LION'S MANE: CHARACTERISTICS, PROPERTIES, CULTIVATION - BIOLOGY - 2025

The lion's mane fungus (Hericium erinaceus) is a basidiomycete (Basidiomycota) of the Hericiaceae family, characterized by presenting a body formed by a base up to 25 cm long (without stipe) from which a series of structures in the form of needles that make up the hymenium of the fungus.

According to some taxonomists, Hericium erinaceus is a complex of species that is very difficult to separate from each other, since they are very similar in their morphology, both macroscopic and microscopic.

Lion's mane mushroom, Hericium erinaceus. Taken and edited from: This image was created by user Richard Sullivan (enchplant) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images.You can contact this user here.English - español - français - italiano - македонски - português - +/−.

It is an edible species that should preferably be ingested when it is young, as it then tends to harden. It is easy to grow, being possible both in an artisanal and industrial way, using logs or sterilized sawdust.

It also has medicinal properties, being used by traditional techniques to combat a wide variety of ailments, including intestinal disorders and degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Even extracts of this mushroom are marketed in the form of drugs against various types of cancer, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

characteristics

The lion's mane is a sessile fungus, that is, it lacks a stipe. It also lacks a hat and instead presents a very well developed, unbranched hymenium, formed by a series of spine-like structures that have an average length of 2-3 cm, but can reach up to 6 cm.

These spines, which are smooth and very fragile, start directly from a rectangular-shaped base, which can reach up to 25 cm in length and which is attached directly to the substrate. Initially they are white, then they turn cream in color, to later acquire brown tones in senescent organisms.

The spore is white, while the spores can be rounded or ellipsoidal, colorless and with a smooth surface adorned with small grains, with a size ranging from 5.5 to 7 μm in length by 4.5 to 5.5 μm in width.

Taxonomy

The lion's mane is a Basidiomycota fungus belonging to the class Agaricomycetes, order Russulales and family Hericiaceae. It is included in the genus Hericium, which was erected by Persoon in 1794, who selected Hericium coralloides as the type species.

Habitat and distribution

Hericium erinaceus lives mainly in beech and oak forests, where it grows on large dead logs, and also directly on live trees. It has a tendency to grow in groups and its fruiting body is common in the summer and fall seasons.

It is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere of America, being very common in the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. It also grows in other countries like Colombia, but not in Canada.

On the European continent it is abundant in France, Great Britain, Germany, Holland and Spain, while in the rest of the countries its abundance is rare or very rare. In Asia it grows from the Caucasus to Japan, but also in India and Borneo. It is possible to find it in Australia, although to a much lesser extent.

Conservation

In some countries the natural populations of Hericium erinaceus remain relatively well conserved, however, due to the degradation and loss of its natural habitat, the populations of this fungus are in decline.

This species is included in the red list of threatened species of countries such as France, Germany, Belgium or Russia, among many others. It is a legally protected species in countries such as Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia and the United Kingdom, where they have shown more awareness for its conservation.

Nutrition

Hericium erinaceus is a facultative parasitic species that can grow on thick trunks of dead trees. It has saprophytic habits, feeding on the wood that it decomposes, secreting digestive enzymes and then absorbing the already digested nutrients.

When it grows on living trees, it behaves like a parasitic species feeding at the expense of its host, which is usually an oak or beech.

Reproduction

The reproduction and life cycle of Hericium erinaceus are typical of Basidiomycota fungi. The mycelium develops in the trunk of dead trees (saprobio) or alive (parasite) feeding on the wood. The fruiting body emerges from the trunk when the organism is ready to reproduce.

The fungus is a dicariont, that is, it is made up of cells with two haploid nuclei. In the needles or teeth of the fruiting body the karyogamy of the two haploid nuclei of the reproductive cell will occur, giving rise to a diploid cell that later undergoes meiosis and forms uninucleated haploid cells or spores.

The spores are released and when finding a suitable substrate they germinate in a primary mycelium. This later will conjugate with another primary mycelium that is sexually compatible and will produce a secondary dicariont mycelium that will thrive on living or dead trees and continue the cycle.

Properties

Hericium erinaceus is an edible mushroom with a pleasant taste and texture, which some compare to that of shellfish. In addition to this, the fungus has a series of compounds such as B-glucans, heteroglycans, heteroxylans, hericenones, erinazines, trietol, arabinol, among others, which give it medicinal properties, such as:

Mental health

Scientists have shown in clinical tests with animals that Hericium erinaceus extracts reduce the markers of depression in the blood of mice, as well as their depressive behavior.

Doctors have also conducted small-scale tests on humans and the fungus has shown its ability to at least lower levels of anxiety and irritability in menopausal women.

Another property of lion's mane is that it stimulates the production of a protein called Nerve Growth Factor (NCF), which is necessary for neuronal growth. In addition, the fungus stimulates the development of the myelin sheath, responsible for the transmission of the nerve impulse.

Because of this, researchers believe that Hericium erinaceus may help in the treatment of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Its use has also been promoted for cases of attention deficit, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, as well as recovery from cerebrovascular accidents, including seizures due to such accidents.

Section of the lion's mane fungus Hericium erinaceus. Taken and edited from: 2012-10-02_Hericium_erinaceus_ (Bull.) _ Pers_268395.jpg: This image was created by user Christine Braaten (wintersbefore) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images. You can contact this user here. English - Spanish - français - italiano - македонски - português - +/− derivative work: Ak ccm.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

The antioxidant components of Hericium erinaceus help both against oxidation and against inflammation in the body. These antioxidants include, for example, treitol, arabinitol and palmitic acid. Researchers rate the mushroom's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as moderate to high.

The fungus prevents inflammations that contribute to the development of numerous pathologies including alterations in blood sugar levels, as well as heart diseases, degenerative diseases of the nervous system, among others.

Immune system

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Hericium erinaceus help strengthen the immune system in general and the gastrointestinal system in particular. They also help the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Digestive system

The lion's mane fungus helps the regeneration of the gastro-intestinal epithelium, participates in the control of the bacterial flora, favoring the development of beneficial microorganisms for humans and inhibiting the development of other potentially harmful ones, such as Helicobacter pylori. It also favors the development of the gastric mucosa.

Thanks to all these qualities, doctors use Hericium erinaceus to treat gastric conditions, including the treatment of gastric and stomach ulcers, gastritis, stomach and esophageal cancer, among others.

Additionally, its high content of dietary fiber favors water retention in the stool and stimulates peristaltic intestinal movements, helping to increase intestinal transit and correcting constipation problems.

Circulatory system

The consumption of Hericium erinaceus helps to control the levels of sugar and cholesterol in the blood, avoiding the appearance of arteriosclerosis, controlling blood pressure and preventing heart disease.

Culture

Hericium erinaceus is cultivated both industrially and artisanally. The commercial crop uses dead tree trunks or sterilized sawdust. Different culture kits are also available on the market, which include the culture medium and spores and / or mycelia of the fungus.

Mushroom growers consider this a simple species to keep in cultivation, and even suggest that the kits are so easy to use that even a child can do it.

These crops should be carried out in places where there is no direct incidence of sunlight, ensuring that temperatures oscillate between 15 and 20 ° C and maintaining high ambient humidity by watering at least twice a day.

Contraindications

Some authors point out that the consumption of Hericium erinaceus, or its extracts, does not represent any risk to health, but they warn that consumption by pregnant women should be avoided because to date there is no evidence of its safety for the fetus or for the infant.

Other experts warn that the main risk is due to the consumption of low-quality supplements made based on Hericium erinaceus, which can cause ailments such as diarrhea or nausea and that only on rare occasions fresh consumption can have side effects.

These side effects include gastric upset, topical inflammation of the skin, and even dyspnea. In any of these cases, the suggestion is to immediately suspend consumption of the fungus or products derived from it.

References

1. Hericium erinaceus. On Wikipedia. Recovered from: en.wikipedia.org.
2. N. Hallenberg, RH Nilsson & G. Robledo (2012). Species complexes in Hericium (Russulales, Agaricomycota) and a new species - Hericium rajchenbergii - from southern South America. Mycological Progress.
3. H.-G. Park, H.-G. Ko, S.-H. Kim & W.-M. Park (2004). Molecular Identification of Asian Isolates of Medicinal Mushroom Hericium erinaceum by Phylogenetic Analysis of Nuclear ITS rDNA. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology.
4. Properties of the fungus Hericium erinaceus. Taken from: Bestmelab.com.
5. Lion's mane: Properties, uses, benefits and side effects. Taken from: Plantasmedicinales.info.
6. M.Liu, H. Cheng & H. Sun. 1999. Survey in medicinal value of Hericium erinaceus. Edible Fungi of China.