The lion’s mane mushroom has a long and complex history of being used as a supplement as part of a healthy diet. 

Ancient civilisations were aware of the healing and wellbeing effects of lion’s mane and successfully harnessed them using a variety of ways including powders, tonics and tinctures. 

Also known as Hericium erinaceus, the mushroom gets its nickname from the long, flowing, hair-like structures that grow from it, giving it the distinctive look of a shaggy lion’s mane. It can grow up the size of a football and is often found growing on dying or dead trees.  

So how can his funny-looking fungus be beneficial to us? 

Current research on its benefits show very promising results. Positively affecting every major organ in the human body, lion’s mane really is the miracle mushroom. Millions of people already use this fungus as part of their daily routine, so why should you? 

Benefits of lion’s mane
Increased brain function and memory

This is probably one of the most well-known benefits. Known as a  nootropic, which is a substance that can boost memory and mental capacity, it is thought to help some people improve their focus, memory and clear brain fog. 

A study conducted with older adults showed that 3g daily caused a significant improvement in cognitive function and ability. There is also some research showing it can help repair and heal damage or trauma that is sustained to the brain.

Inflammation Reduction

Lion’s Mane has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies with animals have shown that lion’s mane can effectively reduce chronic inflammation with long-term use. Inflammation can occur as a symptom of chronic illness or disease. Lion’s mane can offer relief to chronic inflammation and particularly help with inflamed joints due to arthritis as well as chronic bowel inflammation due to IBS, IBD and other such digestive diseases. 

Heart health

Recent research has shown that lion’s mane effectively reduces cholesterol which can reduce the risk of heart disease in later life.

Furthermore, studies have shown lion’s mane reduces the oxidation of cholesterol in the blood. Oxidized cholesterol molecules tend to attach to the walls of arteries of the heart.

This causes the arteries to harden, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Therefore, reduced oxidisation of cholesterol in the bloodstream is hugely beneficial for maintaining a healthy heart. 

As if this wonder mushroom couldn’t do anymore for the heart, the mushroom also contains a compound called hericenone B, which can decrease the rate of blood clotting further lowering the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Diabetes symptom relief

Diabetes occurs when an individual can no longer control blood sugar levels effectively and so the blood sugar levels in that individual remains at an elevated level. If left untreated this can result in severe complications from blindness, kidney disease, loss of limbs and even death. 

Recent research has shown that the mushroom has significant promise in the treatment of high blood sugar levels, as several animal studies have shown that it can cause significantly lower blood sugar levels. 

Lion’s mane lowers blood sugars by blocking the activity of the enzyme alpha-glucosidase, which breaks down carbs in the small intestine. When this enzyme is blocked, the body is unable to digest and absorb carbs as effectively, which results in lower blood sugar levels.

So with all these benefits, are there any side effects when taking lion’s mane?

No, studies have shown that lion’s mane is very safe to take with no adverse effects.

The exception to this is if you have an allergy or sensitivity to mushrooms. Lion’s mane is a variety of mushroom and if you have an allergy or sensitivity to mushrooms, we advise you contact your doctor before consuming. 

Want to try and start benefiting from this miracle mushroom? 

Head over to our organic oil. Here at MyFunghi.com our lion’s mane tincture is 8:1 concentrated and equivalent to 12,000mg per product, making it the most potent Lion’s Mane extract in the world.

You can find our lion’s mane by clicking here.

Psychedelic Health is not responsible for the contents of this article.

The world’s first controlled study exploring the use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) has shown positive results.

Results from the Awakn Life Sciences’ Phase IIa/b study investigating ketamine-assisted therapy for the treatment of AUD has shown 86 per cent abstinence for six months following treatment. The therapy has the potential to save lives, according to the study’s lead researcher.

The primary and secondary endpoints of the double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, which included 96 patients with severe AUD, were days abstinent and relapse at six-month follow-up.

Results from the study have been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

“Alcohol Use Disorder is pervasive and persistent public health issue, affecting at least 390 million people globally. Treatment rates are low and relapse rates post-treatment tend to be high. We urgently need new and more effective treatments,” said psychopharmacology professor Celia Morgan, who led the trial conducted by the University of Exeter.

The findings demonstrated that ketamine combined with proprietary manualised therapy (KARE) therapy, resulted in total abstinence in 162 of 180 days in the following six-month period. This was an increase in abstinence from around 2 per cent prior to the trial to 86 per cent post-trial.

The results for relapse at six months showed that the Ketamine plus KARE group’s risk of relapse was 2.67 times less than the placebo plus alcohol education group.

Morgan, who is also Awakn’s head of ketamine-assisted therapy for addiction, added: “We found that controlled, low doses of ketamine combined with manualised psychological therapy can significantly increase post-treatment abstinence rates.

“This is extremely encouraging, as we normally see three out of four people returning to heavy drinking within six months of treatment. With the data we’ve collected from this study, along with emerging data from other studies of ketamine to treat AUD, they strongly suggest that further trials of this treatment are warranted.”

Participants in the trial were randomised into four groups. The first, three ketamine infusions plus KARE; the second, three saline infusions plus KARE; the third, three ketamine infusions plus alcohol education; and the fourth, three saline infusions plus alcohol education.

The secondary outcomes of the study also identified encouraging results including improved liver function across several different markers, a statistically significant decrease in depression after three months and a decrease in anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure.

Morgan identified further significant results in the reduction in heavy drinking days.

At six months post-trial, there were only 12 heavy drinking days in the ketamine plus KARE group – a steep reduction compared to other trials in this area. For example, a US study of detoxified alcoholics in outpatient alcohol treatment reported 52 heavy drinking days at the same six-month marker and it is widely believed the real-world data is far higher than this.

There was also a 10-fold decrease in the risk of mortality; one in eight patients would have died within 12 months without treatment, a number which decreased to one in 80 following the treatment.

In total, the trial demonstrated that three subanaesthetic infusions of ketamine support abstinence from alcohol and that abstinence may be further enhanced when ketamine treatment is combined with therapy.

Anthony Tennyson, Awakn’s chief executive, commented: “We are so pleased to see such encouraging results in an area of treatment that has been stagnant for so long, leaving so many people with little or sub-par options available to them.

“We will continue to support this research and future clinical trials as we push to bring a radical shift in the alcohol addiction treatment industry.”

Awakn has acquired the intellectual property to the therapy under license for use in further research, its clinics in Europe, and its partnerships globally.

A new collaboration is aiming to develop psychedelic medicines to address the unique needs of people living with a variety of mental health conditions.

The partnership to develop the psychedelic medicines is between the McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD) and Mindset Pharma.

MSRD has made a $5m (£3.69m) investment to support the discovery and development of novel chemical entity assets of Mindset Pharma. It will support the development of two families of Mindset’s novel psychedelic compounds through Phase Ia and Phase IIb clinical trials.

“Exploring multiple paths is essential as we work to address the unique needs of individuals living with mental health conditions,” said Robert McQuade, Ph.D., president of MSRD, a member of the global Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies.

“We look forward to collaborating with Mindset on these assets and are hopeful that medical psychedelics could be approved to treat mental illness in the future,” added McQuade who is also chief strategic officer at Otsuka.

James Lanthier, chief executive officer of Mindset, added: “It is our great pleasure to collaborate with MSRD, a member company of Otsuka, to further the development of two of our families of novel psychedelic compounds. 

“We look forward to leveraging their extensive experience in drug development and CNS indications to accelerate and de-risk our development pathway as we prepare to launch clinical trials.

“There is a high unmet need for innovative treatments of mental illness. This collaboration further validates our belief that optimised and patentable next-generation psychedelic compounds will be the future of treatments for mental illness.”

“This transformational transaction is a validation of what our team has accomplished over the last several years,” said Richard Patricio, chairman of Mindset’s board. 

“We are ecstatic that Otsuka has chosen to collaborate with Mindset in the novel psychedelic drug development space and see this as a pivotal moment in Mindset’s maturation. 

“Our team is excited to work closely with MSRD to help meet the unmet needs of millions of people worldwide suffering with a variety of mental disorders. The future is truly exciting.”

MSRD and Mindset may agree to expand the collaboration to continue to develop the compounds as pharmaceutical products.