Little Known Benefits Of Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Eating something with the name “Lion’s mane” and the look of a Komondor dog doesn’t seem a delightful option, does it?
Strangely this fungus is one of the most preferred varieties of mushroom.
There are 50,000 species of mushroom so why would anyone want to eat something this weird looking?
Well, the answer is hidden in its nutritional value and disease-fighting properties. This one of a kind mushroom has a unique composition which helps it to prevent and cure many familiar as well as rare diseases.
It has some features that even its existing users don’t know. Let’s have a look at some of its most unusual and little known health benefits.
Fights Dementia
Did you know that an average human cerebral cortex has approximately 16billion neurons? This count is never stable for everyone. It increases and decreases according to your lifestyle and eating habits.
However, after a certain age, the brain cell development slows down. At this stage, people can start to notice a decline in cognitive abilities and can sometimes develop diseases like dementia.
Fortunately, consuming lion mane mushroom can help you to prevent these brain deterioration problems. This mushroom has some enzymes which stimulate the brain for producing nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
Both these proteins help to strengthen the existing cells and build new brain cells. NGF also boosts the formation of myelin, which works as a nerve cell sheath. As for BDNF, it plays a vital role in increasing plasticity, that is essential to shield the brain against aging and stress.
Heals Nerve Damages
Remember how you felt when you accidentally stubbed your toe on some furniture. Instant pain, right? But how did the sensation on your feet reach your brain?
Well, it’s because of the nervous system which is an extremely complex system of many
components, some of which include the spinal cord, motor neurons, and receptor cells. This system works together with the brain, to regulate most of the body’s functions.
Even minor damage to this system would mean a long time injury or paralysis. Now, these injuries may heal, but they will take time, sometimes too long.
You can accelerate the healing with the help of lion’s mane extract. It has some chemicals which stimulate the brain neurons to speed up the whole process and also provide adequate nutrients for it.
Moreover, lion’s mane extract also helps to prevent the severity of brain damage after a stroke or sudden shock.
Reduce Anxiety And Depression
At an average, 40 million people are suffering from anxiety and 16 million suffering from depression in the United States alone.
Now there are multiple ways to deal with this problem. The most powerful and safest among them all is developing a healthy lifestyle and regulating your everyday routine. Lion’s mane mushroom can help you to achieve both of these.
It has NGF which strengthens the brain’s healing region and increases its capability of stress management. The mushroom and its extract also help to fight fatigue and normalize the daily circadian rhythms.
Plus, it reduces many diseases which is a prime reason for stress. Also, it doesn’t have a known side effect, at least if you are not allergic to mushrooms.
Prevent Heart Diseases
Obesity and high triglycerides are the most common factor of heart diseases and lion’s mane can treat both of them.
Studies say that the chemicals and nutrients present in lion’s mane mushroom increase the metabolism of the human body, which has a direct effect on cholesterol. It helps to prevent an increase of LDL (the bad cholesterol), high triglycerides, and also supports the quantity of HDL (the good cholesterol).
The fungus also has a rich content of antioxidants which is essential for reducing free radicals. It also prevents the oxidation of cholesterol molecules which become forms the base of arteries clots. These molecules are responsible for reduced blood flow, high blood pressure, strokes, and many other heart diseases.
Therefore, by preventing this accumulation, lion’s mane mushroom promotes heart health.
Supplements Digestive Health
In 2015 there were 267,500 cases of deaths due to peptic ulcer. About 10% of the world’s population develops this disease at some point in their life. Many if not all of these, could have been prevented with the regular consumption of lion’s mane mushroom or its extract.
This fungus tends to hinder the growth of H. pylori, the bacteria that is responsible for the breaking in the digestive tracts. Studies also suggested that the mushroom has an excellent healing effect on alcohol-induced stomach problems without any side effect.
The mushroom is also an excellent solution for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Improves Focus
Like it or not, the speed of life has increased at a very rapid pace. Even at this very moment, you may have multiple tabs on your computer open. However, with multitasking comes another problem, the difficulty to focus on anything. If you too are facing this problem, consider some lion’s mane mushroom.
The mushroom has two compounds, Hericenones, and Erinacines which are potent brain boosters. These chemicals along with the other nutrients in the mushroom, help the body recover from any trauma and damage. They strengthen the whole nervous system including the brain which encourages speedy restoration of the body.
The mushroom is also an ideal product for reducing the deposit of Beta-amyloid (a possible cause of Alzheimer’s) and increases the strength of brain cells. This fungus is an excellent remedy for sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and many other cognitive diminishing diseases.
All these properties together, contribute to the formation of a robust overall processing system, which leads to better focus and concentration power.
Prevents Cancer
Cancer is a broad term for all the diseases which includes the uncontrolled formation of abnormal cells due to damaged genes. Lion’s Mane mushroom has some unique chemicals components which can reduce the proliferation of these cancerous cells and even stop it.
Some test tube studies say that the extract from this mushroom increases the death rate of cancer cells. Moreover, it’s not limited to a specific type of cancer but deals with almost all of them. It works for liver, colon, stomach, and blood cancer cells. One study also proves that the fungus extract is capable of preventing the spreading of the diseased cells to the lungs.
Above all, it has potential compounds that boost the immune system making it capable of fighting the diseases.
The Final Words
Apart from all these benefits, this mushroom is also an anti-inflammatory food. No wonder, it has been an active part of many ancient medicines and remedies. It is still an essential part of Chinese and Japanese food and beverages. They use it to make main dishes, sides dishes, tea, and as an additive to their drinks or soups. On a global scale, this mushroom is available as an extract, tea, supplement, dry powder and sometimes fresh.
So, step up from the risky medicines, and choose something natural that has all the benefits without any loss. Get the lion mane mushroom.