Can Mushroom Blends Reduce Anxiety? Here’s What Scientists Found

Mushroom Moment: Fungi are being used as functional foods in all sorts of products and supplements, with claims they can improve mood and focus, boost brain health, manage stress, and even rev up your sex life. Many of the claims, however,  don’t have solid clinical evidence to back up the hype. A new clinical trial examined two popular types of functional mushrooms — lion’s mane and reishi — and their effect on anxiety. 

The Study: Researchers randomized 84 women ages 18 to 26 into three groups. For 28 days, one group took powdered lion’s mane, the second group took a combination of powdered lion’s mane and reishi, and the third group took a placebo. The women taking the mushroom blend reported lower anxiety scores and perceived stress than women taking lion’s mane alone. 

The Takeaway: The researchers didn’t determine whether the blend of the two mushrooms or the reishi itself was responsible for anxiety improvement. Plus, improvement in psychological metrics were widespread across all groups, which suggests expectancy effects: Participants may have felt better because they expected to, simply from being in the study. 

Keep in Mind: This was a single small study. More research is needed to confirm these findings.