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 does Genius Mushroom use ingredients proven to enhance brain function? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's honest experience trying it for a month? And is Genius Mushrooms better or worse than popular nootropic supplements like Auri Mushroom Gummies?
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, discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Genius Mushrooms to other popular nootropics to pick our winners (and losers).
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 be effective for any functional outcome.
We do not currently recommend Genius Mushrooms.
We Tested Genius Mushrooms
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.
Genius Mushrooms vs. Popular Nootropics
Here's how Genius Mushooms compares to other popular nootropic supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Auri Mushroom Gummies
Contains an active ingredient which is clinically shown to worsen arterial function.
Also contains three inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy (including refined, added sugar).
Genius Mushrooms is the healthier option.
Winner: Genius Mushrooms
Neuriva
While this brand's most popular supplement (Neuriva Original) has been shown to be effective in a legitimate clinical trial, it also contains titanium dioxide.
This synthetic colorant is banned in the EU due to toxicity concerns, as we documented in our Neuriva review article.
Genius Mushrooms has the advantage from a health perspective.
Winner: Genius Mushrooms
Noobru
Contains both active and inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy.
Genius Mushrooms is the healthier option.
Winner: Genius Mushrooms
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.
Genius Mushrooms Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Naturally-derived ingredients
- May support brain health
- May improve focus
- Inactive ingredients are likely safe and non-toxic
- Healthier option than competitors
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Our Product Tester didn't experience any benefits
- 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
