The Potential Health Benefits of Lion's Mane Mushroom
November 3, 2024
Hericium erinaceus − known commonly as lion’s mane −is a type of edible mushroom that grows throughout North America, Europe, as well as the East Asian countries of China and Japan.
Lion’s mane has a long history of use within Traditional Chinese Medicine and today, is often hailed as a “nootropic” − a term used to describe agents that enhance memory or other cognitive functions.
In this blog, we will glimpse into the mysterious world of mushrooms, shining a spotlight on the history and science behind the revered lion’s mane mushroom, exploring both its rich history and the emerging clinical research that continues to validate its traditional use.
What is lion’s mane?
Lion’s mane mushroom is considered a type of fungus, growing on dead and dying hardwood trees, with a particular affinity for American beech trees here in North America. Lion’s mane is one of a handful of mushrooms known for their “medicinal” properties, having been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine to support a wide range of health challenges.
Although most of us are familiar with the part of a mushroom known as the fruiting body, since it is what is visible above-ground, mushrooms have several different parts, just as plants do. The life cycle of a mushroom begins with the spores – which could be considered akin to the “seeds” of a fungi. As the spores inoculate a growth medium (like wood), they begin to digest the material and convert it into mycelium – the white, fibrous, cobweb-like structure that you might see when lifting up a rotting log in the forest. Mycelium could be loosely compared to the fungi’s “roots,” and it is made up of tiny threads known as hyphae. And lastly, as the mycelium takes shape, it develops into the fruiting body − which is what most people commonly identify as the mushroom itself – and it is the part most extensively used since antiquity as both food and medicine.
Unlike other mushrooms whose fruiting body presents with a typical stalk and cap, lion’s mane is characterized by multiple, long, dangling white fleshy spines. It is easily identifiable compared to other fungi species and is named appropriately given that, when fully developed, it resembles the draping locks of a lion’s mane.
Hericium erinaceus as a functional food
Mushrooms, such as lion’s mane, are considered functional foods because, in addition to their potential medicinal benefits, they are also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and even protein. Mushrooms are one of the only non-animal sources of vitamin D, for example, and lion’s mane fruiting body has also been found to contain minerals, like potassium and iron.
The fruiting bodies of mushrooms have been consumed as a staple in the diet of many traditional cultures and reportedly have a seafood-like flavor similar to that of lobster and a stringy, meaty texture comparable to crab.
Mushrooms also contain unique polysaccharide fibers called beta glucans. While some beta glucans can be found in various grains, such as oats, the beta-1,3 /1,6 glucans found in mushrooms are unique in both structure and function and appear to play a role in supporting various aspects of a healthy immune response.1 It has been proposed that these glucans feed immune cells such as macrophages and have an immune modulating effect in the body.1
Tradition and science around lion’s mane
Lion’s mane mushroom was utilized traditionally to support various neurological and gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances.2Evidence from modern research supports the idea that lion’s mane helps to promote a healthy inflammatory balance, which is necessary for maintaining the integrity of healthy gastric mucosa.2
In addition to supporting a healthy inflammatory response in the GI tract, it has been proposed that lion’s mane also supports a healthy inflammatory balance in the brain, conferring a potential neuroprotective effect.
The primary constituents found within lion’s mane that have been studied for their biological activity are hericenones and eranacines, which have been found in preclinical studies to stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF) – a type of chemical messenger in the brain responsible for regulating the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells.3,4
Animal studies have reported promising potential benefits of lion’s mane, including improved cognitive function and supporting healthy levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which plays an important role in supporting neuronal plasticity – essential for learning and memory.5
Promising human clinical research
An accumulating amount of human clinical research has emerged to validate the potential benefits of this unique fungus for supporting cognition, stress, and even mood.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-control, parallel-group trial investigated the short- and long-term cognitive and mood effects of lion’s mane in a group of 41 healthy, young adults, ages 18-45.5 The study assessed the effects of 1.8 grams of lion’s mane daily using a Stroop test – which uses words and colors to measure cognitive processing speed and accuracy; as well as participant mood that was assessed subjectively using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Assessments were done at baseline, 60 minutes after the first dose, and again after 28 days of consecutive usage. Just 60 minutes following a single dose, the lion’s mane group performed significantly faster on Stroop tasks compared to placebo, indicating improved cognitive performance speed with short-term supplementation. The study also found that supplementation with lion’s mane significantly reduced subjective feelings of stress among participants by the end of the trial.
Another double-blind, randomized, placebo-control trial on 40 healthy adults (22 women and 18 men) compared the effects of 1 gram of lion’s mane to placebo on various aspects of cognitive performance using a Go/No-go test to measure reaction time when exposed to stimuli.6 The lion’s mane group again exhibited improved reaction time at 120 minutes following a single dose compared to baseline.6
Whereas more recent studies on lion’s mane have focused on overall improvements in cognitive processing, an earlier study also investigated the impact of lion’s mane on mood. A four-week double-blind, placebo-control trial on 30 women experiencing mood imbalances reported that supplementation with lion’s mane seemed to improve feelings of anxiousness and irritation compared to those taking the placebo.3
Doctrine of signatures
Although skilled practitioners of herbal medicine rely on science and traditional use to inform their utilization of plants and mushrooms, there is a term from folk medicine known as the “doctrine of signatures” that comes to mind when gazing upon lion’s mane mushroom.
The doctrine of signatures is the idea that botanicals often have physical characteristics that imply the potential benefits they might provide to the body. In other words, plants sometimes resemble the body parts that they could be useful to support.
While this term originated to describe herbs, lion’s mane mushroom, with its long, white, spindly limbs, does look, quite literally, like a bundle of nerves. And case in point, many of the traditional uses of lion’s mane, as well as modern research, seem to support its use as a nourishing tonic for the brain and nervous system.
The takeaway
While the research on lion’s mane is still evolving, and the dosages required for benefit have not been fully established, very few natural ingredients can boast the centuries of traditional utilization that medicinal mushrooms, such as lion’s mane, can claim. For thousands of years, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine have utilized lion’s mane in support of nervous system imbalances and to support a healthy inflammatory and immune response, demonstrating a long history of safety and efficacy that should be revered by practitioners and continue to inspire research.
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References
Yamanaka D, Ishibashi K, Adachi Y, Ohno N. Quantification of mushroom-derived soluble β-1,6-glucan using the function-modified recombinant β-1,6-glucanase. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2020;22(9):855-868. doi:10.1615/IntJMedMushrooms.2020035888
Gravina AG, Pellegrino R, Auletta S, et al. Hericium erinaceus, a medicinal fungus with a centuries-old history: Evidence in gastrointestinal…. World J Gastroenterol. 2023;29(20):3048. doi:10.3748/wjg.v29.i20.3048
Nagano M, Shimizu K, Kondo R, et al. Reduction… by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake. Biomed Res. 2010;31(4):231-237. doi:10.2220/biomedres.31.231
Lai PL, Naidu M, Sabaratnam V, et al. Neurotrophic properties of the lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. Int J Med Mushrooms. 2013;15(6):539-554. doi:10.1615/IntJMedMushr.v15.i6.30
Docherty S, Doughty FL, Smith EF. The acute and chronic effects of lion’s mane mushroom supplementation on cognitive function, stress and mood in young adults: A double-blind, parallel groups, pilot study. Nutrients. 2023;15(22):4842. doi:10.3390/nu15224842
Monica MBL, Raub B, Ziegenfuss EJ, et al. Acute effects of naturally occurring guayusa tea and Nordic lion’s mane extracts on cognitive performance. Nutrients. 2023;15(24):5018. doi:10.3390/nu15245018
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