Lion’s mane, or hericium erinaceus, is an edible and medicinal mushroom that grows natively across North America, Europe and Asia. Lion’s mane is also called the bearded tooth mushroom, and can be identified by its long spines and its tendency to grow a single clump of these dangling spines. These many spines give Lion’s mane its shaggy or bearded appearance and helped the mushroom earn its namesake.
Lions mane and other medicinal mushrooms are continuing to grow in popularity due to their wide range of physical and mental health benefits. With so many choices in the natural supplement world, and among medicinal mushrooms in particular, what is it that stands out about lions mane as a unique choice?
What makes lion's mane unique?
Lion’s mane is a one of a kind medicinal mushroom because of its unique ability to support a variety of healthy brain functions, with a particularly strong ability to improve mood and memory. Scientists are still discovering exactly how lion’s mane can do all these things, but it’s believed that these cognitive benefits stem from other physical benefits that the mushroom offers, like improved bloodflow to the brain, lower oxidative stress, and the lowered inflammation that results from lion’s mane’s very high antioxidant content.
Other benefits of Lion’s Mane include:
- Reduction in brain fog
- Increased focus and concentration
- General improvement in overall brain functions
- Immune-modulation
- Aid to digestive organs like the stomach, liver, intestine and colon
- Anxiety, depressive, and stress disorder management
- Overall mood and creativity booster
- Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Anti-microbial
- Heart-protective
- Regulation of blood sugar
Like several of the other medicinal mushrooms, lion’s mane also helps to supercharge the immune system, but few other supplements can offer these unique benefits to the brain.
Lion’s Mane for Memory and Intelligence
Studies have shown that lion’s mane can improve spacial memory, short term memory, and recognition memory. Mice supplemented with lions mane have displayed much higher aptitudes for object recognition. The mushroom continues to be considered as an herbal supplement to aid those with alzheimer’s disease.
Aside from memory, lion’s mane can improve intelligence and cognition itself. A double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled human study was performed with 50- to 80-year-old Japanese men and women who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. At weeks 8, 12 and 16 of the trial, the group supplementing with lion’s mane showed significantly increased scores on the cognitive function scale compared with the group that was just taking a placebo. Their improved scores dropped again after they stopped supplementing with the lions mane.
How Does Lion's Mane Boost Brain Power? The Power of NGF
Lion's Mane Mushroom stimulates the production of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brain. This stimulation of NGF production is likely responsible for many of lion's mane's cognitive benefits.
NGF helps promote healthy brain function in several different ways. In particular, NGF promotes growth, connection and organization of brain cells, and enhances brain signaling.
Get the most from your Lion's Mane - Dual Extraction
Trying to get the most from Lion's Mane and its NGF benefits? The new Hyperion Herbs dual extract has over 1% Erinacines and 1% Hericenones to ensure maximum brain and nervous system benefits. It is a dual extract of 50% fruiting body and 50% mycelium.
A Lion's Mane dual extract containing erinacines and hericenones ensures utmost potency and bioavailability. This is because Nerve Growth Factor itself has a large molecular weight, and therefor can't cross the blood-brain barrier. Hericenones and erinacines have a low molecular weight, so they easily cross the blood-brain barrier, where they stimulate NGF synthesis directly in the brain.
Check out the new Lion's Mane Extract here!