The Power of Lion's Mane Mushroom

Hey guys, Tom here from Gold Aura. Today I just wanted to talk about some of the health benefits commonly associated with the infamous Lion's Mane Mushroom. I know we post a lot of scientific articles and lately, we’ve been asked just to talk about the health benefits of our products and features. So I plan to post more on that! Anyway, we have been working with Lion's Mane for quite some time. Trying out different strains, seeing the ones that work the best and if you haven't learned about this mushroom, you are about to! This mushroom is probably the most famous out of all the medicinal mushrooms and the most sought after. Being quite abundant, it’s important to understand what you are consuming at the supplement level. This mushroom is loaded with great benefits and is quite simple to make. We can first talk about its origin, species, and molecular properties, and then we'll get into all the good stuff! Enjoy! Origin The infamous Lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium Erinaceus), also known as brain mushroom, pom pom mushroom, hedgehog mushroom, lions mane, etc. has been used medicine for centuries by the Chinese and as a food commonly in Asia. In China, it is known as hou tou gu, and in Japan as yamabushitake. This mushroom has a very unique appearance and visual aspect, almost looking like shaggy threads or similar to that of a lion's mane. You will find this rich mushroom hanging off wild tree bark and branches growing in large bushels and groups. Lion's mane is made up of something called “tendrils” which are long threads of mushroom extract hanging from one another. You will find each length of each tendril attached to the mushroom’s body. Other names for this mushroom may refer to its similar shape or appearance across the globe, so I wouldn't be too surprised hearing many other nicknames

Impact on the Brain & Nervous System

With Lions Mane not only being a functional food. It also has a very strong impact on the brain and nervous system. In fact, out of all the medicinal mushrooms that exist, Lion's Mane is shown to have the strongest beneficial factor when it comes to our Nervous System and overall brain health. Recent studies have shown that taking lions helps increase the frequency and production of our natural brain cells by aiding in the production of hericenones and erinacines which is a natural compound within this medicinal mushroom. Lion's mane has also been shown to stimulate the growth of our natural myelin sheath later in our brains' wiring. If you aren't familiar with how myelin works, think of it as our brain's internal wiring. Connecting each point as cables. By increasing the amount of myelin in our brains we are increasing the strength of those nerve fibers which increases our natural abilities to learn and develop new skills over time. Also, by increasing the strength of this Myelin later within our brain cells, it allows us to react quicker and have a stronger nervous system functioning with our reaction time and voluntary nerve impulses. When it comes to the Brain and Nervous system, the lion's mane is the most important medicinal mushroom for this component. Immune Support Similar to most medicinal mushrooms, Lion's Mane also has a unique impact on our immune system and ability to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. Lion's mane works on our digestive immune system and innate immune system counterparts by naturally increasing our host resistance to common viruses and infections by increasing our white blood cell count and inhibiting the uptake of harmful bacteria throughout the body and gut. A recent study had shown that researchers examined parameters that included higher amounts of nitric synthase activity within the body after ingesting the lion's mane mushroom and a present stimulation of innate immune cells. You may also contribute lions' mane strong immune system properties due to its high amount of antioxidants and the ability to produce an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Lion's mane has also been known to have a unique ability to create a pattern interrupt for DNA synthesis which has led to the inclusion of these mushrooms in systematic treatment programs for viral-based infections.

Cholesterol Reduction Having strong brain-enhancing effects and nervous system benefits, Lion's mane has also been shown to decrease our body's amount of bad cholesterol while promoting our good cholesterol level simultaneously. Lion's Mane was shown to produce a special submerged culture of glycogens that was found in a recent animal study to lower the risk of cholesterol by 33%, Standard LDL cholesterol by 45%, and triglyceride count by 34% and to raise our good cholesterol by 33%. These researchers proposed that it was the mushroom beta-glucans that helped lower the risk of cholesterol productions via the hepatic reductase pathway which was reducing this particular enzyme by 20%. Lion's Mane on the digestive system. Ingesting lions mane has also shown to vastly decrease our body's natural inflammation response to certain bacterias and harmful viruses. By decreasing or regulating this inflammation it allows our body to smoothly digest foods calmly and safely. Taking a lion's mane has shown to decrease the symptoms of IBD in mice and stomach ulcers. It’s natural healing powers and strong inflammation characteristics make this medicinal mushroom a strong catalyst for digestive health and disorders. A study was done where a group of mice was given small doses of lions mane and the others a placebo. The first group of mice began producing higher amounts of TNF alpha which is a natural inhibitor for inflammatory disorders in the gut. By producing this TNF Alpha it created a stronger digestive tract and the promotion of good bacteria within the body. Some would call Lion's Mane a good choice of Probiotics even though its natural function is not a probiotic but more a catalyst to produce strong anti-inflammatory effects in the gut and to promote a stronger and healthier natural flora. Anticancer Effects

Taking Lion's mane may also be very significant when in the treatment of cancer and other types of malignant tumors. According to research in varying degrees, supplementing lions mane into one's daily diet has been known to reverse the spread or prevent the progression effects for things like leukemia, cervical cancer, lung cancer & colon cancer. Animal studies suggested that lion’s mane mushrooms may have potential anti-cancer effects on the body. These effects were found to be effective against multiple gastrointestinal cancers compared to effects from a typical chemotherapy drug called fluorouracil when a lion’s mane extract was used at its maximum tolerated dose. Liver, colon, and lower abdomen cancers were tested as cell lines and implanted in xenografts. The study revealed 23 separate phytocompounds found in the lion’s mane extract, including dipeptides, alkaloids, pyrimidines, flavones, amino acid derivatives, and basic phenolic compounds. Within those studies, a significant relief in tumor growth was found without damage to the host cells. Overall, Lion's mane is surely one to try when complimenting the immune system and providing as a maintenance therapy into our health. Cognitive Health

Every day your brain slows down over time. Unfortunately, this is just something that we have to deal with as humans. It's estimated that we lose an average of 190,000 brain cells a day out of our 100+billion brain cells and neurons overall. Studies have shown that a lion's mane can support your brain health by stimulating the growth of two compounds called NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) and BDNF (Brain-Derived neurotrophic factor. These two compounds are known for their ability to create the production of new brain cells and also strengthen and enhance the existing ones. Relative to this, one of the lion's mane’s strongest assets is its ability to strengthen our Myelin Sheath layers around the nerve fibers in our brain. As stated earlier, Myelin is the insulation that surrounds our nerve fibers and creates them strong and healthy for the transmission of nerve impulses and conduction in the brain. Lion's mane has also shown to prevent the effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease including involuntary movement and memory loss. But how does it work? Here’s what they do know. Lion’s mane is a very powerful anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant. While these antioxidants neutralize free radicals, preventing them from causing inflammation or damaging our cells. Antioxidants help us make more BDNF and lion’s mane stimulates BDNF and NGF.