Lion's Mane

Lion's Mane (Hedgehog Hydnum) Lion's Mane from New Roots Herbal offers a pure, highly concentrated (8:1) extract of the medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus . Lion's mane – or hedgehog hydnum - is highly valued for its activity on the nervous system, notably its regulatory effects on the myelination process, which is impaired in neurodegenerative diseases (loss of mental faculties). This mushroom stands out for its high content of protein and essential amino acids, important minerals such as selenium, germanium and zinc, and immunomodulatory polysaccharides that notably demonstrate antitumour effects. It is the synergy of the multiple active compounds present in the mushroom that gives it its highly distinctive properties. The concentration and effectiveness of the product rely mainly on the hot-water extraction method for the active compounds. These are bound to the mushroom's cell walls, composed, among other elements, of chitin, which is indigestible in the gastrointestinal tract. The chitin must be dissolved in hot water in order to release the active molecules from the mushroom's matrix. This validated process preserves the extract's molecules, and guarantees a high final concentration of polysaccharides (40 %), including 35 % beta-glucans. The mushrooms used in our formula are grown in climate-controlled greenhouses, free from contamination by heavy metals, herbicides or pesticides, in order to guarantee the concentration and purity of the extract. Lion's Mane and the brain Lion's mane is well known in the East for its regenerative effects on cognition and the nervous system, as well as for its immune-modulating function. This mushroom has great therapeutic potential, as it both protects and regenerates the gastrointestinal mucosa and the myelin sheaths that line nerve cells. Erinacines and hericenones, its main active compounds, have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), a soluble protein that promotes the growth of nerve cells and the survival of neurons necessary for the development and functioning of the nervous system. These properties are useful for treating different types of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline, but also multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and various neuropathies. Lion's Mane and the gut Hericium erinaceus has been extensively studied in China due to its excellent capacity to regenerate the gastrointestinal mucosa, which makes it valuable for all disorders linked to intestinal hyperpermeability such as gastritis, gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastric ulcers. It also limits the activity of Helicobacter pylori . Studies conducted show the positive effect of lion's mane on ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and cancers of the stomach, colon and pancreas. Its fibres exert a prebiotic effect and are metabolised only by the friendly bacteria living in the gut, which make up the microflora essential to proper gut function. Hericium erinaceus also stimulates the production of macrophages, cells that reduce the invasion of pathogens through their antibacterial activity.