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 is there medical research backing these claims, or are they just marketing claims? Does Genius Mushrooms contain any questionable additive ingredients? How do real users rate and review the effects of the supplement? And what retailer sells Genius Mushrooms for the best price?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Genius Mushrooms based on medical studies to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective for improving or supporting cognition, or if it’s a waste of money.
We’ll feature real customer reviews, and provide a cost breakdown to show what retailer sells Genius Mushrooms for the best price.
Ingredient Analysis
Genius Mushrooms contains three active ingredients, as shown above: cordyceps mushroom, reishi mushroom and lion’s mane mushroom.
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 are likely safe and non-toxic, as shown below:
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 the dose 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.
But how do real users rate and describe the effects of Genius Mushrooms? We’ll feature some unsponsored user reviews in the next section.
Genius Mushroom User Reviews
A TikTok creator named Vanessa claims to have experienced side effects from Genius Mushrooms:
@ms.vanessarose Replying to @rocklopster MUSHROOM UPDATE #geniusmushrooms #sensitivetummygang #tmi ♬ original sound - Vanessa
A TikTok creator named Nicole Papageorge who claims to have ADD reviewed this supplement:
@vibingwithgaia #geniusmushrooms @thegeniusbrand #productreview #mushroomtiktoks🍄 #mushytok #holistichealth #healthyalternatives ♬ original sound - Nicole Papageorge
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.
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.
Real Customers Review 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.
Our Clean Nootropic Picks
Mind Lab Pro by Performance Lab is our top premium 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.
Bulletproof MCT Oil is our top food-based nootropic pick.
MCT oil is derived from coconut oil, and improved memory recall by 20% in adults in a 2022 meta-study.
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.
Pros and Cons of Genius Mushrooms
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
