From enhanced cognitive function to improved inflammatory response, Lion’s Mane mushroom offers a promising range of health benefits in a single, elegant package. In this article, we’ll examine the details of Lion’s Mane mushroom nutrition and explain exactly how this potent fungus can help you achieve optimum health.
Mushrooms have a long and storied history of being in vogue. Their savory “umami” flavor makes them a staple in many kitchens, and their nutritional and medicinal properties have been known since antiquity. Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that the average American consumes nearly three pounds of this savory vegetable per year. And increasing demand has seen the global mushroom market bloom, with revenues that are expected to surpass $86 billion by 2028.
Lion’s Mane, a white, spindly mushroom native to North America, Europe, and Asia, has become uniquely popular in this crowded market. Like other species, it’s low in calories, fat, and sodium. It also contains the “bioactive compounds” that make mushrooms medicinally valuable. These offer numerous benefits, from helping to lower your cholesterol to enhancing your immune system. But those benefits are only cuticle-deep. Keep reading to learn more about Lion’s Mane mushroom and the versatile ways it can benefit your health.
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Health Benefits of Lion’s Mane: Lion’s Mane Mushroom Nutrition is an original (OptimalHealthNews) article.
Lion’s Mane mushroom nutrition:
History of Lion’s Mane
Lion’s Mane, or Hericium erinaceus, is known for its long, shaggy strands that resemble a fully-grown lion’s mane. It grows during the late summer (and early fall in Europe) on dead wood, and has been consumed across cultures throughout the centuries. In ancient Greece, the famed physician Hippocrates recognized the potential of mushrooms like Lion’s Mane as far back as 450 BCE. He noted that some fungi had promising anti-inflammatory properties and were particularly “useful for cauterizing wounds.”
Many Asian cultures have also known about the medical versatility of Lion’s Mane for thousands of years; it has been traditionally used for its “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-stimulating properties.” In China and Japan, it was believed to help protect the spleen and promote general stomach health while also calming the mind. And its popularity is not only consigned to its medical benefits. Today, Lion’s Mane is considered a historical culinary staple in China.
Lion’s Mane mushroom nutrition:
Properties of Lion’s Mane
There is a rich array of healthful components in Lion’s Mane that makes it especially beneficial to the user. Lion’s Mane, like many other mushrooms, contains all nine of the essential amino acids humans need to break down food, build muscle, and maintain a healthy digestive system. It also contains an ample amount of beta-glucans, which are fibers that affect heart health and cholesterol, and more significantly, boost the immune system. A recent study found that Lion’s Mane is especially rich in beta 1-3, 1-6 glucan, which is known to help facilitate the strengthening and optimization of the immune system’s response.
Additionally, research has shown that Lion’s Mane contains a considerable amount of vitamin B12. This vitamin is crucial to the development and function of brain and nerve cells and serves as a necessary component in the formation of red blood cells and DNA.
Taken as a whole, Lion’s Mane’s reach is quite extensive. As the abstract of a 2015 study suggests, it may display antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties, improve kidney function, lower blood pressure, protect cardiac health, and maintain lower blood sugar rates.
Lion’s Mane mushroom nutrition:
Neurotrophic factors and NGF
The most impactful potential benefit of Lion’s Mane is its effect on the brain. Considerable research has been performed concerning its neurotrophic factors, which are important in promoting the growth and plasticity of neurons in the brain and helping prevent neural decay and death.
In particular, Lion’s Mane has been found to contain hericenones and erinacines, key compounds in Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). This process is the most significant neurotrophic factor and is essential to the growth, maintenance, and survival of the brain’s functioning. These brain-health properties make Lion’s Mane capable of helping to promote mental clarity, increase focus, improve memory, and boost cognitive energy and performance. In combination with medical treatment, Lion’s Mane may help to treat depression, anxiety, and even cognitive decline due to general aging but also dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. However, further research is needed.
Lion’s Mane mushroom supplement:
Real Mushrooms
If you’d like to try Lion’s Mane, you have many options for consumption. Real Mushrooms offers a top-of-the-line product with a holistic approach to the multi-faceted benefits of Lion’s Mane. You can get it either in capsule or powder form as a daily supplement, with a guaranteed >30% beta-glucan concentration.
Real Mushrooms uses “100% Pure + Organic Mushroom Extract” with no grains or starch fillers. This is significant, as many other mushroom-based products use extracts derived from the mushroom’s “mycelium,” which does not offer the same amount of beta-glucans. Real Mushrooms, on the other hand, ensures that their extracts help increase “the bioavailability of the beneficial compounds like beta-glucans.” This ensures greater potency and effectiveness in supporting cognitive growth and function.
Lion’s Mane mushroom nutrition:
The brain mushroom
Whether you’re looking to improve your general health or specifically target cognitive performance, the Lion’s Mane mushroom wears many different caps. It comes in many different forms — you can eat it whole, crush it in teas or soups, or find it blended into tinctures — and can be taken daily or on a by-need basis. The promising versatility of Lion’s Mane allows you to fit your use to your particular needs. Moreover, the promise of its long-term effects helps you to not only heal or improve a specific area of concern in the present but heal and grow over time. If Lion’s Mane is “the brain mushroom,” then the smart choice would be to consider how it may benefit you.
Further Reading for Additional Reference:
U.S. News and World Report: “Can Lion’s Mane Mushroom Improve Brain Function?“
Popular Science: “Lion’s mane mushroom shows promise in boosting brain cell growth“
Medical News Today: “Improving memory: Lion’s mane mushrooms may double neuron growth“
Important Note: The information contained in this article (Health Benefits of Lion’s Mane: Lion’s Mane Mushroom Nutrition) is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
