
No crash at 2 p.m. Faster task switching. Less effort to process long passages of text. These are the effects users most often describe — and they align with what NGF and BDNF do when functioning optimally.
They're not stimulants. No temporary boost. Lion's Mane's action is gradual and structural — targeting the system, not the symptom.
Fruiting body versus mycelium
This distinction is crucial. Hericenones — the compounds from the fruiting body — are present only in the fruiting body itself. Many cheaper products on the market use mycelium on grain: the root system of the mushroom, grown on a substrate of grains.
That delivers a product with high starch concentration and low concentration of active compounds. The science demonstrating NGF stimulation is based on fruiting body extracts — not mycelium on grain.
Nooni uses exclusively 100% fruiting bodies. No mycelium on grain.
Dual extraction: why it matters
NGF-stimulating compounds in Lion's Mane — particularly hericenones — are fat-soluble. They're released through alcohol extraction. Beta-glucans, the immunomodulating polysaccharides, are water-soluble.
A single extraction process always misses one category. Nooni uses dual extraction: first water, then alcohol. Both groups of active compounds remain intact. Third-party tested for concentration and purity.
The right dosage
Studies showing positive effects on NGF and cognition typically use dosages between 250 and 500 mg standardized extract per day. Nooni's Mushroom Coffee contains 450 mg Lion's Mane per serving — within that range, without excess.
Consistency matters more than dose. The effects of NGF stimulation are not acute. They build over weeks, not hours.
Lion's Mane in Nooni's products
Lion's Mane is in three of Nooni's products — each with its own context.
Mushroom Coffee combines 450 mg Lion's Mane with Chaga and Tremella. The coffee delivers caffeine for immediate alertness; Lion's Mane supports the underlying cognitive infrastructure. The result is focus without the usual caffeine side effect: the crash.
Mushroom Matcha pairs Lion's Mane with Reishi and Tremella. Matcha contains L-theanine, which softens the caffeine response and works synergistically with Lion's Mane's NGF-supporting action.
Mushroom Cacao focuses more on recovery and ease — with Lion's Mane for cognitive continuity, Reishi for sleep quality and Tremella for hydration. For those wanting to close out the day in the evening without shutting the brain down completely.
Conclusion
NGF and BDNF are not hype. They are the biochemical foundations of a well-functioning brain — and Lion's Mane is one of the best-researched natural substances to support them. Want to know how Nooni incorporates Lion's Mane into daily rituals? Check out the products at getnooni.com.
