If you’re looking for a way to improve your brain function, memory and more, look no further than the lion’s mane mushroom. This little fungi is packed with nutrients that can help boost your cognitive performance. In this blog post, we will discuss all of the amazing lion’s mane mushroom benefits and provide you with some of the research behind the power of these incredible mushrooms!
List of 9 Science Backed Benefits of Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
1. Added Protection Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
One of the most impressive benefits of lion’s mane mushrooms is that they could protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that lion’s mane can improve cognitive function and memory in those with mild to moderate forms of these diseases. Lion’s mane contains compounds known as hericystins and erinacines, which have been shown to promote nerve growth and protect neurons from damage.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than five million Americans each year. Dementia is a general term used to describe a decline in mental function that occurs with age. Symptoms can include memory loss, difficulty reasoning and problem solving, confusion, and changes in mood or behavior.
If you are concerned about your risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, adding lion’s mane mushrooms to your diet could be a great way to help protect your brain!
2. Ease Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health issues in the United States. According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the country, affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older.
Depression affects about 16.07 million American adults annually. While pharmaceutical drugs can be effective in treating these conditions, they often come with a host of side effects.
Lion’s mane mushroom benefits may offer a natural solution to easing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. A study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that lion’s mane mushroom extract had antidepressant effects in mice.
The study’s authors suggest that further research is needed to determine the efficacy of lion’s mane mushrooms in humans. Just this benefit alone makes it worth trying the best lion’s mane supplements available to see if they could help ease your symptoms of anxiety or depression.
3. Lion’s Mane Mushroom Benefits Recovery from Injuries to Your Nervous System
The brain, spinal cord, and other nerves that travel throughout the body are part of the nervous system. These elements collaborate to transmit and convey messages that control almost all bodily functions. Injuries to the brain or spinal cord can be fatal. They frequently result in paralysis or loss of mental abilities, and recovery time is lengthy.
However, lion’s mane mushroom extract has been shown in studies to promote nerve cell growth and repair, which may aid with the recovery from these sorts of injuries.
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%.
While these results are promising, no studies have been conducted in humans to determine if lion’s mane would have the same therapeutic effect on nervous system injuries.
4. Improved Protection against Ulcers in the Digestive Tract
Ulcers can form anywhere along the digestive system, particularly the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.
Stomach ulcers are generally the consequence of two primary factors: H. pylori overgrowth and stomach mucosa damage caused by long-term usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs).
Lion’s mane extract, when taken correctly, has been found to protect against the development of stomach ulcers by inhibiting H. pylori growth and protecting the stomach lining from harm.
5. Improves Against Risk of Heart Disease
Obesity, high triglycerides, excessive amounts of oxidized cholesterol, and a propensity to form blood clots are all warning symptoms for heart disease.
Lion’s mane extract has been found in studies to affect several heart disease risk factors, including inflammation and cholesterol.
In a 28-day study in rats fed a high-fat diet and given lion’s mane extract daily doses, researchers found that lipoprotein cholesterol levels were 27% lower and weight gain was 42% lower.
6. Lions Mane Mushroom Benefits for Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes is a condition in which the body’s insulin-producing ability has deteriorated, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels that are never controlled.
Over time, high blood sugar levels lead to several issues, such as kidney disease, nerve damage in the hands and feet, and blindness.
The lion’s mane mushroom benefits on blood sugar levels in both normal and diabetic mice was observed in several animal studies. Even at daily dosages as low as 2.7 mg per pound (6 mg per kg) of body weight, it was found to lower blood sugar levels significantly.
In mice, the Lion’s Mane mushroom can help lower blood sugar and alleviate diabetic nerve pain, but more research is needed to see if it may be a useful therapeutic option in people.
7. Can Lion’s Mane Even Help Fight Cancer?
Cancer is a disease in which DNA becomes damaged, causing cells to divide and replicate uncontrollably.
When lion’s mane extract is combined with human cancer cells in a test tube, they cause the cancer cells to perish at a faster rate. This has been observed with many types of cancer cells, including liver, colon, stomach, and blood tumors.
Lion’s mane extract has been found to limit the spread of cancer as well as kill cancer cells. In mice with colon cancer, it was discovered that consuming the best lion’s mane tincture slowed the development of deadly metastasis by 69%.
8. Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Reduction
Many modern diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders, are linked to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
A Lion’s mane mushroom benefit is it contains powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant chemicals that may assist with the management of these conditions, according to research.
In fact, one research comparing the antioxidant capabilities of 14 different mushroom species discovered that lion’s mane had the fourth highest antioxidant activity and suggested it be included in a healthy diet.
In rats, lion’s mane extract lowered inflammation and oxidative stress indicators, suggesting it may be particularly beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, liver damage, and stroke.
Lion’s mane mushroom contains potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that may help to battle chronic illness.
9. Improves and Strengthens the Immune Systems
The body’s immune system protects us from germs, viruses, and other disease-causing organisms. A robust immune system reduces the chance of acquiring an illness. On the other side, a weak immunological system increases the likelihood of infection.
Lion’s mane mushrooms may help boost immunity by increasing the activity of the intestinal immune system, which protects the body from germs that enter the gut through the mouth or nose. According to animal research, lion’s mane mushroom can enhance immunological function by stimulating the bacterial population in your intestines.
However, a study in animals found that lion’s mane mushrooms had immune-boosting properties.
Is Lion’s Mane Mushroom Safe?
Lion’s mane mushrooms has been tested on animals and has been found to be quite safe, according to animal studies. However, allergic responses in people have occurred, so anybody with a known mushroom allergy should avoid the best lion’s mane powders or any other form of the fungi.
In Conclusion
As you have read, the lion’s mane mushroom has a number of health benefits. Lion’s mane has been linked to a reduced incidence of dementia, alleviating mild anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as the ability to heal nerve damage.
It has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunostimulant properties, as well as the ability to lower the incidence of heart disease, cancer, ulcers, and diabetes in animals.While the current study is encouraging, more human testing is required to perfect health applications for lion’s mane mushroom.
Additional Resources:
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Side Effects
Updated 10/4/2022
