EVIDENCE-GRADED GUIDES

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Honest grades for each mushroom, no medical claims. These are dietary supplements, not treatments. Check with a clinician, especially if you're pregnant, on medication or managing a condition.

How we grade. Strong: several consistent, well-run human trials. Moderate: some good human trials, usually on one specific extract. Limited: small or mixed human studies plus lab work. Very limited: mostly lab or animal data. Grades are editorial summaries of the linked Memorial Sloan Kettering pages and are reviewed as new evidence appears.

EVIDENCE: LIMITED

Lion's mane

Hericium erinaceus

Mostly lab and animal research on nerve-growth compounds, plus small human trials. Interesting, but not established.

Also a great culinary mushroom; see the grow guide.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: LIMITED

Reishi

Ganoderma lucidum

Studied for immune effects, mostly in lab work and small or low-quality human trials. Reports of liver injury exist, and it may interact with blood thinners.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: LIMITED

Cordyceps

Cordyceps spp. (militaris / CS-4)

Small trials on exercise and fatigue have mixed results. Most products use cultivated C. militaris or fermented mycelium, not wild C. sinensis.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: VERY LIMITED

Chaga

Inonotus obliquus

Almost entirely lab and animal data. Very high in oxalate, and oxalate kidney injury has been reported. People with kidney issues or on blood thinners should be cautious.

Wild-harvested chaga raises sustainability questions.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: MODERATE (SPECIFIC EXTRACTS)

Turkey tail

Trametes (Coriolus) versicolor

The most studied in this group, mainly the purified extracts PSK and PSP used in cancer-care research in Asia. That doesn't carry over to over-the-counter powders.

Never a substitute for treatment. Talk to your oncologist.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: LIMITED

Maitake

Grifola frondosa

Studied for immune and blood-sugar effects in lab work and small human studies. It may affect blood sugar and interact with related medications.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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EVIDENCE: LIMITED (AS SUPPLEMENT)

Shiitake

Lentinula edodes

A nutritious food. Research on the supplement is limited, and eating it raw or undercooked can cause a skin rash (shiitake dermatitis).

Easy to grow; see the grow guide.

Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering · About Herbs

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More background: National Cancer Institute · Medicinal Mushrooms (PDQ). U.S. tracked retail sales of functional mushroom supplements were $74.6M for the 52 weeks to Jan 26, 2025 (+7.7%) per SPINS, as reported by NutraIngredients (Jan 2026).