Reishi is the first pick for everyday stress, and it goes in the evening. Lion's Mane is second and goes in the morning: in a double-blind pilot of a Lion's Mane preparation, healthy young adults reported feeling less stressed after 28 days. Chaga is third, a caffeine-free drink for where the fourth coffee would go. All three are hot water extracts at 8:1 or 10:1. For anything beyond everyday stress, talk to your doctor.
Start here. Reishi is the mushroom with the largest human trial literature in our range, and the only one people consistently describe as settling.
Second, and the pick if your stress shows up as not being able to think straight. It is the only mushroom here with a human finding on self-reported stress.
Third, on practical grounds. If caffeine is part of why you feel wired, the useful change is something else to drink, and this is the one people enjoy.
| # | Mushroom | Key compound | Best for | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reishi | Triterpenes, beta-glucans | Evening wind-down | $29.99 |
| 2 | Lion's Mane | Hericenones, erinacines | Daytime stress and focus | $29.99 |
| 3 | Chaga | Melanin, betulinic acid | Cutting back on caffeine | $32.99 |
Ganoderma lucidum
Start here. Reishi is the mushroom with the largest human trial literature in our range, and the only one people consistently describe as settling.
Hericium erinaceus
Second, and the pick if your stress shows up as not being able to think straight. It is the only mushroom here with a human finding on self-reported stress.
Inonotus obliquus
Third, on practical grounds. If caffeine is part of why you feel wired, the useful change is something else to drink, and this is the one people enjoy.
What customers report. Individual experience varies; none of this is a clinical claim.
The widest survey of the Reishi literature: 17 clinical trials covering 971 participants, at doses from 200 to 11,200 mg a day. Pooled analysis found significant improvements in BMI, serum creatinine, glutathione peroxidase and resting heart rate. Many other markers did not move, and the reviewers rate the certainty of the underlying trials as low and call for better-designed studies, which is the usual state of a field this active and this young.
Food Science & Nutrition · 2025A double-blind trial in healthy young adults. A single dose produced faster performance on a processing-speed task, and after 28 days of daily use participants reported feeling less stressed. An encouraging early result, and the reason larger trials are now being called for.
Nutrients · 2023A pilot trial in 48 patients undergoing endocrine therapy reported improved fatigue and physical wellbeing scores using Reishi spore powder. A different preparation from a fruiting body extract and a clinical setting, and an encouraging signal from a mushroom taken for exactly this reason for centuries.
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2012
