Sarcoma Tumors

To test the effectiveness of Lion's Mane Mushroom on tumors, scientists at the Kyoritsu Pharmaceutical and Industrial Company in Japan, transplanted sarcoma tumors into laboratory mice and fed the mice different doses of dried mushroom powder for 14 days. At the end of the period, they cut out the tumors and weighed them to see if they had grown. The result of their experiment: the tumors either shrank or stopped growing.

The Lion's Mane Mushroom extract worked by stimulating the immune system of the animal, which in turn helped to control and reduce the burden of the sarcoma tumor.

I Chinese Phamacopoeia recommends therapeutic dosage 25-50grams per day. It is likely that similar doses would be required in cases of MRSA.

Scientists at Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Hangzhou, China, undertook an experiment to find out whether Lion's Mane Mushroom can activate T and B lymphocytes in the immune system. These white blood cells circulate in the lymph and blood and flush viruses and bacteria from the body. The scientists were interested in knowing how Lion's Mane Mushroom affected the lymphocytes and what would happen if the mushroom were used in conjunction with other substances known to stimulate lymphocyte production.

The scientists isolated T and B lymphocytes from the blood of laboratory mice. They placed the lymphocytes in test tubes and spiked the test tubes with various combinations of a lectin called Con-A, polysaccharides from Hericium erinaceus, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), another stimulant of white blood cells. The scientists observed the following:
• Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides and Con-A together made the T lymphocytes proliferate at three times the rate they proliferated when Con- Aalone was used. Hericium erinaceus alone, without Con-A, had no effect on lymphocytes.
• Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides and LPS together made lymphocytes proliferate at two to three times the rate they proliferate with LPS alone.

Once again, Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides alone had no effect on lymphocyte production.From this experiment, it appears that Hericium erinaceus can play a role in boosting the immune system when it is used in combination with other substances, namely Con-A and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In another recent experiment conducted at the Tajen Institute of Technology in Taiwan, water-soluble polysaccharides of Lion's Mane Mushroom increased significantly the number of CD4+ cells and macrophages in mice, when compared to a control group. From Healing Mushrooms Georges M. Halpern, MD, PhD.

Antioxidant Properties of Lion's Mane

Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira extensively studied the antioxidant properties of wild mushrooms in 2009 and identified many antioxidant compounds such as phenolic compounds, tocopherols, ascorbic acid, and carotenoids. Maintenance of equilibrium between free radical production and antioxidant defenses (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) is an essential condition for normal organism functioning. When this equilibrium has a tendency for the production of free radicals we say that the organism is in oxidative stress. In this situation, excess free radicals may damage cellular lipids, proteins and DNA, affecting normal function and leading to various diseases. In aerobic organisms, the free radicals are constantly produced during the normal cellular metabolism, mainly in the form of Reactive Oxygen Species and Reactive Nitrogen Species. Exposition of the organism to free radicals has led to the development of endogenous defense mechanisms to eliminate them. These defenses were the response of evolution to the inevitability of Reactive Oxygen Species production in aerobic conditions. Natural products with antioxidant activity may help the endogenous defense system. In this perspective the antioxidants present in the diet assume a major importance as possible protector agents reducing oxidative damage. Wild mushrooms might be used directly in diet and promote health, taking advantage of the additive and synergistic effects of all the bioactive compounds present.

In 2010, I. Mujić, et al, evaluated the antioxidant properties of Lion's Mane. For determination of potential antioxidant activity content of antioxidant compounds, phenolics and flavonoids, and scavenging capacity on DPPH*˙ radicals have been determined. Also the reducing power of obtained extracts has been investigated. Radical scavenging activity was found to exhibit IC50** value for extract concentration of 0.198 mg/ml for Lion's Mane Mushroom. The investigated mushroom dry extract possesses reductive capabilities. The results of this study indicated that investigated mushroom extract possesses antioxidant activity against various antioxidant systems. The antioxidant activity of mushroom extract highly depends on extract concentration, i.e. concentration of active compounds. In all investigated mushroom extracts phenolic compounds have been detected, and all investigated possess antioxidant activity and reductive capability. Because of well-known nutrition value and determined potential antioxidant properties of the investigated mushroom, Lion's Mane Mushroom, or the extract, can be considerate for use as a natural source of antioxidants or possible constituent in some food products or products of natural health industry.

Alzheimer's Disease 24 Grams per Day
Based on a 175 lb. Person.

What was especially intriguing about Takashi Mizuno's article was its implications for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Some 4 million Americans suffer from this affliction, the most common form of irreversible dementia. Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include confusion, memory loss, disorientation, and the inability to speak or reason. Scientists believe that the disease is caused in the brain by plaque buildup around nerve cells and by distorted nerve fibers called neurofibrillary tangles. Alzheimer's disease has no known cure, and it is always fatal. Dr. Mizuno reported that compounds in Lion's Mane Mushroom may encourage the production of a protein called nerve growth factor (NGF), which is required in the brain for developing and maintaining important sensory neurons. To put it simply, Lion's Mane Mushroom may regenerate nerve tissue in the brain. This might have an ameliorative effect in Alzheimer's dementia, a unique opportunity that is actively studied in Japan, a country with a large aging population.

24 Grams per Day
Based on a 175 lb. Person.

Mai Hazekawa. 2009. “The neuroprotective effects of Lion's Mane Mushroom were studied in mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion. Infarct volumes were markedly reduced in mice receiving 14 days of Lion's Mane Mushroom (300 mg/kg) treatment prior to 4-hr MCA occlusion. Moreover, 14-day pre-ischemic H. erinaceus treatment significantly increased the levels of nerve growth factor in both the cortex and striatum of mice subjected to 4-hr MCA occlusion. However, pre-ischemic H. erinaceus treatment had no effect on cerebral blood flow in the cortex of mice subjected to MCA occlusion. Treatment with H. erinaceus for 1 day prior to MCA occlusion-induced ischemia had no effect on infarct volume or NGF level. These results suggest that 14 days of treatment with H. erinaceus prior to MCA occlusion protected against focal cerebral ischemia, by increasing nerve growth factor levels. This implies that H. erinaceus and its components could be useful for preventing cerebral infarction.”

Kawagishi, H., Zhuang, C. 2008 “Our group has been conducting a search for compounds for dementia derived from medicinal mushrooms since 1991. A series of benzyl alcohol derivatives (named hericenones C to H), as well as a series of diterpenoid derivatives (named erinacines A to I) were isolated from the mushroom Lion's Mane Mushroom. These compounds significantly induced the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) in vitro and in vivo. In a recent study, dilinoleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DLPE) was isolated from the mushroom and was found to protect against neuronal cell death caused by b-amyloid peptide (Ab) toxicity, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the results of preliminary clinical trials showed that the mushroom was effective in patients with dementia in improving the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score or retarding disease progression.”  Dosage was 750 mg per day.

Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane Mushroom), has been researched for cognitive improvement activity. In vitro experiments with the mushroom have established its ability to stimulate rat nerve cells, trigger nerve growth factor in human astrocytoma cells, and stimulate myelination. Additionally, a double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial performed by Koichiro Mori et al in 2008 was performed on 50- to 80-year-old Japanese men and women diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in order to examine the efficacy of oral administration of Lion’s Mane, an edible mushroom, for improving cognitive impairment, using a cognitive function scale based on the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS-R). After 2 weeks of preliminary examination, 30 subjects were randomized into two 15-person groups, one of which was given Lion’s Mane and the other given a placebo. The subjects of the Lion’s Mane group took four 250 mg tablets containing 96% of Lion’s Mane dry powder three times a day for 16 weeks. After termination of the intake, the subjects were observed for the next 4 weeks. At weeks 8, 12 and 16 of the trial, the Lion’s Mane group showed significantly increased scores on the cognitive function scale compared with the placebo group. The Lion’s Mane group’s scores increased with the duration of intake, but at week 4 after the termination of the 16 weeks intake, the scores decreased significantly. Laboratory tests showed no adverse effect of Lion’s Mane. The results obtained in this study suggest that Lion’s Mane is effective in improving mild cognitive impairment.

Koichiro Mori in 2008 examined the effect of ethanol extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane, on nerve growth factor (NGF) gene expression in 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells.Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane Mushroom) extract promoted NGF mRNA expression in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, secretion of NGF protein from 1321N1 cells was enhanced by Lion's Mane Mushroom extracts, and the conditioned medium of 1321N1 cells incubated with Lion's Mane Mushroom extract enhanced the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. The enhancement of NGF gene expression by Lion's Mane Mushroom extracts was inhibited by the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125. In addition,Lion's Mane Mushroom extracts induced phosphorylation of JNK and its downstream substrate c-Jun, and increased c-fos expression, suggesting that Lion's Mane Mushroom promotes NGF gene expression via JNK signaling. Furthermore he examined the efficacy of Lion's Mane Mushroom in vivo. ddY mice given feed containing 5% Lion's Mane Mushroom dry powder for 7 days showed an increase in the level of NGF mRNA expression in the hippocampus. In conclusion, he found Lion's Mane Mushroom contains active compounds that stimulate NGF synthesis via activation of the JNK pathway; these compounds are not hericenones.

Cholesterol and Diabetes
14grams per day, 200 mg/kg based on 150 lb. person.

Recent studies have shown that Lion's Mane Mushroom extracts have antioxidant activities, regulate the levels of blood lipids (fats), and reduce blood glucose levels. In diabetic rats, the effects on blood glucose, serum triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels were very significant in the rats fed daily with a concentrate of Hericium erinaceus at 1g/kg body weight. The exobiopolymer produced from a submerged mycelium culture of Hericium erinaceus was even much more active, at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight, in reducing plasma total cholesterol (32.9%), LDL ("bad") cholesterol (45.4%), triglyceride (34.3%), atherogenic index (58.7%), and the activity of the hepatic enzyme HMG-CoA reductase (20.2%).

In 2003, Byung-Keun Yang, et al, demonstrated the potential of Lion's Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) EBP in reducing the level of cholesterol rich-LDL and preserving the HDL at relatively high level. All of these effects would help to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Although it is proved that one of the major reasons for the hypocholesterolemic effect of the H. erinaceus EBP appeared to be due to the reduced cholesterol synthesis in the liver.

8 grams per day
based on 175 lbs person.

Recent studies have determined that many types of mushroom (eg Hericium ), may have important physiological functions in humans including reduction of blood glucose levels. In this study by Jinn Chyi Wang in 2004, a methanol extract of the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane Mushroom) was adsorbed on silica gel columns and eluted using polarity gradients of chloroform/ethyl acetate/acetone/methanol. The major components of the extract were D-threitol, Darabinitol, and palmitic acid identified by their chromatographic profiles and spectroscopic characteristics. The methanol extract of Lion's Mane Mushroom was concentrated to remove solvent yielding a residue (referred to as HEM) which was added to the diet. The hypoglycemic effects of feeding HEM to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were studied. Polydipsia was stronger in induced diabetic rats not fed HEM than in those receiving HEM. Rats fed with HEM had significantly lower elevation rates of blood glucose level than those not fed with HEM. The effects on blood glucose, serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels were more significant in the rats fed daily with HEM at doses of 100mg/kg−1 body weight (bw) rather than 20mg/kg−1 bw (p < 0.05). Previous studies indicated that methanol extracts of H erinaceus have the ability to affect physiological activity. In this study, the methanol extract was found not only to have a hypoglycemic effect but also to reduce the elevation rates of serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels when administered to STZ induced diabetic rats.

8 grams per day
based on 175 lb. person.

8 grams per day
based on 175 lb. person.
Recent studies have determined that Lion's Mane has important physiological functions in humans, including reduction of blood glucose levels. In Jinn Chyi Wang study in 2004, an extract of the fruiting bodies of Lion's Mane Mushroom was investigated.

The major components believed to lower blood sugar were the extracts D-threitol, Darabinitol, and palmitic acid from Lion’s Mane extract. These substances were positively identified by their chromatographic profiles and spectroscopic characteristics.

The effects of feeding Lion's Mane Mushroom to streptozotocin**-induced diabetic rats (The diabetes was chemically induced to study the effects of diabetes) were studied. One of the symptoms of diabetes is polydipsia /great thirst. The increased thirst was stronger in the induced-diabetic rats not fed Lion's Mane Mushroom.
Rats fed with Lion's Mane Mushroom had significantly lower elevation rates of blood glucose levels than those not fed with Lion's Mane Mushroom; they also showed improvement in:

• Blood Glucose
• Serum Triglyceride
• Total Cholesterol

Levels were more significant in the rats fed daily with Lion's Mane Mushroom at doses of 100mg/kg−1 body weight (bw) rather than the lower doses of 20mg/kg−1 bw (p < 0.05). Previous studies indicated that Lion’s Mane extract has the ability to affect physiological activity. Proper dosage is important in achieving desired results.

*Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia (not to be confused with hyperglycemia) is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose.

**In the mid-1960s streptozotocin was found to be selectively toxic to the beta cells of the pancreatic islets, the cells that normally regulate blood glucose levels by producing the hormone insulin. This suggested the drug's use as an animal model of diabetes, and as a medical treatment for cancers of the beta cells.

Lion's Mane Mushroom Promotes Healthy Skin

In 2010, Xu H extracted polysaccharides from Lion's Mane Mushroom. HPLC analysis indicated that Lion's Mane Mushroom polysaccharides were mainly composed of glucose and galactose. The FT-IR spectra of Lion's Mane Mushroom polysaccharides showed characteristic absorption bands of polysaccharides. The pharmacological properties of Lion's Mane Mushroom polysaccharides were investigated in aged rats. Results showed that Lion's Mane Mushroom polysaccharides significantly enhanced skin antioxidant enzymes, MMP-1, TIMP-1 activities and collagen protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. It can be concluded that Lion's Mane Mushroom polysaccharides possess anti-skin-aging activities.

*DPPH is a common abbreviation for an organic chemical compound 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. It is a dark-colored crystalline powder composed of stable free-radical molecules. DPPH has two major applications, both in laboratory research: one is a monitor of chemical reactions involving radicals and another is a standard of the position and intensity of electron paramagnetic resonance signals.

**The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) is a measure of the effectiveness of a compound in inhibiting biological or biochemical function. This quantitative measure indicates how much of a particular drug or other substance (inhibitor) is needed to inhibit a given biological process (or component of a process, i.e. an enzyme, cell, cell receptor or microorganism) by half. In other words, it is the half maximal (50%) inhibitory concentration (IC) of a substance (50% IC, or IC50). It is commonly used as a measure of antagonist drug potency in pharmacological research. Sometimes, it is also converted to the pIC50 scale (-log IC50), in which higher values indicate exponentially greater potency.