Joined: 12/6/2011
Posts: 3326
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From Alzheimer's Daily News:
(Source: Huffington Post) - Mushrooms provide a vast array of potential medicinal compounds. Many mushrooms - such as portobello, oyster, reishi and maitake - are well-known for these properties, but the lion's mane mushroom, in particular, has drawn the attention of researchers for its notable nerve-regenerative properties.
Lion's mane mushrooms are increasingly sold by gourmet food chains. This nutritious mushroom is roughly 20 percent protein, and one of the few that can taste like lobster or shrimp.
Lion's mane mushrooms are increasingly studied for their neuroprotective effects. Two novel classes of Nerve Growth Factors (NGFs) have been discovered in this mushroom.
About a dozen studies have been published on the neuroregenerative properties of lion's mane mushrooms since 1991, when Dr. Kawagishi first identified NGFs in Japanese samples. Since his original discovery, in vitro and in vivo tests have confirmed that hericenones and erinacines stimulate nerve regeneration. In 2009, researchers at the Hokuto Corporation and the Isogo Central and Neurosurgical Hospital published a small clinical study. Giving lion's mane to 30 Japanese patients with mild cognitive impairment resulted in significant benefits for as long as they consumed the mushrooms.
Recently, mice were injected with neurotoxic peptides in an experiment to assess the effects of lion's mane on the type of amyloid plaque formation seen in Alzheimer's patients. The mice regained a cognitive capacity comparable to curiosity, as measured by greater time spent exploring novel objects compared to familiar ones. And the reduction of beta amyloid plaques in the brains of mushroom-fed mice was remarkable.
The influence of lion's mane influence on neurological functions may also have other added benefits -- making you feel good.
This data is not conclusive, yet it does suggest positive benefits of lion's mane.
Go to full story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
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Joined: 9/13/2013
Posts: 112
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Below is the study of
Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) referred to in the article:
Effects
of Hericium erinaceus on amyloid β(25-35) peptide-induced learning and memory
deficits in mice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21383512
(Feb 2011) PMID: 21383512
Abstract
The mushroom Hericium erinaceus has
been used as a food and herbal medicine since ancient times in East Asia. It
has been reported that H. erinaceus promotes nerve growth factor secretion in
vitro and in vivo. Nerve growth factor is involved in maintaining and
organizing cholinergic neurons in the central nervous system. These findings
suggest that H. erinaceus may be appropriate for the prevention or treatment of
dementia. In the present study, we examined the effects of H. erinaceus on
amyloid β(25-35) peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice. Mice
were administered 10 µg of amyloid β(25-35) peptide intracerebroventricularly
on days 7 and 14, and fed a diet containing H. erinaceus over a 23-d
experimental period. Memory and learning function was examined using behavioral
pharmacological methods including the Y-maze test and the novel-object
recognition test. The results revealed that H. erinaceus prevented impairments
of spatial short-term and visual recognition memory induced by amyloid β(25-35)
peptide. This finding indicates that H. erinaceus may be useful in the
prevention of cognitive dysfunction.
The news article reiterated that “This data is not
conclusive, yet it does suggest positive benefits of lion's mane.”
There are some out
there that have boldly tried it and believe that it works. An example is Ms
Ethel Lord, an advocate of 'Alzheimer’s Coaching' method who runs a business
of alzheimer’s coaching. She has stated the use of lion’s mane.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R25PTJMCW2W77P
I am tending to
believe that this Lion’s Mane mushroom is beneficial.
I would like to hear
from anyone who has tried Lion’s Mane mushroom and provide any anecdotal
evidence they can share.
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Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5173
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Both reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) and Lion's mane mushrooms inhibit the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and it is the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK that leads to peroxynitrites and Alzheimer's disease.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf400916c
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18083148
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16816118
It is not surprising then that the findings for reishi mushrooms in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is very similar to that of Lion's mane.
Preliminary investigations in Japan of Reishi in the treatment of "environmental" stress-induced neuroses found that from 50 g thrice daily, the freeze-dried (liquid culture grown) mycelium proved of significant benefit to patients with psychological stresses.( 15) An eight-month study of Alzheimer's disease patients on the same mycelial product also found significant results.( 16) The latter application coincides with centuries-old uses where Chi zhi was prescribed to increase "intellectual capacity and banish forgetfulness," and when a patient displayed "listlessness."( 6)
http://www.encognitive.com/node/15714
The failure to follow up on clinical trial results and anecdotal reports is really a great tragedy.
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