Estimated value
$12–28/lb fresh
Dried $40–90/lb
White, unyellowed icicle clusters. Browning kills the price. Cultivated supply is huge — wild is a chef novelty.
medicinal · choice
Lion's Mane
Hericium erinaceus
Also called Bearded tooth, Yamabushitake
Field marks
- Spore print
- White
- Smell
- Seafood, crab, mild
- Trees / hosts
- Oak, Maple, Beech, Walnut
- Elevation
- Low hardwood forests.
Description
White cascading icicles on hardwood wounds. No cap, no gills. Looks like a pom-pom. Closest lookalikes are other Hericium, all generally edible.
Where it grows
Wounded living or recently dead hardwoods.
How to find it
Walk hardwood stands and scan scars on oak, maple, beech. Often above eye level.
How to pick
Cut the cluster flush, leaving a pad on the tree. Use the same day — it yellows fast.
Medicinal notes
Widely studied for nerve-growth-factor support (hericenones, erinacines). Evidence is promising but not a cure. Culinary doses are the common path. Consult a clinician before using as treatment.
Psychoactive / controlled
None. Not hallucinogenic. May feel mildly clarifying to some users of extracts.
Law
Legal food and supplement. Selling extracts as disease claims is regulated.
Lookalikes
Other Hericium (coral tooth, bear's head)
Edible cousins. Avoid anything slimy, orange, or with a cap.
Field ID ticket
Tick every required mark in the woods. 0/3 required. This still is not laboratory certainty.
Do not eat or sell this specimen. Missing required marks.