There are thousands of mushrooms species that exist on the planet. And mushrooms are a peculiar form of life. They pop up out of seemingly nowhere, in the strangest places. And unlike plants, they’re not green, they don’t have leaves, and they never flower.

Believe it or not, from an evolutionary standpoint, mushrooms are more like humans than plants. And this fact could be the reason why some of the elements that help mushrooms defend themselves also help boost your body’s defenses.

Scientists, doctors, and health experts have all taken note and are increasingly looking to mushrooms as a way to enhance human health and well-being.

Using mushrooms as therapy is not a new idea. Ancient Egyptians believed eating mushrooms led to a longer life. And mushrooms have been used as medicine for over five thousand years in Asian cultures.

Today, more than a hundred species of mushrooms are presently under research for their potential health benefits. These shrooms are real health heroes. And none has shown more beneficial power than the king of the mushroom domain – Lion’s Mane.

What is Lion’s Mane?

Lion’s Mane, also known as Hericium Erinaceus, is named for its white, fluffy, cascading spines resembling a lion’s tresses. Lion’s Mane mushrooms grow in the southern regions of the United States, China, Japan, and Europe.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms are a safe and edible mushroom that appears to have remarkable nootropic brain-boosting power. Nootropics are compounds that help improve cognitive and executive function, memory, motivation, focus, and creativity.

Lion’s Mane is also known to help boost your energy and immune system function.

All-Around Better Brain Function

The biggest draw to Lion’s Mane for most people is for its nootropic effects. In thousands of studies, supplementing with Lion’s Mane has been shown to boost mental cognition, including enhanced memory, verbal recall, focus, and attention – something practically everyone can benefit from having.

One study published in Phytotherapy Research Journal, using a 1,000 mg Lion’s Mane over four months, showed significant improvement in the battery of cognitive skills tests. As world-renowned mycologist Paul Stamets says, “Lion’s mane may be our first ‘smart’ mushroom. It is a safe, edible fungus that appears to confer cognitive benefits on our aging population.”

Healthy Brain and Nervous System

Lion’s Mane is possibly the most potent natural source known to stimulate your Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). NGF promotes the regeneration of brain neurons and their outgrowths called dendrites and axons. These outgrowths are responsible for cell to cell communication. A study published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms showed the interaction between Lion’s Mane and NGF encourages new dendrites and axons; the effect is quicker communication between your brain cells.

Relieves Depression and Anxiety

With things the way they are today, we are all under a tremendous amount of stress. Unaddressed and compounded stress levels can easily develop into anxiety, depression, or worse.

Research done in Japan showed that people who took a Lion’s Mane supplement reported less irritation, reduced anxiety, and greater concentration levels than a group of people given a placebo over the course of a month. It seems that Lion’s Mane’s ability to relieve anxiety and depression is linked to stimulating NGF.

Reduces Fatigue

Studies show that a polysaccharide (a type of long-chain carbohydrate) found in Lion’s Mane extract helps improve your energy levels and drastically reduces fatigue. Another way Lion’s Mane has been shown to reduce fatigue is by increasing the amount of energy reserves your body stores in your muscles. Due to its fatigue-reducing ability, Lion’s Mane is often used in sports nutrition.

Enhances Immune System

Lion’s Mane is loaded with antioxidants and beta-glucans, which will help strengthen your immune system. These compounds exhibit immune-modulating qualities, which help reduce inflammation and harmful prevent oxidation.

Supplementing with Mushrooms

Lion’s Mane is not the type of mushroom you’d find in the produce section at your local grocery store. It’s in the class of medicinal mushrooms, those that confer proven health and therapeutic benefits. Lion’s Main mushrooms are much more valuable and harder to find than the standard varieties.

The easiest way to enjoy the numerous health benefits of Lion’s Mane is through a supplement. Stonehenge Health’s newly launched Dynamic Mushrooms is an expertly crafted blend of Lion’s Mane 4:1 extract of mushroom fruiting bodies along with four other powerful medicinal mushrooms – Chaga, Reishi, Maitake, and Shiitake.

Dynamic Mushrooms contains 1,000 mg of Lion’s Mane extract per serving, which is the amount studies show helps elevate your cognitive function and boost energy. Take Dynamic Mushrooms daily as part of an overall healthy lifestyle – for better memory and focus, increased mental strength and physical endurance, improved ability to adapt to physical and mental stressors, and support for your immune system’s health.

Sources:
1. Mori, Koichiro, Satoshi Inatomi, Kenzi Ouchi, Yoshihito Azumi, and Takashi Tuchida. 2009. “Improving Effects Of The Mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium Erinaceus) On Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial”. Phytotherapy Research 23 (3): 367-372. doi:10.1002/ptr.2634.

2. Nagano, Mayumi, Kuniyoshi Shimizu, Ryuichiro Kondo, Chickako Hayashi, Daigo Sato, Katsuyuki Kitagawa, and Koichiro Ohnuki. 2010. “Reduction Of Depression And Anxiety By 4 Weeks Hericium Erinaceus Intake”. Biomedical Research 31 (4): 231-237. doi:10.2220/biomedres.31.231.

3. HM, Xu, Xie ZH, and Zhang WY. 1994. “[Immunomodulatory Function Of Polysaccharide Of Hericium Erinaceus]”. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi Jiehe Zazhi = Chinese Journal Of Integrated Traditional And Western Medicine 14 (7). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7950232/.

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20834180/
5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18844328/