Genius Mushrooms is a dietary supplement used to enhance brain function. The brand claims that the mushrooms in their supplement can “enhance mental clarity, immune function, natural energy, and more.”
But do research studies prove these claims? Does Genius Mushrooms contain any questionable additives? Did our Product Tester experience any notable effects? And does Genius Mushrooms cause side effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Genius Mushrooms to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for for optimizing cognitive function, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also document the experience of our Product Tester who tried Genius Mushrooms for 30 days, and provide a cost breakdown to show what retailer sells Genius Mushrooms for the best price.
Key takeaways:
- Contains mushroom ingredients with research backing for cognitive health
- We consider these ingredients to be underdosed
- We do not currently recommend Genius Mushrooms
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Genius Mushooms are shown below:
Cordyceps was shown in a 2018 clinical trial to improve learning and memory, but this is an animal study and we can’t find any trials showing the same in humans (nor does the brand cite any on their product page).
The dose used in this study was also vastly higher than included in Genius Mushrooms.
Reishi is clinically shown to reduce stress as we documented in our CalmiGo review article, which may have indirect benefits to cognition.
A clinical trial published in the Stem Cell Reports journal suggests that reishi may protect the brain from cognitive decline caused by neurodegenerative disease, but again this is based on animal studies.
We can’t find any medical studies in humans suggesting that reishi mushroom optimizes cognition in humans, nor does the brand cite any on their product page.
Lion’s mane was shown in a 2019 clinical trial to significantly improve cognitive function, but the dose used in the study was 800 milligrams (mg), while the dose in Genius Mushrooms is only 500 mg.
A clinical trial published in the International Journal of Exercise Science found that lion’s mane had no impact on cognition in college-aged adults.
The good news about Genius Mushrooms is that its inactive ingredients, shown below, are likely safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we consider Genius Mushrooms potentially effective for improving or optimizing cognition given the early research on these compounds in animals.
However, we’re unable to find any clinical trials in humans showing these ingredients improve cognition at their respective doses in this supplement.
Genius Mushrooms doesn’t appear to be clinically tested, nor does the brand cite any medical research on their product page suggesting their product is likely to work.
We do not currently recommend Genius Mushrooms.
We Tried Genius Mushrooms Ourselves
One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried Genius Mushrooms for 30 days. Here's his experience:
The Genius Mushroom jar was pretty easy to open. It came sealed with a very brightly colored lid, so you’ll never lose it!
These pills didn’t taste like anything, which is good, since other mushroom supplements I've tried had a pungent flavor.
A single serving of this product is three pills, which is quite a bit for a single supplement, and which I'm not a fan of.
I personally didn’t feel any effects from this mushroom-based product.
I previously tried the Life Cykel Lion’s Mane mushroom product and think that was a lot more stimulating!
I didn't experience any side effects while using this product.
The serving size is the only thing I'd recommend that other people be aware of, since many others share my feelings about large serving sizes.
Overall, I would rate this product a 2/10, and I don't plan on purchasing it in the future.
Will Genius Mushrooms Cause Side Effects?
As referenced in the ingredient analysis section, Genius Mushrooms doesn’t appear to be clinically tested. This makes it more challenging to determine whether or not the supplement is likely to cause side effects, but we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We do not believe that Genius Mushrooms is likely to cause side effects in healthy adults.
All three mushrooms used by the brand are well-studied, and are not included at particularly high doses.
Reishi caused no more side effects than placebo in a 2007 clinical trial.
A medical review on cordyceps published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology journal found that in most of the clinical trials analyzed, “no adverse effects were reported.”
This supplement contains whole food ingredients that do not appear to be extracted for increased potency, which may reduce the risk of side effects compared to mushroom extract supplements.
Our Clean Nootropic Picks
Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract is our top herbal nootropic pick.
A medical review published in the Psychopharmacology journal found that ginkgo biloba supplementation improved attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.
Mind Lab Pro by Performance Lab is our top multi-ingredient nootropic pick.
This is the first Illuminate Labs Certified supplement, and has been shown to be effective for short-term cognitive improvements in two clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals.
Customers Rate Genius Mushrooms
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
Genius Mushrooms has been reviewed over 33,000 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “jasmine” who gives the supplement a 5/5 star rating and claims it helped to improve focus:
“So, I haven’t been taking these for long but even the first 2 days I could feel a 100% difference in my focus. I started a new job this week and these have been a game-changer. They’ve allowed me to absorb and retain more information than normal. I’ve been able to recall information when needed and come across with insights in meetings I’ve attended.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Alex” who gives the supplement a 1/5 star rating and claims it caused side effects:
“My body did not agree with these. I threw up and felt sick the first few days after taking these…Then I noticed I was fatigued all the time, irritable, and got really depressed. I didn’t know what was going on…These made me feel really bad. I felt like a robot, and like I was having an out of body experience. My arms and legs were tingling all the time too. It literally hurt to take a shower. I did not like them. My body may be allergic to them. I literally was miserable for 6 months and this was the only thing different.”
Genius Mushrooms has an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
Where to Get the Best Price
Genius Mushrooms is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of publishing this article:
CVS: $24.99 (link)
Brand website: $21.99 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $21.95 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $21.95 (free shipping – link to official Amazon listing)
Genius Mushrooms currently costs at least 20% less on Amazon compared to other retail sites when factoring in shipping fees.
Genius Mushrooms Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Genius Mushrooms in our opinion:
Pros:
- Naturally-derived ingredients
- May support brain health
- May improve focus
- Affordable
- Mostly positive customer reviews
- Inactive ingredients are likely safe and non-toxic
Cons:
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- We can’t find evidence these ingredient doses are effective in humans
- Brand doesn’t provide evidence these ingredient doses are effective in humans nor does the brand provide any
