Lions mane mushrooms. They seem to be having their 15 minutes of fame right now. In fact,
I take that back, the global mushroom market was valued at a whopping $50.3 billion in 2021
and is expected to grow nearly 10 percent per year until 2030. BUt the one thats stealing the
limelight right now is, lions mane or hedgehog mushroom, because it literally looks like a
hedgehog. But because its large, white, shaggy, it also looks like a lions mane. And you can pick
them up at your local grocery stores to make them into teas and tinctures, grilling them,
or taking them as a capsule in order to derive its benefits, which is what we will look at. In
this beginner guide video, im going to take you to everything you need to know about lions mane,
what it is, how it works, what its benefits are at each dose, its side effects which is often ignored
in other videos, and who shouldnt be taking lions mane, which is all important information,
so if you stick with me until the end of the video, youll become a lions mane pro.
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without wasting anymore time, lets get straight into it.
Lions mane mushrooms are from the species of herenicium erinaceus,
and there native to north america, europe, and asia, and most common during the late summer
and fall and they can be found either on living trees as a tree parasite,
but mostly as a saprotroph feeding on old trees that have expired. And its been used
in eastern asia for hundreds of years as food and medicine.And Mushrooms have been used by humans
for thousands of years as food and as medicine. You got about 14,000 species of mushrooms, and
about 2000 of them are edible. ANd out Of the 2000 edible mushrooms, 270 species are now considered
as potential therapeutic or preventative agent. But with this specific one, Interestingly, if you
go ahead and taste it, it pretty much tastes like crab or lobster. Its very seafood like. And in
chinese traditional medicine, you found it used to fortify the spleen, nourish the gut, and help with
muscle pain and weakness. But upon investigation, they found that lions mane contains a diverse
amount of phytochemicals and compounds like antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and what
are known as nerve growth factors that make it a lot of different than any other edible mushroom.
The way lions mane works is mainly due to its polysaccharide, erinacines, steroid molecules,
and alkaloid contents, which when you ingest lions mane, there is a plethora of compounds that once
you digest it, it begins exerting its effects, a major one when it reaches metabolism is how it
can stimulate a protein in the body known as nerve growth factor or NGF. And why NGF is a
big deal is because, it maintains, proliferates, and helps keep neurons throughout the body alive
and functioning. Not only that, it may work in reducing oxidation of cholesterol in the
blood thru its anitoxidant effects, it may block the enzyme called alpha glucosidase which stops
the breakdown of carbs in the small intestine, it may increase the immune system in the gut,
all of these activities that it performs, whether or not its in a test tube, mice, and in humans,
its uses as a nutraceutical is turning a lot of heads because more and more studies are being
published on how exactly lions mane works to deliver its benefits. And all that is exciting.
The first benefit, and why lions mane got so much attention in the first place, is due to
its ability to improve brain function and fight alzheimers disease. Which is why its one of
the most popular nootropics right now for anyone preparing for an exam and struggle with brain fog,
a presentation they need to prepare for, an important client meeting they need to attend,
or anyone hoping to find just all around natural brain booster to enhance focus, clarity,
and learning. The 2 compounds in lions mane to do all this are known as ericenones and erinacines,
which can stimulate the growth of brain cells and improve brain function. And for alzheimers,
you see, The problem with alzheimers medicines today is, when you take a look at the disease
as a whole, one of the theories is that you get these beta amyloid plaques that destroy brain
cells and cause neuritic changes, right?. And the medicines we have today dont target that,
what they do is enhance the neurotransmission of neurons at cholinergic synapses,
which is just fancy for making sure that the neurons keep talking to eachother, and not stop,
because if they stop talking, alzheimers can develop. Aricept which is a medicine
for alzheimers, delays further deterioration of the brain cell and doesnt do much about
reversing the damage thats already done. And the other medicine for alzheimers, memantine,
blocks the receptor for the glutamate neurotransmitter which may be responsible
for the neurotoxicity of the brain cells. Dont get me wrong, these medicines can work and are
FDA approved, and can be great solutions. But We have to find a way to prevent this,
not just treat it. And lions mane effects on NGF, could be promising and would hope it gets looked
at more as a preventative treatment before early onset dementia and alzheimers disease.
Some of the other benefits that it may provide comes from much of the testing that yields
promising results from test tubes and in animal models. For example how it can help with mild
symptoms of anxiety and depression, through its ability to improve hippocampus function,
which is the area in the brain for processing memories and emotion. Helping with nerve injury
and traumatic brain injury, and stroke related brain injury, by stimulating the growth and repair
of nerve cells, protection against ulcers by preventing the overgrowth of h. Pylori,
preventing heart disease by helping prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the bloodstream and
more. Some of you may have a ton of stories on how it has helped you with these issues,
it would be cool to here from you down below. And when it comes to dosing, youre going to
hear so many recommendations. So there is no standardized dose. But From the studies, an amount
of 1,000 mg Lion's Mane at 96% purity extract, up to 3x a day was used to get some of these
benefits. Keep in mind though, that the potency differs in the preparation and source of mushroom.
You got a lot of options out there. You can go ahead and buy the mushroom from the grocery store
and use it to prepare in the kitchen or go the supplement route. If you go the supplement route,
personally im not a fan of the proprietary blend versions because they permit manufacturers to
withhold important information about what's really in a product. Also what you probably dont know
about proprietary blends is that the formula can change over time without you every catching onto
that, so to avoid this problem, go with a product that only contains the 1 ingredient, lions mane,
ideally. Secondly, you got the fruiting body ones or the mycellium versions. There is an argument
that the beneficial bioactive compounds are found in both the mycellium and the fruiting bodies,
but in higher concentrations in the fruiting bodies. So go with the fruiting bodies if
you want the maximum results. Thirdly, go with a product that is at least usp, nsf,
or at the very least manufactured in a gmp facility or has been third party tested so
you can get the quality. Also one that is usda organic if its possible and one that doesnt
contain any fillers. And its hard to find a product that meets all that, 1 ingredient,
flowering body, third party tested, and USDA organic, but I was able to make a list of some
and ive added them in the description below, so definitely check that out when you can.
When it comes to the side effects, there isnt a ton of studies that look at this. But one
that I found, which i think is important to share comes back from the 2020 study,
in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Alzheimer’s study, which had patients complain of stomach
discomfort, nausea, and skin rashes likely due to allergies, coming at 350 mg 3 times a day mark.
You should avoid taking lions mane if you are pregnant, planning to be or breastfeeding since
there isn’t enough information to rule out the risk there. Also if you have a clotting or
bleeding disorder or are preparing for a surgery. And lastly, you might want to avoid it if you have
some sort of heart disease as well as some of the medications you might be on can affect how
they get absorbed so definitely talk to your local pharmacist to see if youre on the clear for this.
Click the red subscribe button down below if you found any value and ill see you on the next video.