A wonderful article from the Cleveland Clinic outlines five health benefits of Lion’s Mane Mushrooms (hericium erinaceus). It’s kind of rare to find them fresh at a farmer’s market to eat raw, but you can also get them in a supplement form.

Definitely the cooler cousin in the fungi family (move over button and shitake), lion’s mane mushrooms (hericium erinaceus for the scientific set) have a long history in traditional Chinese medicine and in Native American healing practices. And because of the impressive benefits they may have to offer the mind and body, lion’s mane mushrooms have become increasingly popular.

“People are looking for alternatives for things before they go on medications,” says registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “It’s in this holistic attitude that we find food is medicine.”

If you cannot find fresh Lion’s Mane to eat as a whole food, we suggest making sure the supplement you choose is from a brand you trust and made with 100% fully mature mushrooms, not quickly and cheaply grown mycelium on grain or other substrate. Some brands hide this cheaper method by using an image of the mature mushroom on their label while the ingredients clearly state the product you are consuming is powdered “mycelium” encapsulated with the growing substrates “rice” or “grain.”

Here are the highlighted health benefits of Lion’s Mane mushrooms from the article:

1. Help support brain health
2. Reduce inflammation and oxidative stress
3. Protect your gut
4. Support heart health
5. Help fight cancer