7 Health Benefits of Lion’s Mane
Time to talk about our favorite brain-boosting mushroom: lion’s mane. Of course, we love the name, but we love its wide variety of health benefits even more.
“The reported health-promoting properties of the mushroom fruit bodies, mycelia, and bioactive pure compounds include antibiotic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antifatigue, antihypertensive, antihyperlipodemic, antisenescence, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and neuroprotective properties and improvement of anxiety, cognitive function, and depression,” The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports.
Wow Lion’s Mane, aren’t you the overachiever? For all of the reasons above, we included lion’s mane extract in Alpha Babe.
Well-known for its healing properties, lion’s mane has been used as a health treatment in Asian countries for thousands of years. And as the name suggests, this ancient medicinal mushroom resembles a lion’s mane as it grows.
“Used in Japan for centuries and possibly millennia, the odd-looking fungus is revered by Buddhist monks and understood to be almost a mystical source of nutrition,” says Dr. Josh Axe, doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist. And fun fact: “A sect of Buddhist monks known as the Yamabushi wear a garment known as the “suzukake,” fashioned from many long strands of fur, that bears a striking resemblance to the lion’s mane mushroom” and “some sources state that it was reserved for royalty at different times in the past,” Axe adds.
Here are seven health benefits of lion’s mane:
Anxiety is the most common mental illness, affecting 18% of the U.S. population every year. When it comes to causes of anxiety, many people don’t realize that chronic inflammation is a contributing factor.
Research shows that lion’s mane extract has antidepressant effects, helping to reduce inflammation in mice. Lion’s mane also helps improve hippocampus function – the part of the brain that controls emotions and memory.
In another study, researchers explored the effect of lion’s mane on menopausal women who ate cookies containing lion’s mane mushrooms every day for one month. The women in the treatment group reported fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to the placebo group.
If you’re experiencing stomach pain or digestive issues, lion’s mane is scientifically proven to relieve symptoms.
Lion’s mane extract is proven to protect the stomach lining and prevent the growth of bacteria H. pylori, which is known to cause stomach ulcers. In addition, lion’s mane proved to be more successful at treating stomach ulcers caused by alcohol.
Along with promoting stomach health, lion’s mane extract helps protect the intestines from tissue damage and help treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and ulcerative colitis. In a study of ulcerative colitis patients, the group who was treated with lion’s mane showed greater improvements in “bodily pain, vitality, social functioning and mental health.”
High blood sugar can cause a wide variety of health complications ranging from diabetes to kidney disease.
According to research, lion’s mane blocks the enzyme alpha-glucosidase, and when this enzyme is blocked, this affects the body’s ability to effectively digest carbohydrates. This leads to a drop in blood sugar levels.
In terms of helping to treat diabetes, lion’s mane extract has been shown to lower blood sugar levels in rats with diabetes. It also helps with the nerve damage caused from diabetes, by reducing feelings of nerve pain and improving antioxidant function.
Another health benefit of lion’s mane is improving mental performance.
In a 16-week Japanese clinical trial, researchers gave 3g of lion’s mane extract to participants with mild cognitive impairment. Throughout the study, the participants’ cognitive function scores increased as they took lion’s mane, and after they stopped taking it, their scores dropped.
In addition, several animal studies show lion mane’s ability to improve brain function and memory – specifically, in the areas of spatial and visual recognition.
Yes, lion’s mane is strong enough to fight even the most severe health problems, and research suggests that the compounds in lion mane can help protect against cancer. This includes liver, breast, colon, cervical, lung, gastric cancer and leukemia.
According to one study at Ajou University’s Department of Molecular Science and Technlogy, “H. erinaceus mushrooms may have therapeutic potential against human leukemia.”
In a study published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules lion’s mane showed promise for treating gastric cancer by killing the cells associated with stomach health issues.
Did you know every year 735,000 Americans have a heart attack? Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. killing over 370,000 people each year.
By preventing the increase of LDL cholesterol and lowering the amount of triglycerides, lion’s mane can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Also, in a study conducted by the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Tohoku University, lion’s mane extract can help prevent blood clots, lowering the risk of stroke.
The inflammation of fatty issue increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Lion’s mane was shown to have anti-inflammatory effects on fatty tissue.
Also, lion’s mane has antibacterial properties helping to protect the body against harmful pathogens that cause intestinal and stomach-related health problems.
Along with these seven benefits, lion’s mane can also help with insomnia, weak muscles, low energy and researchers are continue to discover new elements of its healing potential!
Are you ready to experience the numerous health benefits of lion’s mane? Try Alpha Babe and let us know what you think!
