Top 10 Benefits of Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion’s mane mushroom is a powerful extract that can seriously improve your quality of life. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
But, before adding lion’s mane to your diet, you should consult a lion’s mane mushroom benefits list. Fortunately, we have a comprehensive list of lion’s mane health benefits and lion’s mane mushroom spiritual benefits.
In this article, we will cover lion’s mane mushroom brain benefits, lion’s mane mushroom medicinal benefits, and lion’s mane mushroom health benefits.
That way, you can make an informed decision about adding lion’s mane mushroom to your diet.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Brain Benefits
There are many lion’s mane mushroom brain benefits. They include protecting against dementia and relieving mild symptoms of depression and anxiety.
List
- Protects Against Dementia
- Relieves Mild Symptoms of Depression
- Relieves Mild Symptoms of Anxiety
- Protects Against Stomach Ulcers
- Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
- Helps Manage Symptoms of Diabetes
- Helps Fight Cancer
- Speeds Recovery from Nervous System Injuries
- Reduces Inflammation
- Boosts the Immune System
1. Protects Against Dementia
Studies have found that lion’s mane mushrooms may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. This is because they contain hericenones and erinacines. These are important compounds that help encourage brain cell growth.
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease. As brain cells are injured and die, connections between networks of neurons break down. This is what causes Alzheimer’s patients to experience progressive memory loss.
Lion’s mane mushrooms reduce symptoms of memory decline in mice. They also slow neuronal damage caused by amyloid-beta plaques. These plaques accumulate in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease.
One study followed older adults who had mild cognitive impairment. Researchers found substantially improved mental functioning in people who consumed three grams of powdered lion’s mane mushroom every day for four months. But these benefits went away when they stopped taking the substance.
Lion’s mane mushroom has beneficial effects on brain health. This is because of its ability to promote nerve growth and protect the brain from Alzheimer-related damage.
2. Relieves Mild Symptoms of Depression
There is an astounding number of potential causes for depression. Recently, studies have shown that chronic inflammation is one of them.
New research has found that lion’s mane mushroom has anti-inflammatory effects. These effects have reduced symptoms of depression in mice.
Other animal studies have shown that this extract can also help strengthen hippocampus activity. This region of the brain is responsible for processing memories and emotional responses.
Because lion’s mane mushroom helps with regenerating brain cells, it can increase the functioning power of the hippocampus. Scientists believe that improved hippocampus functioning may explain the reductions in the mice’s depressive behaviors.
3. Relieves Mild Symptoms of Anxiety
Chronic inflammation has also been shown to be the cause of some anxiety disorders.
Animal studies show that the anti-inflammatory effects of lion’s mane mushroom reduce symptoms of anxiety in mice. This is due in part to improved functioning of the hippocampus.
In one study, subjects ate cookies containing lion’s mane mushroom once a day for one month. The subjects reported reduced feelings of irritation and anxiety.
Taking lion’s mane before bed can also help manage mild symptoms of anxiety.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Medicinal Benefits
In addition to brain benefits, the list of lion’s mane mushroom medicinal benefits is long. It can help protect against stomach ulcers, reduce the risk of heart disease, help manage symptoms of diabetes, help fight cancer, and speed recovery from nervous system injuries.
This lion’s mane mushroom benefits list will help you understand all the potential medical benefits and how to incorporate lion’s mane into your diet.
4. Protects Against Stomach Ulcers
Stomach ulcers are typically caused by two factors. One is an overgrowth of a bacteria called H. pylori. The other is damage to the mucous layer of the stomach, often due to long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs.
One animal study found that lions mane mushroom supplement prevented alcohol-induced stomach ulcers in mice. It was actually more effective than traditional acid-lowering drugs. It also worked without any negative side effects.
Lion’s mane extract can also reduce inflammation and prevent tissue damage in other intestinal areas. It helps treat inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease.
5. Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
Research shows that lion’s mane mushroom can influence some of the risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors include obesity, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and a high tendency for blood clots.
Animal studies have found that lion’s mane mushroom lowers triglyceride levels and improves fat metabolism. One study in rats fed a high-fat diet and given daily doses of lion’s mane mushroom observed noticeably lower triglyceride levels. They also observed significantly less weight gain after 28 days.
Other studies have found that lion’s mane extract helps prevent cholesterol oxidation. Oxidized cholesterol molecules attach to the artery walls. This causes them to harden, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Finally, lion’s mane mushrooms contain a compound called Hericenone B. This compound decreases the rate of blood clotting, further lowering the risk of heart attack or stroke.
6. Helps Manage Symptoms of Diabetes
Diabetes occurs when the body loses its ability to control blood sugar levels. Most diabetic patients have blood sugar levels that are constantly elevated. This eventually causes complications such as vision loss, nerve damage, and kidney disease.
Lion’s mane mushroom is beneficial for diabetes management because it improves blood sugar control. It can also help reduce some of the side effects.
Several animal studies show that lion’s mane causes significantly lower blood sugar levels in both normal and diabetic mice. This is because it blocks the activity of the alpha-glucosidase enzyme.
This enzyme breaks down carbs in the small intestine. When the enzyme is blocked, the body is unable to digest and absorb carbs effectively. This results in lower blood sugar levels.
Other studies show that six weeks of daily lion’s mane mushroom extract significantly reduced pain and increased antioxidant levels in mice with diabetic nerve damage.
7. Helps 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 liver, colon, stomach, and blood cancer cells.
Lion’s mane mushroom is also shown to slow the spread of cancer. One study in mice with colon cancer found that taking lion’s mane extract reduced the spread of cancer to the lungs by 69%.
Another study found that lion’s mane extract was more effective than traditional cancer medications at slowing tumor growth in mice. It also had fewer side effects.
8. Speeds Recovery from Nervous System Injuries
Research has found that lion’s mane mushroom extract also helps speed recovery from injuries of the brain, spinal cord, and other nerves. It does this by stimulating the growth and repair of nerve cells.
When given to rats with nervous system injuries, lion’s mane mushroom extract significantly reduced their recovery time.
It also helps reduce the severity of brain damage after a stroke. In another study, high doses of lion’s mane extract given to rats immediately after a stroke reduced the size of stroke-related brain injuries and decreased inflammation.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Health Benefits
In addition to the benefits listed above, there are many lion’s mane mushroom health benefits. These include reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system.
9. Reduces Inflammation
One of the biggest lion’s mane mushroom benefits is its inflammation-reducing properties. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are believed to be the root cause of several modern illnesses. This includes heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
Studies show time and time again that lion’s mane mushrooms contain powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds.
One study that examined the antioxidant abilities of 14 different mushroom species found that lion’s main had the fourth-highest antioxidant activity.
Several animal studies have found that lion’s mane extract reduced inflammation and oxidative stress in rodents.
Lion’s mane mushrooms also help reduce some of the health risks associated with obesity. This is because they decrease the amount of inflammation released by fat tissue.
10. Boosts the Immune System
Animal research shows that lion’s mane mushroom boosts immunity. It does this by increasing the activity of the intestinal immune system. This system protects the body from pathogens that enter the gut through the mouth or nose.
These effects are partly due to beneficial changes in gut bacteria that stimulate the immune system.
One study even found that supplementing with lion’s mane extract daily nearly quadrupled the lifespan of mice injected with a lethal dose of salmonella bacteria.
FAQ
1. What is Lion’s Mane good for?
Lion’s mane mushroom protects against dementia, reduces mild symptoms of anxiety and depression, and helps repair nerve damage. It also has strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-boosting abilities. It lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, ulcers, and diabetes in animal studies.
2. When is the best time to take Lion’s Mane?
If brewing lion’s mane coffee, it’s best to take it in the morning or early afternoon. If you find that taking lion’s mane makes you sleepy, try taking it before bed.
3. Does Lion’s Mane make you smarter?
Lion’s mane mushroom has been proven to catalyze brain cell growth and prevent neuronal damage caused by amyloid-beta plaques. It helps increase brain function in Alzheimer’s patients and patients with brain damage.
4. Does Lion’s Mane increase serotonin?
Lion’s mane increases serotonin in certain patients. In a preclinical trial, lion’s mane reverses the levels of excitatory neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Benefits
Now that you’ve reviewed our comprehensive lion’s mane mushroom benefits list, you can decide whether or not to incorporate it into your diet. After reviewing lion’s mane mushroom health benefits, lion’s mane mushroom brain benefits, and lion’s mane mushroom medicinal benefits, it is clear to see how much integrating this mushroom into your daily routine can help.
If you’re ready to take advantage of the lion’s mane mushroom benefits, check out our line of coffee mixes. Start enjoying the benefits of lion’s mane mushroom today.
