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Questions & Answers

A collection of Q&A sessions about Lionberry products, American elderberry, and Lion’s Mane mushroom. 

Disclaimer: This video is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, nor should it be treated as such. If you need medical advice, please consult a real, licensed professional who probably wears a stethoscope more often than I do.

Also, for the record: this video was filmed on a very tall table. I do have big feet, but no — I am not a hobbit. Please don’t ask me about Second Breakfast.

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The Power of American Elderberry:

Local Roots, Global Impact

In this Q&A, the speaker explains the health benefits of elderberry, including compounds like protocatechuic acid, quercetin, and Omega-3s for brain health. They highlight the importance of American elderberry as a native Midwest crop, discuss cultivars grown in Kansas and Missouri, and stress the need for a strong local supply chain to replace reliance on European elderberry imports. Elderberry is presented not only as a health resource but also as a regenerative farming solution that supports soil health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and additional revenue for farmers.

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Food as Medicine:

Elderberry, Lion’s Mane, and Soil Health

In this short Q&A, the speaker emphasizes that food functions as medicine, supporting the immune system, reducing inflammation, and improving gut health. Lion’s mane mushroom is highlighted for its role in regenerative nerve health, while elderberry is praised both for its health benefits and for its contribution to regenerative agriculture. Elderberry is described as valuable not only for human wellness but also for building healthier soil.

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Lion’s Mane Extract:

Brain Health and Nerve Regeneration

In this Q&A, the speaker explains the powerful properties of Lion’s Mane mushroom extract. A double extraction process captures compounds from both the fruiting body and mycelium, providing precursors to nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These compounds support nerve regeneration and brain health, helping to counter the natural decline from aging, depression, or illness. While Lion’s Mane can be eaten fresh, concentrated tinctures make it easier to obtain therapeutic levels of phytonutrients. The extract is commonly added to coffee, tea, or smoothies, forming a key component of the Lionberry product alongside elderberry.

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Getting Started with Elderberry:

Drinks or Concentrates

The speaker introduces ways to begin with elderberry products, depending on personality and preference. Some may prefer a daily teaspoon of concentrated elderberry, while others might try a four-pack of elderberry drinks. Both options are tasty, with flavors reminiscent of grape and tart cherry. The discussion emphasizes that food has always been medicine—supporting health and forming part of regenerative agriculture practices—reminding us that eating well is both a personal and ecological choice.

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Why Take Elderberry?

Antioxidants and Inflammation Support

In this Q&A, the speaker explains why elderberry is such a popular health food. Elderberries contain exceptionally high levels of antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins—the compounds responsible for the deep purple color of many fruits. Ranking among the top fruits for anthocyanin content (second only to chokeberry), elderberry provides powerful support against inflammation. The antioxidants break down into beneficial metabolites such as protocatechuic acid, which further contribute to health benefits.

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When Will I Notice Results from Lion’s Mane?

In this Q&A, the speaker explains that while Lion’s Mane is not medical advice but rather a functional food, many people report benefits within one to three weeks of regular use. Research suggests men may feel effects slightly faster than women. Taken daily, even in small amounts such as two milliliters, Lion’s Mane is being explored for supporting everything from senior cognitive decline to ADHD in younger generations. The speaker predicts that within a few years, Lion’s Mane will become a household staple—fortifying drinks much like calcium in orange juice or iodine in salt—making products like Lionberry a natural fit for everyday wellness.

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Will Picky Kids Like the Taste of Elderberry?

In this Q&A, the speaker emphasizes that elderberry drinks were designed with picky kids—and adults—in mind. Thanks to flavors like Concord grape, tart cherry, honey, and lemon, the drinks taste more like natural sports beverages such as Pedialyte or Gatorade, rather than bitter or spicy herbal blends. While subtle undertones of elderberry and elderflower tea remain, the flavor profile is light, fruity, and appealing, making it enjoyable for even the fussiest palates.

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Lion’s Mane Extract and Nerve Growth Support

In this Q&A, the speaker describes Lion’s Mane mushroom extract, a powerful double extraction made with both alcohol and water at Meyers Mushrooms in the Midwest. The tincture includes compounds from both the fruiting body and the mycelium, which stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These compounds act like “miracle grow” for nerve branches, supporting regeneration that naturally declines with age, depression, stroke, or other conditions. Research on Lion’s Mane is robust, confirming its role in promoting nerve health and cognitive support.

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Building a Local Value Chain:

Kansas State Fair

In this Q&A, the speaker shares their excitement about showcasing products at the Kansas State Fair. They describe their “24-farm value chain,” which connects local producers including Meyers Mushrooms, Shoney Honey, Elder Farms, and Bueller Organics. This network supports juicing, elderberry extract, and other inputs, ensuring that money spent locally is reinvested in the community. The speaker emphasizes the multiplier effect of recirculating dollars through local farms and plans to invite collaborators and guest speakers to their booth to engage directly with the community.

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Elderberry Products and Low-Sugar Options

In this Q&A, the speaker addresses whether their products are suitable for people following low-sugar or keto lifestyles. All products use local raw Shoney honey as a natural sweetener, with no added or processed sugars. While this means they are not calorie-free, they remain free of refined sugar. For those who want elderberry without honey, the speaker also offers a wholesale elderberry extract that contains no added sugar at all, providing an option for customers who prefer or require a sugar-free alternative.

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Find Us at Festivals and the Kansas State Fair

In this Q&A, the speaker highlights where to find Lionberry products at local events. They share excitement about offering refreshing elderberry-based drinks at festivals, farmers’ markets, and the Kansas State Fair. Customers are encouraged to check the steelblue-meerkat-818915.hostingersite.com website for updates, stop by in person, and enjoy the drinks as a delicious recovery option—especially on hot days when paired with water.

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How Much Lionberry Should I Drink?

In this Q&A, the speaker explains that drinking Lionberry is much like enjoying a food—it depends on your needs and preferences. While some people choose to drink a whole bottle at once, others may split it to be mindful of calories since it contains honey. Athletes and heavy laborers, like the speaker’s husband who is a welder, often drink the full bottle without hesitation. Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with finishing the whole drink if you’re thirsty and want to enjoy it.

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Lionberry

The Power of American Elderberry:

Local Roots, Global Impact

It has protocatechuic acid—that’s a metabolite. It also has quercetin. There are some studies coming out of the University of Missouri showing that quercetin and Omega-3 fatty acids together benefit brain health. The formula also includes elderflower.

Question: Does elderberry grow locally in Kansas and Missouri?

Elderberry is native to the Midwest and is definitely a native plant in Kansas and Missouri. The cultivars we use here include Pocahontas, Cherokee, Bob Gordon, Adams, Ranch, and Marge. (Marge is not technically American elderberry, but the others are.)

The American elderberry is especially important. We all remember COVID and the supply chain disruptions, when we wanted products we couldn’t get. Looking forward, global politics and economics are uncertain, so it’s critical to build a strong local supply chain.

To replace European elderberry—currently dehydrated into powders and shipped overseas to fill American drugstores—we need about 22,000 acres of American elderberry.

One of our projects with KEIB, the Kansas Eastern Elderberry Branch, is to help farmers learn about American elderberry so they can plant it in acre form or as hedgerows along their fields. It’s one of the easiest first steps toward regenerative farming and soil health.

Elderberry roots reduce erosion, bring in pollinators, and create an ecosystem balance—enough good bugs like ladybugs can reduce the need for spraying. The plants sequester carbon, compost back into the soil each year, add nitrogen, and act as a cover crop. They also provide an additional revenue stream for farmers.

For large-scale industrial farmers, it can be hard to shift practices, but elderberry offers a practical “first step.” With only 50 years of good soil left, we need low-till, erosion-conscious, diverse planting practices. Elderberry can serve as both a starting point and a unifying symbol—an “olive branch” or, more fittingly, an elderberry branch.

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Food as Medicine:

Elderberry, Lion’s Mane, and Soil Health

Food is literally medicine. It helps with the immune system, inflammation, and the gut biome—there’s plenty of research supporting all of that. Lion’s mane is also valuable for regenerative nerve health. And elderberry is very good for both human health and for regenerative agriculture. I’d say the two main points about elderberry are that it’s good for the soil and healthy for us to consume.

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Food as Medicine:

Elderberry, Lion’s Mane, and Soil Health

What’s in that dropper? It looks really interesting.

This is Lion’s Mane. It’s a double extract—both alcohol and water—produced in a reactor at Meyers Mushrooms. Meyers is considered an expert in the Midwest on Lion’s Mane and tinctures, and this extraction is very powerful.

It contains both the fruiting body and some mycelium, which provide the beneficial plant compounds we need—the precursors and stimulants for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These are essentially “miracle grow” for nerve dendrites or branches.

When life events occur—such as depression, stroke, mental illness, or simply aging—our nerve branches and dendrites shrink. In youth, we naturally have more NGF and BDNF, but over time they decline. Research on Lion’s Mane has shown that compounds called hericenones and erinacines stimulate NGF and BDNF, promoting nerve regrowth.

People usually take about half a dropper mixed into coffee, tea, or a smoothie. On its own, the flavor is very strong—like mushroom extract or “mushroom vodka.” But once blended into a drink, the taste disappears.

Question: Is that the same kind of Lion’s Mane found at the farmer’s market?

Yes. Fresh Lion’s Mane is delicious, often compared to seafood, and can be cooked. However, to reach the same phytonutrient levels as the extract, you’d need to eat huge amounts. Extracts provide concentrated benefits for nerve regeneration.

That’s why we include Lion’s Mane in Lionberry—combining it with elderberry for both health and flavor.

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Getting Started with Elderberry:

Drinks or Concentrates

If I am new to elderberry, where would you suggest I start with your products?

It depends on your personality. If you like to do things yourself, you might take a teaspoon each day of the more concentrated form. Or, if you’d rather try something ready-made, you can start with a four-pack of the elderberry drink and see how you like it.

Both options taste great—even the concentrated forms. They have a flavor similar to grape and tart cherry, so they’re very pleasant. Either way works.

I often say that food is literally medicine. That’s been highlighted in recent documentaries like Common Ground, and I truly believe it. Food has always been medicine. It’s not some new trend—it’s part of our history. We’ve always eaten with health in mind, and from an evolutionary standpoint, that hasn’t changed.

So, eating what’s healthy for us is the first step—not only toward personal wellness but also toward regenerative agriculture.

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Why Take Elderberry?

Antioxidants and Inflammation Support

I hear a lot about elderberry. It sounds like it’s really popular right now, but why should I be taking it?

Elderberry is simply a very good food. On antioxidant scales, depending on which one you look at, elderberry often ranks five to ten times higher than fruits like raspberries or blueberries.

The primary type of antioxidant in elderberry is called an anthocyanin, which is common in purple fruits. Among fruits, elderberry ranks near the very top for anthocyanin content—second only to chokeberry.

These antioxidants are especially beneficial for reducing inflammation in the body. As they break down, they form helpful metabolites, including protocatechuic acid, which also supports health.

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When Will I Notice Results from Lion’s Mane?

Will I notice results from Lion’s Mane right away?

I don’t give medical advice—these are foods. But I’ve read a lot of research, and of course I take it myself. Research suggests that men may notice results a little faster than women. Generally, people see benefits somewhere between one and three weeks if they use Lion’s Mane as part of a daily ritual. Even just two milliliters a day can be effective, though you can certainly take more.

I hear from everyone—seniors facing cognitive decline to members of Gen Z dealing with ADHD. Interest in Lion’s Mane is growing rapidly. I believe that within the next four or five years, it will become a common staple in our kitchen cabinets. Just as calcium and vitamin D are added to orange juice and milk, or iodine fortifies salt, Lion’s Mane will be used to fortify drinks—such as Lionberry.

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Will Picky Kids Like the Taste of Elderberry?

Question: Is this something my picky kids will like?

Yes—it was made with picky kids in mind (and picky big kids, too). The Concord grape and tart cherry make the elderberry sips taste phenomenal. They’re not bitter or clove-like—although I enjoy those flavors, they’re not always popular with picky eaters.

Instead, the drink tastes like a really natural Pedialyte or Gatorade, with a nice honey, tart cherry, and lemon flavor. It’s very good. You’ll notice undertones of elderflower tea and elderberry, but the majority of the base is elderflower tea.

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Lion’s Mane Extract and Nerve Growth Support

What’s in that dropper? It looks really interesting.

This is Lion’s Mane. It’s a double extract—both alcohol and water—produced in a reactor at Meyers Mushrooms. Meyers is one of the leading experts in the Midwest on Lion’s Mane and tinctures, and this extraction is very powerful.

It includes both the fruiting body and some mycelium, which provide the plant compounds we need—the precursors and stimulants for nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These are essentially “miracle grow” for nerve dendrites, or nerve branches.

When life events occur—such as depression, stroke, mental illness, or aging—our nerve branches shrink. When we were younger, we had more NGF and BDNF in our systems. Lion’s Mane has been studied extensively, and robust research shows that it provides compounds that help restore nerve growth.

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Building a Local Value Chain:

Kansas State Fair

I’m super excited this year to be at the Kansas State Fair. I’ll have my products there as part of what I call my 24-farm value chain. This connects me with Meyers Mushrooms, Shoney Honey, Elder Farms, and Bueller Organics, who help juice the elderberries. I also work with partners who help with elderberry extracts.

Together, this creates a value chain that recirculates the local dollar. When you spend money with me, I turn around and purchase from local farmers, keeping that multiplier effect going right back into the community. That makes me very excited to be at the Kansas State Fair.

I’ll also be inviting my friends and collaborators from the value chain to be guest speakers at my booth, because everyone involved in helping me make these products deserves to connect with the community too.

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Elderberry Products and Low-Sugar Options

I often get asked if these products are good for people on keto, or for those who are working out, weightlifting, or otherwise avoiding sugar.

All of my products—except for the Lion’s Mane tincture, which is simply Lion’s Mane and alcohol—contain honey. We use local raw Shoney honey. So, they’re not calorie-free and they do contain some natural carbohydrates, but there is no added sugar and certainly nothing artificial or processed like cane sugar.

I also offer a product, sourced from a friend, called elderberry extract. It contains no added sugar at all, making it a great option for people who want to use elderberry without the sweetness.

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Find Us at Festivals and the Kansas State Fair

We have refreshers available at Lenexa, Gardner, and starting tomorrow at the Farm Coalition. Every weekend we’re at a big event—like a festival—and we’ll also be at the Kansas State Fair.

Come find us, or check out the lionberry.us website to see where we’ll be. Stop by, try a recovery drink, and cool off. It’s really hot out there, and this—along with some water—will help you stay refreshed.

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How Much Lionberry Should I Drink?

If I get Lionberry, should I drink the whole bottle or just half?

That’s a fun question—it’s like asking me how much of a sandwich you should eat. You can drink the whole bottle if you’re thirsty and want to enjoy it.

Personally, I sometimes split the bottle, just to be a little more mindful of calories since it does contain honey. But it’s still a food, so it’s really about what works for you.

My husband is a welder, and he chugs these bottles. I also work with a couple of athletes who do the same. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with drinking a whole bottle.

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Poster Presentation at the Great Plains Growers Conference

Lionberry 's Weekly Delusion and Re-illusion Update.

We make two products with elderberry: LIONBERRY Regenerative Hydration and Elderberry Sips. Neither one is a syrup.

Syrup is fine for pancakes. Thicker is not better.

For elderberry — as food, as medicine, for maximum benefit — drop the pH, pasteurize fast, protect plant properties, no powders.

Long, slow steeping in heat — like simmering elderberry with spices for hours — is not better. Powder is fine for powdered sugar, powdered snow, and baby powder — but not elderberry. There is no place for powder in food. Dehydrating and powdering food changes cell structure, uses too much heat, and burns off delicate plant properties.

We never use dehydrated powder. Most powdered elderberry comes from overseas. About 95% of drugstore elderberry products rely on powdered European elderberry.

We use the native American elderberry — Sambucus canadensis, fresh-pressed. American elderberry contains dramatically higher levels of anthocyanins — the purple antioxidants — roughly 10× the antioxidant activity of blueberries, for perspective. It’s beyond a superfruit. It also has antiviral activity and supports gut health and immune modulation.

LIONBERRY Regenerative Hydration is more than a sports drink. It’s a recovery drink — for after you got your butt kicked, or for whatever it is that life did to you.

It’s strange what we give athletes and kids: sports drinks and energy drinks loaded with artificial colors, sweeteners, powdered isolates, and caffeine. LIONBERRY is the opposite. Not an energy drink. No isolates. No powders. Whole plants, intact, grown out of the ground by farmers.

Plants work through synergy. Their compounds evolved to function together. Isolating one molecule misses the point.

For LIONBERRY Regenerative Hydration, we start with a clear, light base of elderflower tea — easily drinkable — and add it to our elderberry. The anthocyanins in elderberry are delicate. Long heat destroys them. Repeated freezing and thawing destroys them. Powdering destroys them.

Mass spectrometry consistently shows that whole-food preparations retain broader nutritional complexity than powders or isolates. Dehydration and reduction require too much heat — the plant properties burn off.

We engineer pH first — not reduction, not boiling, not cooking it down into a syrup.

Elderberry starts around pH 5.1. That’s too high for safe bottling.

People brag about odd things. I have heard competitors advertise that they never add water to their elderberry syrup. Good. I should hope not.

Making an elderberry syrup is about as medicinal as making pancake syrup. Making syrup is traditionally done by cooking elderberry down with honey and spices. That’s worse than adding water. The plant properties are all gone.

To preserve plant properties, you need to drop the pH to prevent botulism, preserve anthocyanins, and proceed with a hot fill, hold, and then hermetically seal — without boiling the plant into oblivion.

We don’t make syrup.

Our second product is Elderberry Sips — that’s the name. Capital E. Capital S. Plural.

Elderberry Sips uses fresh-pressed elderberry — never powder, never concentrate. We add Concord grape (RESERVITOL – heart support) and tart cherry (melatonin & magnesium). Together they naturally drop the pH to ~3.7, allowing fast pasteurization without heat that causes degradation of purple elderberry anthocyanins. The lower pH protects the delicate plant properties. Elderberry Sips is ~15% tart cherry and Concord grape added to fresh-pressed American elderberry — without gallons of honey and without turning it into a syrup sugar bomb.

A syrup is defined as ~60% solids. To get there, you must boil and reduce. That process destroys anthocyanins.

Cinnamon is great — but it needs long, hot steeping. Elderberry needs fast, controlled heat. They are biologically opposite processes.


Heartland Elderberry Collaborative (Heartland ECo)


“Instead of asking each farm to grow bigger, we're building shared capacity so farms can stay viable at their current scale while accessing value-added markets.”

An AgriCluster Pilot for Shared Infrastructure and Value-Added Market Access
Eastern Kansas / Western Missouri


PROBLEM CONTEXT

Small and mid-sized farms face persistent structural barriers to entering value-added markets, including:

• Limited access to processing infrastructure
• Limited cold storage capacity
• Transportation constraints
• Fragmented, uncoordinated distribution
• High costs from duplicating equipment and logistics across individual farms

These constraints restrict grower profitability, inhibit vertical integration, and reduce the viability of diversified regional food systems.


WHAT HEARTLAND ECo IS

The Heartland Elderberry Collaborative (Heartland ECo) is an active, facilitated, place-based AgriCluster pilot organizing elderberry growers and processors in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

• Facilitated through ACRE (AgriCluster Resilience and Expansion)
• Emphasizes collective capacity-building and shared infrastructure
• Designed to enable farm-level vertical integration (grow, process, and take products to market)
• Structured to share infrastructure, governance, and market access


WHAT HEARTLAND ECo IS NOT

• Not a single-farm expansion program
• Not a commodity-scale production model
• Not a vertically integrated corporate system


WHY ELDERBERRY

• Performs well on marginal soils
• Integrates with soil-health and regenerative practices
• Supports perennial hedgerows and diversified systems
• Enables multiple value-added pathways (destemming, juicing, beverage and supplement production)
• Aligns with growing consumer demand for regionally produced products

The pilot is explicitly designed to test repeatability across additional non–Big Ag crops, including tomatoes, fruit crops, and legumes.


CURRENT PILOT STATUS

• Core grower group established
• Regular coordination underway
• Shared infrastructure priorities identified
• Grower recruitment initiated
• Early coordination with grocery buyers in progress


SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE HUB CONCEPT

The Heartland ECo model proposes a centralized hub facility located south of Kansas City to support participating farms and processors.

• Aggregation and intake
• Cold storage
• Destemming
• Juicing
• Bottling
• Short-haul regional distribution

The hub is intended to reduce duplicated equipment costs, logistical inefficiencies, and fragmented distribution efforts that commonly limit small-farm participation in value-added markets.


PILOT OBJECTIVES

Establish a functioning elderberry AgriCluster
Create shared access to processing, storage, and distribution infrastructure
Build collective grant-writing and fundraising capacity
Coordinate educational outreach related to elderberry and soil-health practices
Evaluate feasibility of scaling the model across additional crops and regions


FORTHCOMING PILOT STUDY

This poster outlines a proposal for a forthcoming pilot study to formally evaluate the effectiveness of the Heartland ECo model.

• Economic impact
• Grower profitability
• Infrastructure utilization
• Soil-health indicators
• Logistical efficiency
• Replicability across crops and regions

DOWNLOAD POSTER HERE