The lion’s mane mushroom is a scruffy, shaggy delicacy that looks like its name. You might hesitate to eat it, but it has tremendous benefits like brain repair and cancer-fighting properties. Currently, research is investigating dozens of other potential health benefits.
Lion’s mane mushroom is a nootropic food that has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. An extensive body of research shows the amazing depth of health benefits.
One study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry says the benefits include “antibiotic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, anti-fatigue, antihypertensive, anti-hyperlipodemic, anti-senescence [anti-aging], cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and neuroprotective, and improves anxiety, cognitive function, and depression.”
Let’s take a deeper look at lion’s mane mushroom and why you might want to incorporate it into your daily diet.
What is lion’s mane mushroom?
Lion’s mane mushroom is found in Asia, Europe, and North America and belongs to the hydnoid fungi group. Research shows that lion’s mane provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunostimulating properties in cells, animals, and humans.
In addition to being a component of traditional Chinese medicine, lion’s mane has used in Japan for centuries and possibly millennia It is prized by Buddhist monks and understood to be almost a mystical source of nutrition.
The health benefits of lion’s mane
Acts as a powerful antioxidant
The molecules in lion’s mane mushrooms have antioxidant abilities and help prevent and relieve the oxidative stress caused by poor nutrition and exposure to chemicals in the environment. These antioxidants are specifically useful for healing wounds.
Other health benefits of these antioxidants include:
- Help prevent osteoporosis
- Protect against alcohol-induced liver damage, as shown in research on mice
- Slow the aging of skin, as displayed in a study on rats
Improves mental health and overall well-being
A lion’s mane mushroom supplement may also help improve sleep and reduce the effects of mental health issues. The polysaccharides from lion’s mane can help fight fatigue as shown in trials with mice. In addition, they also might have the ability to adjust circadian rhythms back to normal, which is particularly helpful for people who are at risk for dementia. Studies also suggest that lion’s mane mushrooms may help treat anxiety and depression.
May help protect against cancer
Studies show that lion’s mane may help treat cancer. Compounds from or supplementation with lion’s mane mushroom havebeen found to potentially slow the progression or reverse the spread of:
- Liver cancer
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Leukemia
- Gastric (stomach) cancer
- Lung cancer
- Cervical cancer
A study published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules found that lion’s mane caused cell death and cell cycle arrest with gastric cancer. The researchers concluded, “our study provides in vitro evidence that HEG-5 may be taken as a potential candidate for treating gastric cancer.”
Lion’s mane was shown to significantly reduce leukemia cells in a Korean study. Korean research conducted by the Department of Molecular Science and Technology at Ajou University found that the phytochemicals in lion’s mane mushrooms have “therapeutic potential against human leukemia.”
Some studies actually suggest the use of lion’s mane mushroom supplements to treat cancer, although long-term and large-scale studies haven’t been conducted to prove that as a viable option. Rather than replacing traditional chemotherapy, lion’s mane may complement conventional treatments.
Enhances brain function and the nervous system
There is a large body of evidence that lion’s mane mushrooms have an impact on brain cells and brain function. It may have a positive impact on neurodegenerative diseases.
Lion’s mane affects brain function is by enhancing “neurite outgrowth” in the brain and related organs, according to research published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. Neurite outgrowth refers to the growth of axons and dendrites from neurons.
This is crucial. This means lion’s mane may actually slow or reverse cell degeneration in the brain, which are characteristic of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
A 2012 study found that consuming lion’s mane mushroom could regenerate damaged cells from peripheral nerve injury, an injury affecting the delicate tissue between your brain and spinal cord.
An improvement of mild cognitive impairment in humans was also found in research published in Phytotherapy Research after eight to 16 weeks of lion’s mane supplementation, although this improvement did not last after subjects stopped taking this supplement.
One study conducted in Taiwan suggested that lion’s mane has protective effects on the spread of Parkinson’s disease, another neurodegenerative disorder. Another study in Taiwan suggested that lion’s mane may help prevent ischemic injury in the brain.
These are initial findings, and more research is needed. But the early evidence is exciting.
Supports heart and circulatory system health
Lion’s mane mushroom may help prevent heart disease. In vitro and animal research has found that extracts of lion’s mane can prevent the increase of LDL cholesterol, increase HDL, and lower triglycerides in the bloodstream. An extract of lion’s mane mushroom may be able to prevent blood clots and help reduce the risk of stroke,.
Reduces inflammation
A 2015 study out of Japan found that lion’s mane mushroom was able to reduce inflammation in fatty tissue. Fatty tissue inflammation is a factor in the formation of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Lion’s mane also has antibacterial effects against h. Pylori, which can cause many severe gastric conditions such as ulcers in the intestines or stomach.
Improves immune function
Lion’s mane seems to have the ability to enhance immune system function in a manner also related to the polysaccharide content in the fungus, according to research performed on mice.
May help manage diabetes
A 2013 animal study showed marked improvement in blood glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and various other diabetes symptoms when an extract of lion’s mane mushroom was given to them.
Nutritional benefits
Research suggests that lion’s mane is a source of at least 32 bioactive compounds. it’s believed to be a rich source of potassium, zinc, iron, and selenium. One reason lion’s mane has been researched for a wide variety of purposes is because of the polysaccharides it contains. Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrate structures, like glucose.
Lion’s mane mushroom contains beta-glucan polysaccharides, which are known scientifically to have correlations with various health benefits, like heart health and immune responses.
Supplements
Lion’s mane supplements are often used for their potential cognitive-enhancing and immune-boosting capabilities. You can find supplements in extract, powdered, and capsule forms.
You can find lion’s mane mushroom capsules with lion’s mane as the sole ingredient or as part of a combination that’s meant to promote brain health, including other nootropic foods and herbs like reishi, cordyceps, ginkgo biloba, and ashwagandha.
The dosages recommended in supplements range from 300 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams, one to three times daily, so follow the instructions on the label carefully. If you aren’t sure how your body will react, start with a smaller dose of a lion’s mane supplement, and work your way up from there.
Final thoughts
Lion’s mane mushroom is an edible fungus that hasbeen used for millennia as a medicinal food in traditional Chinese medicine and other ancient medicinal practices. Because of its unique polysaccharides and other nutrients, lion’s mane mushroom has a large number of health benefits. The two most well-known benefits of consuming lion’s mane are the potential ability to prevent or protect the spread of neurodegenerative disease and cancer.Lion’s mane mushroom may also help improve heart health, protect from inflammatory digestive issues, reduce inflammation, relieve oxidative stress, improve mental health, boost immunity and prevent diabetes.