What Is Lion’s Mane? Health Benefits, Risks, More

Maddy

1 day ago

What Is Lion’s Mane? Health Benefits, Risks, More

5. May Fight Cancer

Lion’s mane has several unique compounds that may help fight cancer in mice and lab studies, though researchers aren’t sure how this translates to humans.

According to one study, polysaccharide HEFP-2b, a compound in lion’s mane, slowed the growth of colon cancer cells in a test tube.

Another test-tube study demonstrated that peptides found in lion’s mane may help treat lung cancer. Researchers found that these peptides can capture free radicals (harmful substances linked with cancer) and trigger the death of cancerous lung cells.

“Lion’s mane mushrooms have shown anticancer effects in laboratory and animal studies, but more research is needed to determine the safety and effectiveness in people,” says Ednie.

6. May Help Manage Diabetes

“Lion’s mane mushrooms may help lower blood sugar, improve insulin levels, and reduce diabetic complications such as nerve pain — these effects have been seen mainly in animal studies,” says Ednie.

For example, a test-tube study found that several compounds in lion’s mane prevented alpha-glucosidase activity.

In this way, lion’s mane may work similarly to alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs), a group of antidiabetic medications used to manage type 2 diabetes. AGIs limit the absorption of carbohydrates from the small intestine, helping lower the rise in blood sugar following a meal.

What’s more, another study revealed that feeding diabetic rats 40 mg of lion’s mane per kilogram of body weight significantly increased their pain threshold after six weeks of treatment. This may suggest that lion’s mane might offer pain relief for diabetic neuropathy, a type of diabetic nerve damage that can cause pain and numbness in the legs and feet.

However, people with diabetes who are taking medication to control their blood sugar should approach lion’s mane with caution. Lion’s mane may interact with other diabetes treatments, causing blood sugar levels to dip, Richard says.

In addition, most of the research in diabetes has been done in animals and test tubes — more studies in humans may show if lion’s mane can help with diabetes.

7. May Help Reduce Cholesterol Levels

“Lion’s mane mushrooms may help reduce heart disease risk by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, preventing cholesterol oxidation and possibly reducing blood clot risk, but these effects have been shown mainly in animal and lab studies,” says Ednie. “There is not enough evidence from human trials yet to confirm these benefits.”

For example, a test-tube study found that lion’s mane extract may help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the bloodstream. When LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, gets oxidized, it can lead to the hardening and narrowing of arteries, per this study’s authors.

Earlier research evaluated lion’s mane’s cholesterol-lowering effects. Researchers fed lion’s mane to obese rats once a day for two weeks. By the end of the study, these rats showed significantly lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood) than rats that weren’t given lion’s mane.

Despite these findings, Michelle Routhenstein, RDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist at Entirely Nourished in New York City, doesn’t recommend using lion’s mane to prevent or treat heart disease. “It’s not supported by human studies, and the safety and side effects haven’t been studied either,” she says, adding that there are safer, more effective ways to prevent heart disease through your diet, under the care of your primary physician.

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