Description

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract Powder (Hericium Erinaceus)

HERB COMMON NAME :  Lion’s Mane Mushroom

HERB SCIENTIFIC NAME :  Hericium Erinaceus

OTHER NAMES :  Hou Tou Gu, hóutóugū, Yamabushitake, Bearded Hedgehog, Hedgehog Goatee, Hedgehog Mushroom, Sheep’s Head Mushroom, Monkey Head Mushroom, Bearded Tooth Mushroom, Pom Pom Mushroom, Mushroom of the Gods

FAMILY :  Hericiaceae

ASSOCIATIONS & CORRESPONDENCES :

• Element: Air
• Planet: Mercury
• Day: Sunday
• Direction: East
• Zodiac Sign: Gemini
• Chakra: 7th Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)
• Energy: Yin
• Gender: Feminine
• Animal: Lion, Hedgehog
• Sabbat or Holiday: Lughnasadh / Lammas (August 1^st)
• Deity or God / Goddess Association:  Mnemosyne, Mimir

Parts Used:  Mushroom

Description:  Lion’s Mane mushrooms are large, white, shaggy mushrooms that resemble a lion’s mane as they grow.  They have both culinary and medical uses in Asian countries like China, India, Japan and Korea.  Lion’s mane mushrooms can be enjoyed raw, cooked, dried or steeped as a tea. Lion’s Mane is not psychoactive and can not get you high.

Lion’s Mane has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Extracts are often used in over-the-counter health supplements.  Lion’s mane mushrooms contain bioactive substances that have beneficial effects on the body, especially the brain, heart and gut. Lion’s Mane has been the undisputed champion among mushrooms when it comes to mental health (however, reishi and chaga mushrooms also show potential).

Lion’s Mane is believed to protect against dementia.  Studies have found that lion’s mane mushrooms contain two special compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells and promote nerve growth.  Lion’s mane mushroom and its extracts have been shown to reduce symptoms of memory loss in mice, as well as prevent neuronal damage caused by amyloid-beta plaques, which accumulate in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease.  A study in older adults with mild cognitive impairment found that consuming 3 grams of powdered lion’s mane mushroom daily for four months significantly improved mental functioning, but these benefits disappeared when supplementation stopped.

Lion’s mane extract may also help reduce the severity of brain damage after a stroke.  In one study, high doses of lion’s mane mushroom extract given to rats immediately after a stroke helped decrease inflammation and reduce the size of stroke-related brain injury by 44%.

Lion’s Mane may help relieve mild symptoms of depression and anxiety. One small study in menopausal women found that eating cookies containing lion’s mane mushrooms daily for one month helped reduce self-reported feelings of irritation and anxiety. It is also believed to help relieve symptoms of ADHD and OCD.

Lion’s Mane may speed recovery from nervous system injuries. One of its many benefits is its ability to repair damaged nerve cells and promote neurite outgrowth. This can be very beneficial in managing ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Lion’s Mane may protect against stomach ulcers in the digestive tract by inhibiting the growth of H. pylori and protecting the stomach lining from damage.  An animal study also found that lion’s mane extract was more effective at preventing alcohol-induced stomach ulcers than traditional acid-lowering drugs, and without any negative side effects.  It may also help inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis.

Lion’s Mane may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Test-tube studies have found that lion’s mane extract can help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the bloodstream.  It also contains a compound that can decrease the rate of blood clotting and lower the risk of heart attack or stroke.

A 2020 study compared the effects of migraine medications with natural anti-migraine alternatives. Results showed that Lion’s Mane mushroom can be just as effective as migraine medication, with fewer side effects.

Lion’s Mane may help manage diabetes symptoms by lowering blood sugar levels. Lion’s mane extract may also reduce diabetic nerve pain in the hands and feet.

Lion’s Mane may help fight cancer.  When lion’s mane extract is mixed with human cancer cells in a test tube, they cause the cancer cells to die at a faster rate. This has been demonstrated with several types of cancer cells, including liver, colon, stomach and blood cancer cells.  In addition to killing cancer cells, lion’s mane extract has also been shown to slow the spread of cancer.

Lion’s mane mushrooms may also help reduce some of the health risks associated with obesity, as they have been shown to decrease the amount of inflammation released by fat tissue.

Lion’s Mane is also believed to boost the immune system.  Animal research shows that lion’s mane mushroom can boost immunity by increasing the activity of the intestinal immune system, which protects the body from pathogens that enter the gut through the mouth or nose. One study found that supplementing with lion’s mane extract daily nearly quadrupled the lifespan of mice injected with a lethal dose of salmonella bacteria.   

Historical Uses:  dementia, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, brain damage, cognitive impairment, stroke, depression, anxiety, irritability, nerve damage, stomach ulcer, inflammatory bowel disease, IBS, colitis, heart disease, high cholesterol, blood clots, high blood sugar, diabetes, hyperglycemia, diabetic nerve pain, cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, stomach cancer, blood cancer, obesity, immune boosting, focus, ADHD, OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, ALS, migraine, sciatica

Mystical Attributes:  Shaolin monks in ancient China used the lion’s mane mushroom in daily practice to improve their concentration. They believed it increased their “Qi,” a mystical, energetic life force. Lion’s mane’s bioactive compounds do indeed see to improve focus and memory, and thus is helpful in spell work to protect from insanity.

The Yamabushi historically used lion’s mane as a tea/extract before meditation to increase focus and purpose during their spiritual practice.

Lion’s Mane can be used in magic spells related to educational pursuits.

Mystical Intentions:  focus, concentration, mental clarity, meditation, education, protection from insanity

Other Uses:

• Lion’s Mane is common in gourmet cooking, with the young specimens considered the best. It is a specialty mushroom alongside shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

Taste & Smell:  Many describe the flavor of Lion’s Mane Mushroom as “seafood-like,” often comparing it to crab or lobster.

Botany, Cultivation & Harvesting:  Lion’s Mane production is widespread within Asia, mostly using extensive production practices on wood logs or stumps. However, it is native to Europe and can also be found in eastern North America.

As a saprophyte that occurs on dead wood, H. erinaceus requires adequate substrate factors, including suitable carbon and nitrogen sources, a certain pH value and ideal carbon/nitrogen ratio.

Many different substrates have been used successfully for culitivation of this mushroom. Depending on the type of cultivation, the substrate can be either solid (artificial log) or liquid (submerged culture and deep submerged culture).

The solid substrate is most commonly a mixture of sawdust of hardwood or conifer containing different complements that may include wheat bran, wheat straw, soybean meal, corn meal, rice bran, and rice straw. For example, H. erinaceus strains grow on beech sawdust substrate enriched with wheat bran (20%), rye grain (25%), soybean meal (7%), rapeseed meal (10%), or meat-osseous flour (6%).

An example of a liquid substrate composition can be glucose for the carbon source, soybean powder, corn powder, and wheat bran powder as a complex nitrogen source. The pH values most suitable for the favorable growth of H. erinaceus were in the range of 5.0 – 9.0, with pH 6.0 as optimal.

Hericium erinaceus requires a humid environment for its growth: 85 to 90% of relative humidity in the air. The incubation temperature most suitable for the mycelial growth of H. erinaceus was found to be 25 °C, and the optimum temperature for vegetative growth was 26 °C. H. erinaceus is unable to grow with a water potential lower than -5 Mpa.

The artificial cultivation of H. erinaceus was first reported in China in 1988. It is cultivated using artificial logs, bottles, and polypropylene bags. However, this type of artificial cultivation is not suitable for industrialized production due to its low yield and long cultivation cycles.

Submerged culture is a type of artificial cultivation of H. erinaceus whereby the fungus is grown in a liquid medium. Using this method, a large number of mycelia can be obtained quickly. Bioactive compounds can be sourced from the fruiting bodies, submerged-cultivated mycelial biomass, or liquid-cultivated broth. Growers optimize the culture medium composition to obtain simultaneously high yields of H. erinaceus mycelial biomass, exopolysaccharides, and polysaccharides. Submerged fermentation is preferable for the production of mycelial biomass and biologically active metabolites in order to produce a more uniform biomass and extract products.

Growth regulators, such as 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and gibberellin, were observed to have an advantageous effect on spore germination. Other technologies, such as red and green laser light of low intensity, stimulated spore germination as well as the vegetative growth of mycelium. Argon and helium lasers also contributed to the acceleration of fruit body development by 36–51%.

Wild strains of Hericium spp. can be isolated and cultivated by first gathering fruiting bodies from fallen trees in the natural habitat. The fruiting bodies can then be opened to attain pieces of their inner spore-producing tissue. This tissue is then placed onto petri dishes with agar to cultivate fungal colonies at 25 °C. After several transfers to new petri dishes to verify the purity of the strain, it can be kept at −80 °C for long-term storage.

Contraindications & Toxicity:

• Anyone who is allergic or sensitive to mushrooms should avoid lion’s mane, since it is a species of mushroom. There have been documented cases of people experiencing difficulty breathing or skin rashes after exposure to lion’s mane mushrooms, likely related to allergies.
• High doses may cause upset stomach, diarrhea and headache.

Constituents:

• polysaccharides
• hericenones
• erinacines
• polypeptides
• beta-glucoxlan
• prebiotic fibers
• basidiomycetes
• digestive enzymes

Sources: https://spiritartsandherbs.com/sources

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