Lion's mane and focus in rugby
Answer
No authorised claim exists for lion's mane and focus, or for anything else. The research is early and mostly preclinical, and nothing supports an effect on decision making in a match.
Key takeaways
- Is there a focus claim?
- No. Lion's mane has no authorised health claim of any kind in the UK.
- What does the research show?
- An early literature, mostly preclinical with a small number of small human trials. Interesting rather than established.
- Why do players take it then?
- Curiosity and a low price. Futuro Labs Lion's Mane is 13p a day, the cheapest of the four products here.
The claim position
Lion's mane carries no authorised health claim in the UK. Not for focus, concentration, memory, brain fog or decision making. Any product marketed on those is making a claim that has not been assessed and accepted.
That is the whole answer to the focus question, and it applies equally to a fly half before a kick, a scrum half organising a defensive line and a student player in exam term.
What holds up late in a match
Conditioning, familiarity with the patterns being called, and sleep. Those are the things that determine decision quality in the last quarter, and none of them is bought.
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane is a 1500mg mushroom equivalent capsule from a 5 to 1 extract at 13p a day. It is bought on curiosity and an early literature at a price where being wrong costs very little, and that is the honest case for it rather than a focus claim.
The full version
- Lion's mane for rugby playersThe full honest position, including how to judge it for yourself over a season.
- Futuro Labs Lion's Mane: the full labelExtract ratio, implied extract weight and cost per day.
The product
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane
Futuro Labs Lion's Mane is the 1500mg mushroom equivalent one at 13p a day, stating its 5 to 1 extract ratio and declaring its bulking agent. It carries no authorised health claim and this site does not give it one.
- 1500mg mushroom equivalent, 5:1 extract
- 50% polyphenols, bulking agent declared
- Vegan capsule, UK made to GMP
- No authorised health claim exists
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Does lion's mane improve focus?
No authorised claim exists for focus or for anything else.
What does the research actually cover?
An early literature, mostly preclinical, with a small number of small human trials.
Is it worth trying?
At 13p a day the cost of being wrong is small, which is the only honest basis.
Do kickers benefit more?
No. With no authorised claim of any kind, nothing about a position or a role changes the answer.
What actually holds up late in a match?
Conditioning, familiarity with the patterns being called, and sleep.
Do kickers benefit more?
No. With no authorised claim of any kind, nothing about a position or a role changes the answer.
What actually holds up late in a match?
Conditioning, familiarity with the patterns being called, and sleep.