Key takeaways
- Erinacines are diterpenoids found mainly in Lion’s Mane mycelium.
- Fruiting bodies contain very little, if any.
- Research materials often differ from commercial products.
- Our fruiting body tincture isn’t claimed to contain erinacines.
Erinacines are often mentioned in Lion’s Mane marketing, sometimes misleadingly. This article explains what they are and, importantly, where they’re found.
What are erinacines?
Erinacines are a group of diterpenoid compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus. Several have been identified, such as erinacine A.
Where are they found?
Erinacines are found mainly in the mycelium. They are present in the fruiting body in very small amounts, if at all. This is a key difference from hericenones, which are associated with the fruiting body. See Lion’s Mane Fruiting Body vs Mycelium.
Research materials
Much erinacine research uses mycelium grown in specific laboratory conditions, sometimes enriched for particular erinacines. Commercial mycelium products, especially those grown on grain, may not resemble these materials.
What this means for buyers
- A fruiting body product shouldn’t be marketed as a source of erinacines.
- A mycelium product claiming erinacines should state how it was grown and show testing.
Our position
Our Lion’s Mane tincture is made from fruiting bodies. We don’t claim it contains erinacines.