Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Lion’s Mane is a beautiful, whitish, furry-looking mushroom found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is known by many names, such as pom pom mushroom, hedgehog mushroom, and bear’s head mushroom. It looks like it has teeth (some say they look like cascading icicles instead) that house the spores to help it reproduce.

Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) is a type of medicinal mushroom that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is now widely available in supplement form. Scientific research shows that lion’s mane contains a number of health-promoting substances, including antioxidants and beta-glucan.

Studies claim that lion’s mane can help with a variety of health problems, including:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Anxiety
• Depression
• High cholesterol
• Inflammation
• Parkinson’s disease
• Ulcers

In addition, lion’s mane is said to strengthen the immune system, stimulate digestion, and protect against cancer.

Lion’s mane mushrooms are nootropic, meaning that they can improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.

Lion’s Mane mushroom contains several compounds, like hericenones and erinacines, that have been found to promote nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis in nerve cells. NGF is responsible for the regulation of growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of neural cells and promotes long-term health in our body.

Extensive research on Lion’s Mane shows that the mushroom supports neurogenesis, which is the process by which neurons are produced by neural stem cells. In one study where adult mice were administered Lion’s Mane mushroom daily, researchers found it promoted neurogenesis in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that supports information synthesis, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.

Lion’s mane may benefit older adults with mild cognitive impairment, according to a small study published in Phytotherapy Research in 2009. For the study, researchers assigned 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment to take either lion’s mane extract or a placebo every day for 16 weeks. In cognitive tests given at weeks eight, 12, and 16 of the study, members of the lion’s mane group showed significantly greater improvements compared to members of the placebo group.

Extracts from lion’s mane mushrooms may be beneficial in the treatment of anxiety and depression.

In a 2015 study, mice that consumed lion’s mane mushroom extract displayed fewer depressive behaviors and had blood markers that indicated lower depression. The researchers suggest that this is due to the extract’s anti-inflammatory effects. The findings of a 2018 animal study support this, with the authors concluding that these mushroom extracts may contain agents that are useful for treating depression.

In a small Japanese study, women with a variety of health complaints, including menopausal symptoms and poor sleep quality, ate cookies containing lion’s mane extracts or placebo cookies for 4 weeks. The participants who ate the extract reported lower levels of irritation and anxiety than those in the placebo group.

In a more recent study published in Biomedical Research in 2011, scientists examined the effects of lion’s mane on brain function in mice. Results revealed that lion’s mane helped protect against memory problems caused by the buildup of amyloid beta, a substance that forms the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The antioxidant properties of lion’s mane mushrooms may play a role in cancer prevention or treatment. In a 2011 study published in Food & Function, tests on human cells revealed that lion’s mane may help knock out leukemia cells. Another study published in 2011 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that lion’s mane extract helped reduce the size of cancerous colon tumors in mice. The study’s findings suggest that lion’s mane may help fight off colon cancer, in part by increasing activity in certain cells involved in the immune response. Another study found that the extract might help reduce the spread of colon cancer cells to the lungs.

A study using animal models found that these mushroom extracts may also fight liver, colon, and gastric cancer cells.

One of the complications of diabetes is nerve damage resulting from prolonged periods of high blood sugar. A 2015 study on rats, in which they ingested lion’s mane extract for 6 weeks, showed positive results, including lower blood sugar levels, reduced feelings of nerve pain, and improved antioxidant activity.

Lion’s mane may help your digestion by fighting inflammation. The mushroom may also boost immune function and encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut.

In vitro studies report that lion’s mane mushrooms can result in antibacterial activity that may improve digestion. Research in mice supports these findings by showing that extracts of lion’s mane may protect against stomach ulcers.

Most studies on lion’s mane mushrooms have used animals, but it appears to be safe to eat the mushrooms in moderate quantities.

The safety and effectiveness of lion’s mane supplements are less apparent because dietary supplements do not have the same regulations as food and drug products.

However, in the animal studies, even high doses did not produce adverse effects in the rodents.

Little is known about the safety of long-term use and side effects of lion’s mane supplements. However, there’s some concern that lion’s mane may aggravate symptoms in people with allergies and asthma.

How to Buy

Lion’s mane mushrooms are available year round in many specialty stores. You can find them in the fall in farmer’s markets and your local co-op.

You can buy Lion’s Mane Mushrooms online at R&R Cultivation.

How to Store

For cultivated mushrooms, the best way to store them to keep them fresh is in a paper bag.  If the bag is thin then double bag.  Fill the bag no more than half full, fold the top over, and lay in the crisper drawer of the fridge.  If no room in the crisper, you can place the bag on a shelf but for more protection, place the bag in a small cardboard box and place on the shelf.  Do not place the bag directly against the fridge wall.  Mushrooms can last up to two weeks when stored in the warmer part of the fridge.

If unable to use within a week you can always dry or freeze mushrooms. To freeze, place the mushrooms in a pan (tear apart larger pieces).  Sweat the mushrooms to get rid of moisture.  Once almost all moisture is gone, add a little vegan butter or oil.  Add enough that the mushrooms soak it up while cooking but not enough that they are swimming in it.  You do not want to overcook the mushrooms since you are storing them for later use.  Cook long enough so that the butter/oil replaces the lost water content.  Place in silicone bags, squeezing out all of the air or package in vacuum seal bags and then put in freezer for later use.

How to Cook

When it is cooked, the mushrooms imparts an aroma and flavor that is described by many as being a combination of eggplant and lobster. The cooked mushroom also has a consistency and texture that resembles crab meat.

Because it has a complimenting, yet subtle flavor profile, this mushroom can be added to a variety of common dishes in order to add a more diverse flavor to your meals. Mushrooms are a vegetarian and vegan alternative to pork and seafood.

To cook lion’s mane mushrooms, take a sharp knife and slice the mushroom in 1/2 inch thick slices. Preheat your frying pan over a medium temperature. Without adding any oil pan fry slices of lion’s mane for approximately 10 minutes or until it has halved in size.

At this point it should begin turn golden. Turn up the heat and add a small amount of olive oil and sear until crisp on the outside.

By dehydrating the mushroom on a dry frying pan, you can intensify the flavors. The crisp finish on the outside is great. All it needs is a little salt and pepper and it’s ready to be plated.