Compound Monograph
Erinacine A
The most-studied single active of lion's mane mycelium; an NGF-stimulating cyathane diterpenoid.
Sources · 1
Where Does It Come From?
Erinacine A is a naturally occurring cyathane diterpenoid, found in Lion's mane — mycelium. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Research & Evidence
Erinacine A is a cyathane diterpenoid produced by Hericium erinaceus mycelium — not by the fruiting body that most culinary and supplement products are made from. It is the most-studied single lion’s-mane active, stimulating nerve growth factor synthesis and showing neuroprotection across preclinical models, and a 49-week pilot RCT in mild Alzheimer’s disease used an erinacine-A-standardised mycelial extract (PMID 32581767). The mycelium/fruiting-body distinction is the key caveat: results from an erinacine-A extract do not transfer to a fruiting-body product.
Toxicity & Safety
The erinacine-A mycelial extract was well tolerated in the pilot trial. There is no isolated-compound safety dataset, and the flag reflects the extract’s trial tolerability rather than characterised toxicology of the pure diterpenoid.
Placeholder entry — a full monograph is pending via the compound-expansion worklist.
