Lions Mane
Hericium erinaceus
Lion’s Mane contains over 70 bioactive compounds. There are several metabolites which have been identified and isolated that hold great potential for nerve and brain health. Of particular interest are hericenones and erinacines, which are believed to occur only in Hericium spp. Hericenones are isolated from Lion's mane fruiting bodies, and erinacines are isolated from the mycelium. Both hericenones and erinacines are low molecular weight compounds that potentially cross the blood–brain barrier.
Alternative names:
Yamabushitake (mountain priest mushroom) in Japanese. In Vietnamese and Chinese, hóu tóu gû (monkey head). Also known as Pom-Pom mushroom, satyr's beard, bearded tooth mushroom, bearded hedgehog mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus.
Above picture: Lion's Mane mushroom in wild
Key Actions:
- Anti-hyperglycaemic
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antioxidant
- Anti-ulcerative
- Anxiolytic
- Antidepressant
- Gastrointestinoprotective
- Immunomodulatory
- Lipid-modulatory
- Neuroprotective & neutrophic
- Nootropic
- Probiotic
Key Indications:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Anxiety
- Cognitive decline & dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes and metabolic syndrome
- Dysbiosis
- Epilepsy
- Gastric & peptic ulceration
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Insomnia and sleep disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Neurodegenerative disease
- Neuropathy
Key active compounds:
Polysaccharides (Beta glucans, Alpha glucans, Galactans, Fucans, Heteroglycans, Glycoproteins)
Terpenoids - Hericenones A-K, O-R), Erinacines (A-K, P, Q, S-V, Z1
Polyphenols
Sterols
History
Lion’s mane is a mushroom with a history of both medicinal and culinary uses in Asia and Europe. Medicinal mushroom use dates back to 450 BCE when Greek physician Hippocrates discovered the potential anti-inflammatory properties of fungi as well as its role in wound cauterization.
