Lion’s mane is one of nature’s gifts to your nervous system. It’s the only mushroom possessing not one but two potent nerve growth factors, showing potential benefits for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, multiple sclerosis, leg cramps, anxiety, and more.
Lion’s mane mushroom has been used medicinally in Asia for centuries, but for some reason it’s all but unknown in the West.
Besides being called “lion’s mane,” Hericium erinaceus is known by other names including bearded tooth mushroom, bearded hedgehog, and bearded tooth fungus. In Japan, it’s known as yamabushitake, which means “mountain priest mushroom.” It has a variety of other names, depending on the country.
In Asia, it is said that lion’s mane gives you “nerves of steel and the memory of a lion,” and from what science is revealing, that’s apt prose. Thus far, evidence exists that lion’s mane mushroom confers the following health benefits: improved cognitive function; nerve regeneration, remyelination, and increased nerve growth factor; improved digestive function and relief from gastritis; and immunosupportive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It also acts as an anticoagulant, mild ACE inhibitor, and grants improved lipid profile.
The science about lion’s mane is in its infancy, but evidence already points to significant therapeutic benefits for numerous diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system.
Conditions that may benefit from lion’s mane mushroom include:
- Dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Muscle cramps and spasms
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Stroke recovery
- Seizures and seizure-like post-stroke episodes
- Anxiety and depression
Mother Nature’s First “Smart Mushroom”
According to world-renown fungi expert Paul Stamets, lion’s mane may be the first “smart mushroom,” providing support specifically for cognitive function, including memory, attention, and creativity. It is reported that Buddhist monks have consumed lion’s mane tea for centuries before meditation in order to enhance their powers of concentration.
