Lion’s Mane mushroom extract improves brain cell growth

A new study in the January 2023 Journal of Neurochemistry shows unique compounds in Lion’s Mane mushroom extract boost memory by boosting nerve growth.

The study identified two bioactive compounds, N-de phenylethyl isohericerin and Hericene A, that appear to regulate the growth of neurons that improve memory.

The extracts had a “clear neurotrophic effect,” they write, resulting in doubly long axons – the threadlike links that conduct impulses away from a neuron – and more than triple the number of neurites, or small projections from a neuron that can grow into fully functional axons or dendrites.

“Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons,” Meunier says.

Researchers describe the compounds present in Lion’s Mane mushrooms as potent memory enhancers that may provide hope for natural memory enhancement for an aging population. Read more from University of Queensland researchers.

Celebrating 10 years with 20% off!

10 YEARS: Half Hill Farm is celebrating 10 years with a huge 20% discount for online purchases! Use coupon code “10YEARS” twice this year on any two orders and get 20% off your order. It’s one way we’re saying THANK YOU for making us your home for better health & well being!

When we first started making our mushroom extracts, we had no idea anyone outside our own family would need it. You surprised us with stories of healing that changed everything! Making our mushroom extracts continues to be a labor of love for all of us here at Half Hill Farm.

You can only use one coupon code at a time. Don’t forget other coupon codes you can use to continue helping you save throughout the year:

  • 4PACK – get 15% off when you order four or more 200ml bottles of our mushroom extracts in any combination.
  • 10FOR20 – get 20% off when you order 10 or more 200ml bottles of our mushroom extracts.
  • intro10 – get 10% off any one order as an introduction to our products!

Half Hill Farm: Celebrating 10 years!


Christian and Vince (2013) – photo by BrassPenny Photography

10th ANNIVERSARY: All year we are reflecting on ten years of big dreams and big change at Half Hill Farm. A lot can happen in ten years, but one thing is true: life has a way of showing you the path forward in every challenge if your heart and mind are open to it.

We moved to Woodbury from Murfreesboro to build and open Short Mountain Distillery for the Kaufman brothers after helping change county law in 2010 by referendum to allow it. I had just quit my job producing evening news for a local television station in search of something with more meaning and purpose and found way more than I could have imagined.

It took 16 months to build the distillery but not nearly that long to be inspired enough by the community and country living to want to slightly change direction again to start our own farm.

It almost didn’t happen. We looked for months when we saw a “for sale by owner” sign on what appeared to be a heavily wooded property. When we drove up the first part of the driveway, we stopped and looked at each other and said we should leave before seeing anything more. Something about the entrance kept us away for months until we saw a listing that showed what we had missed. Luckily, it was still on the market, and we bought it!

When we moved to our new farm in 2012, a good friend opened our eyes to nature’s possibilities with a surprise find of a giant 9 lbs Maitake mushroom growing at the base of an old oak tree. It moved us toward growing mushrooms, but not nearly as seriously as life had in store.

We started our farm with selling our organic vegetables at our local farmers market, but everything changed when Vince’s mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. The farming side waned as we focused more on mushrooms and what they could do for her.

While her quality of life was dramatically improved, stage four eventually proved too difficult a challenge for Sandy. Her passing was hard, and we almost decided to stop farming when friends who needed our mushroom extracts encouraged us to keep going.

Over time, the word-of-mouth growth in demand for the mushroom extracts we made required us to move to a larger commercial kitchen we invited another new business to share. Very soon after, our new gut healthy beverage took off and we brought on a partner to get bigger space that has grown us into three retail stores.

Despite the growth, we are still based in our small hometown of Woodbury, TN. We are here because of help from a lot of friends and neighbors who believe in our vision. We still make our mushroom extracts with all organic ingredients and a monkish reverence in service to customers who need it. Because of stories of healing and personal transformation from our customers, we personally take the products every single day and will for life.

In the past ten years, we have gone from making our liquid mushroom dual extracts because no one else was to seeing a whole industry grow around what these mushrooms can do for people. We see what some get wrong and what some get right. We see companies making the most of it and companies with the same level of passion for better health & well being.

It’s exciting to see customers’ mushroom consciousness grow no matter how it happens. However you come to use mushrooms in your life, know that the roots of our dedication to better health & well being with mushrooms runs deep and is personal. Thank you for continuing to trust what we do and for choosing our farm’s products!

Shop our mushroom extracts and other products online, or visit our retail stores:

Blood Orange Kombucha retiring to the flavor vault!

FLAVOR VAULT: After 3 1/2 years on tap, it is time to say goodbye to one of Half Hill Farm’s first flavors of craft kombucha. We’re down to our last kegs and will be retiring our Blood Orange Kombucha and placing its recipe in the flavor vault to make way for new flavors.

This is a favorite to many, so grab a growler while it’s on tap, or one of the last bottles and enjoy it while it lasts at our stores:

Elderberry Syrup now in larger 16 oz bottle!

ELDERBERRY SYRUP: Half Hill Farm’s popular Elderberry Syrup now comes in a 16 oz bottle of family-sized immune support! Elderberries are packed with phytonutrients that support a healthy immune response when your family needs it the most.

We make ours with only the best and most simple ingredients: organic elderberries, local honey, organic ginger, organic cinnamon and organic clove. This refrigerated product is not available to ship, but you can buy both 8oz and 16oz sizes at our stores:

Fall Seasonal Muscadine Kombucha now on tap!

MUSCADINE KOMBUCHA: It’s that very special time of the year when the scuppernongs start coming off the vine, and that means making a seasonal batch of our annual Muscadine Kombucha!

This limited flavor is made by Half Hill Farm from fresh, organic scuppernongs grown by Sylvia at Green Door Gourmet. It’s a probiotic taste of Fall, and it’s available on tap by the cup our growler refill while it lasts exclusively at all our stores:

Summer Seasonal Watermelon Basil Kefir now on tap!


WATERMELON BASIL: Our most popular Summer seasonal craft kefir soda is now on tap! Our Watermelon Basil Kefir means we’re at peak Summer flavor for sweet watermelons.

This annual Summer favorite is made with love and organically grown sugar baby watermelons and basil from Woodbury’s Hope and Joy Farms and Half Hill Farm. It’s a pure taste of a Tennessee Summer! Quench your thirst for the season’s best with a cup or growler refill while it lasts on tap at our stores listed below:

Seasonal Honeysuckle Kefir Soda Now on Tap!

HONEYSUCKLE KEFIR: Our farm’s first seasonal taste of Spring is now on tap! Half Hill Farm’s Honeysuckle water kefir soda is a trip through childhood memories – made with farm foraged honeysuckle and a kiss of local honey in our probiotic water kefir soda. It’s an annual favorite that never lasts long. Stop by our stores listed below and get it by the 16 oz cup or 64 oz growler refill!

Five Mushrooms Liquid Dual Extract Blend from Half Hill Farm

Over the years, many of you requested a mushroom extract that blended what you love the most about each of our liquid mushroom dual extracts. And for years we’ve encouraged customers to blend the extracts they love the most in any combination.

As I turn 50 later this year, I feel better than I ever have in my life. Aside from good diet and exercise, taking our liquid mushroom extracts daily for years is my only “secret.” After enjoying a test blend of all five of our mushroom dual extracts daily, I have a new favorite that we are ready to share with you!

Introducing Half Hill Farm’s Five Mushrooms – a mushroom dual extract blend of USDA certified organic and wildcrafted Turkey Tail, Red Reishi, Chaga, Lion’s Mane and Cordyceps mushrooms. This extract combines the unique myco-nutrients of five mushrooms used for centuries to support good health.

Now available through our online store and at our farm’s stores below:

Please consult your doctor if taking any of our products for health reasons. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

Root Beer Kefir – our latest water kefir soda!

ROOT BEER: It smells so amazing in the kitchen when the herbs are slow simmering for the Root Beer! Our newest water kefir flavor is a unique remake of a classic American craft soda with all organic sarsaparilla, ginger, star anise, birch bark, wild cherry bark, wintergreen in a probiotic water kefir soda. It’s one of several craft kefir sodas we make that’s on tap and available now by the cup or growler exclusively at the following locations: