LION'S MANE INSIGHTS
Nerve-regenerating, brain-boosting medicinal mushroom
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WHAT IS LIONβS MANE AND WHAT MAKES IT A MEDICINAL MUSHROOM?
Lionβs Mane is an edible mushroom and has been well-known for hundreds of years. Considered to be natureβs gift to your nervous system and memory throughout the history of traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine, and treasured in traditional Chinese and Japanese cookery.
Some mushrooms can be quite unusual in their appearance, but Lionβs Mane is undoubtedly one of the most aesthetically beautiful mushrooms with itβs white, pom-pom like fruiting body and has inspired many different names.
In China, it is called Houtou, as it thought to look like the head of a baby monkey, and is also called Shishigashira (Lionβs Head). It is also one of the famous 4 Chinese dishes (the other 3 being sea cucumber, bear palm, and birdβs nest).
In Japan, it is called Yamabushitake because it resembles the ornamental cloth worn by YamabushiβBuddhist monks practising asceticism in the mountains. It is also called Jokotake (funnel-like), Usagitake (rabbit-like), and Harisenbontake (porcupine fish-like).
SOME HEALTH BENEFITS OF LION'S MANE INCLUDE:
- nerve regeneration, neuroprotective & anti-ageing
- immuno-modulating properties for immune support & improved gut health
- anti-inflammatory
- anticarcinogenic & rich in antioxidants
- improves mental anxiety, cognitive function & depressive symptoms
DISCLAIMER: Always check with your healthcare practitioner before using medicinal foods and superfoods during pregnancy or on prescribed medication.
LIONβS MANE FOR SUPPLEMENTATION
Hereβs how to pick the best lionβs mane powder available
Find steam-activated or extract powder
Mushrooms are known to be made of an indigestible fibre called chitin. To break this chitin down and access all the nutritional goodness, the mushroom needs to be processed in some way. It can be extracted, or the powder can be heat treated. Soaring Free Mushrooms are all steam sterilised, a process which also activates it to make it more bioavailable.
Look for other ingredients
A common issue with powders is that they are often mixed with bulking or flow agents by unethical suppliers. One such bulking agent is rice protein, which in itself is not harmful, but certainly dilutes the potency of your mushroom, and another bulking agent of much bigger concern is wood dust, which needless to say, should not be consumed.
MYCELLIUM OR FRUITING BODY?
There are health benefits to both the mycellium and fruiting body
The fruiting body of a mushroom is the part that we see above the surface of the ground or on tree bark. The mycellium is the complex network of threads below the surface that we donβt usually see.
Because mushrooms are usually cultivated on sawdust or grains such as rice, the chances are that your mycellium-based supplement will contain a large portion of grains, and unfortunately in some cases, little to no mycellium. There is the debate that the combination of the mycellium and substrate come with health benefits, but there has been no solid study done to prove this.
The fruiting body is where the magic lies. Itβs far richer in the healing components that make them so effective.
Ideally both the mycellium and the fruiting body would create a more complete, well rounded supplement, but the mycellium can work out to be pricey due to the finicky process of trying to separate it from the substrate.
HEALTH BENEFITS & NUTRITIONAL POTENCY OF LIONβS MANE
Hailed as one of the most effective nootropics available and backed by scientific research
Lionβs Mane mushroom, botanical name (Hericium erinaceus), also known as also known as Monkeyβs Head, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyrβs Beard, Pom Pom Blanc, Igelstachelbart, and Yamabushitake, has been recognised as a natural, effective nootropic that may enhance cognitive function, and has been used in traditional medicinal systems to reduce anxiety, improve gut health and strengthen the immune system. Japanese scientists have studied and confirmed the biological activities of Lionβs Mane as a highly prized medicinal mushroom.
Components and extracts of lionβs mane have been proven to have antibiotic, anticancer, neuroprotective and fat- and glucose-lowering effects. This mushroom also protects against stomach ulcers, improves anxiety, cognitive function and depression, and has anti-fatigue and anti-ageing properties.
All of these beneficial effects are based on three important properties of this mushroom: it decreases inflammation, acts as an antioxidant, and stimulates the immune system.
Lionβs mane is natureβs gift to your nervous system because it is the only mushroom possessing not one but two potent nerve growth factors, showing potential benefits for Parkinsonβs and Alzheimerβs disease, mild cognitive impairment, multiple sclerosis, leg cramps and anxiety.
HOW TO USE LIONβS MANE
Being one of the tastiest mushrooms when cooked, steam-treated lionβs mane is pretty tasty for a mushroom powder. Itβs easy to add to hot drinks. With medicinal mushrooms you can take them any time of the day, but depending on whether they energise or calm you, you might prefer to take them in the morning.
To blend into hot drinks simply mix 1 β 2 tsp into chai, tea, coffee or hot chocolate, or add to recipes in measured doses, or take capsules with water or juice.
Dosage
Steam-Activated Organic Lionβs Mane Powder
- Start with 1 tsp or 4 capsules (1.5g) per day
- Up to 10g or 10x capsules can be used per day once acquainted with the effects
- Double your dose for the first 3 weeks to accelerate results
RECIPES
LIONβS MANE LATTΓ
Go to Recipe
MORE INSIGHTS & SCIENCE ON LIONβS MANE HEALTH BENEFITS
In Asia, it is said that lionβs mane gives you βnerves of steel and the memory of alionβ and from what science is revealing, thatβs apropos. Thus far, existing evidence supports that lionβs mane shows great potential for:
- Improving cognitive function
- Nerve regeneration, remyelination, and increased
- Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) Improving digestive function and relief from gastritis
- An anticoagulant and mild ACE inhibitor (to lower blood pressure) it also improves lipid profile.
According to world renown fungi expert Paul Stamets, lionβs mane may be the first βsmart mushroom,β providing support specifically for cognitive function, including memory, attention and creativity. It is reported that Buddhist monks have consumed lionβs mane tea for centuries before meditation in order to enhance their powers of concentration.
This unique fungus contains a group of compounds that regenerate myelin around the nerve cell axons, which opens the door to a world of neuroprotective benefits.
One of the reasons for this mushroomβs exceptional neuroprotective powers is its ability to stimulate synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). NGF is a protein that plays a major role in the maintenance, survival and regeneration of neurons in both your central and peripheral nervous systems. Lionβs mane contains two unique types of compounds, hericenones and erinacines. The erinacines found in Hericium erinaceus mycelium are among the most powerful NGF inducers in the natural world, able to cross your blood-brain barrier and stimulate production of new neurons within the brain itself.
With many neurological disorders, the brain is unable to manufacture NGF. In fact, this is thought to be one of the primary mechanisms underlying Alzheimerβs disease. Making matters worse, myelin sheaths and the blood-brain barrier prevent your body from accessing external sources of NGF, and this contributes to the progressive deterioration of brain neurons over time.
SOARING FREE Lionβs Mane Powder is certified organic and steam activated for enhanced potency.
