Comparison
Lion's Mane vs Noopept
Side-by-side of Lion's Mane and Noopept. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Lion's Mane
Lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) supplement profile: hericenones and erinacines stimulate NGF in vitro. Human cognition trials are small.
Noopept
Noopept cognitive enhancer profile: 10 to 30 mg dosage, dipeptide nootropic mechanism, memory effects, and how it compares to piracetam.
Effects at a glance
Lion's Mane
- •Edible medicinal mushroom containing NGF-stimulating hericenones and erinacines
- •Mori 2009 trial (n=30) in mild cognitive impairment showed cognitive improvement at 3 g/day for 16 weeks, reversing 4 weeks after discontinuation
- •Saitsu 2019 (n=31) in older adults reported MoCA improvements at 3.2 g/day over 12 weeks
- •Multiple small mood trials suggest reduced anxiety and depression scores at 1 to 4 g/day extract
- •Mechanistic case rests on NGF stimulation and remyelination support; in vivo human NGF measurement is absent
- •Product quality varies substantially; mycelium-on-grain products can be over 50% grain by weight
Noopept
- •Russian dipeptide nootropic developed in the 1990s, registered in Russia 2002 for cognitive impairment
- •Roughly 1,000-fold higher per-mg potency than piracetam; therapeutic dose 10 to 30 mg/day
- •Active metabolite cycloprolylglycine modulates AMPA receptors and increases NGF and BDNF in rodent hippocampus
- •Russian RCTs in stroke recovery and vascular cognitive impairment show modest improvements over 4 to 8 weeks
- •Western evidence base is essentially absent; healthy-adult enhancement trials have not been published
- •Unscheduled in the US but not approved for human consumption; UK is prescription-only since 2014
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Lion's Mane | Noopept |
|---|---|---|
| Category | natural | nootropic |
| Also known as | Hericium erinaceus, Yamabushitake, Bearded Tooth, Hou Tou Gu | GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, Omberacetam |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 6 | 0.7 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 1000 | 20 |
| Dosing frequency | 1 to 2 times daily | 2 to 3 times daily, last dose before mid-afternoon |
| Routes | oral | oral, sublingual |
| Onset (hr) | 168 | 0.5 |
| Peak (hr) | 1344 | 1 |
| Molecular weight | - | 318.37 |
| Molecular formula | mixed extract | C17H22N2O4 |
| Mechanism | Hericenones and erinacines stimulate NGF mRNA expression and NGF protein release in cultured neurons; secondary anti-inflammatory and remyelination-supportive activity in preclinical models. | Hydrolyzed to active metabolite cycloprolylglycine; AMPA receptor modulation, BDNF and NGF upregulation, antioxidant and antiexcitotoxic effects. |
| Legal status | Dietary supplement and food worldwide; unscheduled and unrestricted | Approved in Russia and CIS states; prescription-only in UK; unscheduled and unapproved in US, EU varies |
| WADA status | allowed | unknown |
| DEA / Rx | OTC supplement and food | Not scheduled in the US |
| Pregnancy | Insufficient data for routine supplementation; consumed historically as food without documented harm | Not recommended |
| CAS | 157115-85-0 | |
| PubChem CID | 183503 | |
| Wikidata | Q146050 | Q4321022 |
Safety profile
Lion's Mane
Common side effects
- mild GI upset
- occasional skin rash
- contact dermatitis (rare)
Contraindications
- mushroom allergy
Interactions
- anticoagulants: theoretical antiplatelet effect, no documented clinical events(minor)
Noopept
Common side effects
- headache
- irritability
- sleep disturbance with late-day dosing
- occasional blood pressure elevation
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- lactation
- pediatric use
- severe hepatic impairment
- severe renal impairment
Interactions
- memantine and other glutamatergic agents: theoretical AMPA-pathway interaction(minor)
- antidepressants: theoretical effect via BDNF axis, undocumented(minor)
- antihypertensives: occasional blood pressure elevation may require monitoring(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Lion's Mane comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, OTC dietary supplement, oral dosing, with a Tier-B outcome catalogued. Noopept is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is nerve health, pick Lion's Mane.
- → If your priority is mood, pick Lion's Mane.
- → If your priority is memory, pick Noopept.
- → If your priority is stress and HPA-axis regulation, pick Noopept.
Edge case: If you want to avoid controlled substance, Lion's Mane is the more accessible choice.
Default choice: Lion's Mane. Lower friction to source, and broader goal coverage. Reach for Noopept only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Lion's Mane and Noopept?
Lion's Mane and Noopept differ in category (natural vs nootropic), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Lion's Mane or Noopept?
Lion's Mane half-life is 6 hours; Noopept half-life is 0.7 hours.
Can you stack Lion's Mane with Noopept?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
Go deeper