The health benefits of Lions Mane Mushroom are no joke.
Really, there aren't too many incredible health claims from natural products that actually stand up to scientific scrutiny.
Everyday there is a new superfood or uber-supplement that is supposed to work miracles, and although a lot of these things are no doubt good for your health, they aren't usually as miraculous as advertised.
That's why it is so surprising to see that some of the claims around the health benefits of the Lions Mane mushroom, although quite incredible, are proving to be true.
It might not be surprising to everybody, though.
This mushroom has long been thought to be used to improve mental capacity, mental clarity and focus, improve nerve function and to actually encourage nerve regeneration.
Lion's Mane has commonly been used as a nootropic, or "smart drug", ingested by high performance individuals trying to get a mental edge.
It has also been used by people suffering from age related memory loss and reduced mental capacity with anecdotal reports claiming the mushroom can effect a substantial improvement.
So what's the deal with Lion's Mane mushroom?
Can it live up to the hype?
This article intends to investigate whether or not the reported effects of Lions Mane Mushroom are a real phenomenon, and if so, what the best way is to get some extra brain power in your life.
What is a Lions Mane Mushroom?
First of all, let me introduce the mushroom.
Lions Mane mushroom (scientific name Hericium eranacious) is a unique looking "toothed" fungus that naturally grows on dead or dying trees in temperate forests throughout the world.
It is commonly found in North America, although it might be in your guidebook under a different name, such as the Bearded Tooth or the Japanese Yamabushitake.
If you are lucky enough to find it in the grocery store, it might also be called a Pom-Pom.
Lion's doesn't resemble your typical stem and cap mushroom.
Instead, the fruiting body looks more like a snowball- with long tooth like formations drooping down from the main body. These "teeth" act as the gills of the mushroom, and is what the mushroom uses to distribute its spores.
Lions Mane mushrooms are a common and popular choice for small scale mushroom growers, and they are actively hunted by forest-trekking mushroom pickers.
Yet, they are rarely, if at all, seen in grocery stores.
And it isn't because they aren't tasty- in fact, the mushroom is a culinary delight adapting wonderfully to a multitude of dishes. Instead, the reason that they aren't seen in the produce section is likely due to a relatively short shelf life, and the fact that the fruit can easily bruise and become unsellable if handled too roughly.
When the intended use of the mushroom is strictly for the health benefits, the mushroom is typically consumed as a supplement in the form of a powder or pill, sometimes also blended with other mushrooms or herbs.
Dosage, frequency, and duration of supplementation can vary widely.
Health Benefits of Lions Mane
If you wanted to try and use Lions Mane Mushrooms to improve your overall health, you definitely wouldn't be the first.
Medicinal mushrooms have been used for hundreds of years- and have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine.
The not-so-short list of the reported potential health benefits of Lion's Mane mushrooms include the following:
1. Potentially Anti-Cancer
Lion's mane has shown potential in it's ability to fight back against various types of cancer.
Although the studies done have been on mice and cell culture in-vitro, Lion's Mane is showing promise and deserved of further stufy.
2. May Help Reduce Cholesterol
Lion's Mane has been researched for it's potential to improve the levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol in the blood.
Lion's Mane may also be helpful for preventing the risk of stroke.
3. Produces Calming Effect
Studies have shown that Lion's Mane may be useful in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety by producing a calming effect over time.
4. Neuroprotection
Extracts of Lion's Mane mushroom have been researched for their ability to protect and actually repair brain cells.
5. Mental Clarity and Focus
People supplementing with Lion's Mane report improved memory, cognition, mental clarity and focus. This is probably the most well known potential benefit of Lion's mane.
The most interesting and promising items on this list are the potential to improve brain function and clarity- which is a pretty bold claim for a humble mushroom.
Research is showing that the secret weapon for the Lions Mane seems to be its ability to induce the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).
NGF, which is naturally produced in the human brain, is involved in the maintenance, protection, and production of neurons- which are essentially the circuits in the computer that is your brain.
You can see why this stuff might be good for your brain, and why a lack of it would be bad.
There are not many things in the natural world that have ever been found to have the ability to stimulate production of NGF, which is what makes Lion's Mane mushroom so interesting.
By increasing NGF, the brain's neurons are better protected, reducing naturally occurring cognitive decline due to aging.
Even more impressively, Lions Mane might actually be able to stimulate nerve generation, in which fresh neurons are produced and existing neural networks are made stronger.
This could improve cognitive ability, even for people with healthy and functioning brains.
