Third-Party Tested Lion’s Mane Supplements
Buy Nootropics Depot Lion’s Mane 8:1, at $0.50 a day. Its lab report confirms it is made from the mushroom itself and finds heavy metals under the limits printed on the report. Of single lion’s manes, only Double Wood is on a public testing list.
By Erin Rose Updated November 2, 2026 How we score
Our recommendation
Buy Nootropics Depot Lion's Mane 8:1 Extract
The report names the lab, the lot and the method for each test. Its identity test matched fruiting bodies, and it shows 115.5 mg of beta-glucan, the mushroom fiber labs measure. One capsule is a serving.
Buy on Amazon- Want a product on a testing list? Double Wood Lion's Mane Mushroom 500 mg is on NSF/ANSI 173, at $0.38 a day. It holds 1,000 mg of dried fruiting body and mycelium, and states no beta-glucan.
- Want the most beta-glucan for the money? Real Mushrooms Lion's Mane posts an SGS report showing 30.5% beta-glucan, at $0.58 a day.
On a public testing list (2)
An outside program checked these products and lists them by name. Tap a badge to see the listing.
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The one single lion’s mane on a public list
Double Wood Lion's Mane Mushroom 500 mg
1,000 mg of lion’s mane in 2 capsules. Dried fruiting body and mycelium, not called an extract. States no beta-glucan. NSF lists a capsule with this name; the brand’s page shows no NSF mark.
$0.38 a day
Buy on Amazon -
Transparent Labs Mushroom Stack
1,000 mg of lion’s mane in 3 capsules, in a blend with cordyceps and reishi. Informed Choice screens for banned substances in sport; it does not measure lion’s mane. States no beta-glucan.
$0.83 a day
Buy on Amazon
Posts a lab report for the product (2)
No testing program lists these. The brand posts a report from a named lab that shows what it found in the product.
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Our pick
Nootropics Depot Lion's Mane 8:1 Extract
✓ Lab report posted
500 mg of lion’s mane in 1 capsule, 8:1 fruiting-body extract. Report for the capsule: fruiting-body identity matched, 115.5 mg beta-glucan and 15.7 mg alpha-glucan a capsule, lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury each under 0.5 ppm. Lab: Omnient Labs, September 14, 2026.
$0.50 a day
Buy on Amazon -
Most beta-glucan per dollar
Real Mushrooms Lion's Mane
✓ Lab report posted
1,000 mg of lion’s mane in 2 capsules, hot-water fruiting-body extract. Report from SGS, April 7, 2025: 30.5% beta-glucan and 3.6% alpha-glucan (Megazyme K-YBGL), plus metals and microbes. One sample, not one per lot.
$0.58 a day
Buy on Amazon
A day = one serving at the brand’s own list price, checked October 6, 2026. Amazon’s price can differ. Reports read October 31, 2026; Real Mushrooms’ SGS report was read on its page October 7, 2026.
No report we could read (2)
We found no lab report on the brand’s page for these two.
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FreshCap Lion's Mane 14:1
No report found
1,000 mg of lion’s mane in 2 capsules, 14:1 fruiting-body extract. The label says 31% beta-glucan and the brand says it is third-party tested. We found no lab name and no report on its page.
$0.67 a day
Check price -
Host Defense Lion's Mane
No report found
1,000 mg of lion’s mane in 2 capsules, and that gram is mycelium together with the brown rice it grew on. States no beta-glucan, and no testing claim or report.
$1.05 a day
Check price
What a lion’s mane lab report shows
Which part of the mushroom. Mycelium is the root-like part, and some makers grow it on rice or oats and sell it with the grain. Nootropics Depot’s report includes an identity test (HPTLC) that matched fruiting bodies. A report with no identity test cannot tell you which you are buying.
Beta-glucan and starch. Beta-glucan is the mushroom fiber labs can measure. Alpha-glucan is mostly starch, and a lab method counts beta-glucan as total glucan minus alpha (McCleary 2016). Nootropics Depot’s report shows 115.5 mg beta-glucan and 15.7 mg alpha-glucan a capsule. Real Mushrooms’ shows 30.5% and 3.6%.
Metals. Nootropics Depot’s report lists lead 0.1072 ppm, cadmium 0.1047 ppm, arsenic under 0.1000 ppm and mercury under 0.0100 ppm, against the report’s limit of 0.5 ppm each. The lab is Omnient Labs, with an accreditation mark printed on the report. It does not test for microbes.
Want the full ranking, with scores and the cost per gram? See the best lion’s mane. Comparing two brands? See Real Mushrooms vs Nootropics Depot.
What does each testing program check?
| Program | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Informed Choice | Tests each batch for substances banned in sport. It does not measure how much lion’s mane is in the product. |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Checks that what the label says is in the bottle, and that lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium stay under set limits. It does not measure beta-glucan or tell mushroom from grain. |
| A brand’s posted report | Shows what a lab found in one lot. The brand chose to post it, so check the lot number, the lab’s name and which tests it ran. |
How to check your own bottle
- Find the lot number on the bottle. Open the brand’s lab report page and look for that lot.
- Look for the lab’s name and a test for identity, not only a pass line.
- Look for a beta-glucan amount in milligrams, with alpha-glucan beside it.
- Look for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury as numbers, not just “pass”.
- For a public listing, search NSF’s list for the exact product name.
This page compares products. It is not medical advice. Ask your doctor before taking lion’s mane if you take a blood thinner or have a mushroom allergy.
Questions
Is Double Wood better because it is on NSF?
Only for what NSF checks: that the bottle holds what the label says and that metals stay under limits. NSF/ANSI 173 does not measure beta-glucan or tell mushroom from grain. Double Wood’s label says fruiting body and mycelium and states no beta-glucan. Pick it if a public listing matters most. Pick Nootropics Depot if you want to see the beta-glucan.
How much beta-glucan should lion’s mane have?
There is no official amount. Real Mushrooms’ report shows 30.5% by weight. Nootropics Depot’s report shows 115.5 mg in each 500 mg capsule. Compare milligrams in one serving, not only the percent.
Does a lab report mean every bottle is the same?
No. A report covers the lot tested. Nootropics Depot’s three capsule reports we read all come from one raw-material batch (HC80411224) and show the same numbers. Match the lot number on your bottle to a report.
Does lion’s mane work?
Trials in people are small and the results are mixed. See what each trial found.
Sources
- NSF/ANSI 173 listing, Double Wood LLC (Lion’s Mane Mushroom 500 mg, Farmingdale, NY), info.nsf.org, read October 31, 2026.
- Nootropics Depot lab reports, Omnient Labs, lots HC8CS1091426, HC8CS1071026, HC8CS1042726A: lot HC8CS1091426 (report September 14, 2026), read October 31, 2026.
- Real Mushrooms, SGS report VR25-01992.002 on its capsule page, completed April 7, 2025, read October 7, 2026.
- Informed Choice, Informed Sport and NSF Certified for Sport lists, read October 6, 2026; USP Verified list as of September 22, 2026.
- McCleary BV, Draga A. J AOAC Int. 2016;99(2):364-73. PubMed 26957216