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History
History
Hericium erinaceus has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, primarily for digestive issues and prevention of gastrointestinal cancer. Once reserved for royalty, lion's mane is now widely cultivated and popular throughout the world.
Hericium erinaceus has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, primarily for digestive issues and prevention of gastrointestinal cancer. Once reserved for royalty, lion's mane is now widely cultivated and popular throughout the world.
- Various native tribes carried the dried powder in bags as a styptic for cuts and wounds. (Robert, 2011)
- A sports drink called Houtou has been made with the mycelium of lion's mane mushrooms. Houtou was used in the Eleventh Asia Sports Festival in 1990 and is believed to be responsible for many successes. (Robert 2011)
Photo by Travis S., Flickr, CC by 2.0
Habitat
Habitat
Mixed Conifer Forest within Oswald West State Park Photo Credit: David Patte, USFWS
Lion's Mane grows exclusively on wood, in goups or solitarily. They can be abundant in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest, but can be rare in California. Lion's mane mushrooms are most happy growing on live tanoak and oak trees. They can also be found growing on the ends of recently felled logs or wounds on trees. (Arora 1991)
Lion's Mane grows exclusively on wood, in goups or solitarily. They can be abundant in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest, but can be rare in California. Lion's mane mushrooms are most happy growing on live tanoak and oak trees. They can also be found growing on the ends of recently felled logs or wounds on trees. (Arora 1991)
- Lion's mane prefer forests with higher humidity.
- Lion's mane is considered a rare find in the wild.
- They often appear in the same spot, year after year. (Arora 1991)
Medicinal Properties
Medicinal Properties
Lion's Mane has been historically used to aid digestion, including gastric ulcers, ulcers of the esophagus, and pancreatitis thorughout Asia. By supporting a healthy gut microbiota, evidence shows that lion's mane may play a prebiotic role in successful anti-cancer therapies (Diling 2017).
Lion's Mane has been historically used to aid digestion, including gastric ulcers, ulcers of the esophagus, and pancreatitis thorughout Asia. By supporting a healthy gut microbiota, evidence shows that lion's mane may play a prebiotic role in successful anti-cancer therapies (Diling 2017).
- Lion's Mane is used in the treatment of cancer, hepatic disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and wound healing.
- Lion’s Mane has been shown to stimulate the production of NGF (nerve growth factor) an important compound involved in the growth, maintenance and protection of brain neurons.
- The compound erinacine has been found in lion's mane mushrooms. This compound has been shown to be neuro-protective in epilespy and stroke. (Roberts 2011)
Culinary Uses
Culinary Uses
Photo by Stuart Spivack, Flickr, CC by 2.0
Lion's Mane mushrooms are a very popular edible mushroom throughout China, Japan, and Korea. Due to it's medicinal properties and it's excellent flavor, it's popularity is increasing in North America. Lion's mane is described as having a rich umami flavor with a meaty texture. (Cascadia Mushrooms)
Lion's Mane mushrooms are a very popular edible mushroom throughout China, Japan, and Korea. Due to it's medicinal properties and it's excellent flavor, it's popularity is increasing in North America. Lion's mane is described as having a rich umami flavor with a meaty texture. (Cascadia Mushrooms)
- Often described as tasting like crab or lobster
- Most recipes advise to gently dry saute with shallots and butter.
- They are often used as a meat substitute in China
Morphology
Morphology
Lion's mane is a strikingly beautiful fungi that has a mass of soft, white "icicles" hanging from a rooting base. Called teeth fungi, they are often recognized by their pendant spines or "teeth". Lion's mane can grow as large as a soccerball. (Stamets 2002)
Lion's mane is a strikingly beautiful fungi that has a mass of soft, white "icicles" hanging from a rooting base. Called teeth fungi, they are often recognized by their pendant spines or "teeth". Lion's mane can grow as large as a soccerball. (Stamets 2002)
- Caps: no cap present
- Gills: no gills
- Flesh: white, fragile
- Spores: white, nearly round, smooth, amyloid
- Margin: none
- Toxic Lookalikes: Teeth fungi look similar to eachother but none are toxic
Photo by Katja Shultz, Flickr, CC by 2.0
Resources
Resources
- Arora, David. (1991). All that the rain promises and more... Berkeley , CA. Ten Speed Press.
- Arora, David. (1979). Mushrooms demystified. Berkeley, CA. Ten Speed Press.
- Blagodatski, A., Yatsunskaya, M., Mikhailova, V., Tiasto, V., Kagansky, A., & Katanaev, V. L. (2018). Medicinal mushrooms as an attractive new source of natural compounds for future cancer therapy. Oncotarget, 9(49), 29259–29274. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.25660
- Cascadia Mushrooms. (n.d.). Cooking by Mushroom. https://cascadiamushrooms.com/recipes/
- Diling C, Chaoqun Z, Jian Y, Jian L, Jiyan S, Yizhen X and Guoxiao L (2017) Immunomodulatory Activities of a Fungal Protein Extracted from Hericium erinaceus through Regulating the Gut Microbiota. Front. Immunol. 8:666. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00666
- Khan, MA, Tania, M, Rahman, MM. (2013). Hericium erinaceus: An edible mushroom with medicinal values. Journal of Complementary & Integrated Medicine, 10(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2013-0001
- Li, I. C., Lee, L. Y., Tzeng, T. T., Chen, W. P., Chen, Y. P., Shiao, Y. J., & Chen, C. C. (2018).
Neurohealth Properties of Hericium erinaceus Mycelia Enriched with Erinacines. Behavioural neurology, 2018, 5802634. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5802634
Neurohealth Properties of Hericium erinaceus Mycelia Enriched with Erinacines. Behavioural neurology, 2018, 5802634. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5802634
- Robert, Rogers. (2011). The fungal pharmacy: The complete guide to medicinal mushrooms and lichens of
north america. Berkeley, CA. North Atlantic Books.
north america. Berkeley, CA. North Atlantic Books.
- Spelman, Kevin, Sutherland, Elizabeth, Bagade, Aravind. (2017). Neurological activity of lion’s
mane (hericium erinaceus). Journal of Restorative Medicine, 6(1), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.14200/jrm.2017.6.0108
mane (hericium erinaceus). Journal of Restorative Medicine, 6(1), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.14200/jrm.2017.6.0108
- Stamets, Paul. (2002). MycoMedicinals: An informational treatise on mushrooms. Olympia, Washington.
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