Lion's Mane mushroom, also known as Hericium erinaceus, is a funky-looking fungus with impressive health benefits. From brain function to immune support, this mushroom has it all. Here are five benefits of Lion's Mane that'll make you want to roar like a lion:
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Brain Function: Have you ever wanted to improve your brain function? Look no further than Lion's Mane. A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial found that Lion's Mane helped improve mild cognitive impairment (Mori et al., 2008). Plus, it may even reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety (Nagano et al., 2010).
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Inflammation: Inflammation can cause all sorts of problems in the body, but Lion's Mane can help. Its compounds have been found to protect against ischemia-injury-induced neuronal cell death (Lee et al., 2013) and reduce inflammation in macrophages (Zhang et al., 2017).
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Immune System: If you're looking for immune support, Lion's Mane may be just what you need. It has been shown to have immunomodulating effects and may even help protect against liver injury (Wang et al., 2014; Wasser, 2017).
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Digestive Health: A healthy gut is key to overall health, and Lion's Mane can help. Its compounds have been found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the stomach (Guo et al., 2018) and improve intestinal barrier function by altering gut microbiota composition (Xie et al., 2019).
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Anti-Cancer Properties: Cancer is a scary diagnosis, but Lion's Mane may be able to help. Its compounds have been found to have anti-cancer potential against gastrointestinal cancers (Li et al., 2018) and inhibit metastasis of colorectal cancer cells (Sun et al., 2017).
So there you have it, five benefits of Lion's Mane that'll make you want to roar with excitement. Add some Lion's Mane mushroom dark chocolate to your diet today and experience the power of functional mushrooms!
Sources:
- Mori, K., et al. (2008). Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 23(3), 367-372. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2634
- Nagano, M., et al. (2010). Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomedical Research, 31(4), 231-237. doi: 10.2220/biomedres.31.231
- Lee, K. F., et al. (2013). Protective effects of Hericium erinaceus mycelium and its isolated erinacine A against ischemia-injury-induced neuronal cell death via the inhibition of iNOS/p38 MAPK and nitrotyrosine. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 14(4), 10,636-10,658. doi: 10.3390/ijms1404636
- Zhang, Z., et al. (2017). Anti-inflammatory effect of aqueous extract from Hericium erinaceus on LPS-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 macrophages. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 212, 231-239. doi: 10.1016/j.jep