Hericium Erinaceus: Detailed Datasheet
Other Names
Bearded Tooth, Hedgehog Fungus, Lion's Mane, Monkey Head, Monkey's Head, Pom Pom, Pompom, Satyr's Beard, Tree Hedgehog, Yamabushitake.
Hericium erinaceus is a mushroom that grows on trunks of hardwood tress.
Hericium erinaceus is taken by mouth for age-related mental decline, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, depression, anxiety, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and to improve overall mental function and memory. It is also taken by mouth for long-term inflammation of the stomach lining (chronic atrophic gastritis), stomach ulcers, H. pylori infection, diabetes, cancer, high cholesterol, and weight loss.
Hericium erinaceus is applied to the skin for wound healing.
As food, the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus is consumed in Chinese and Japanese dishes.
How does it work?
Hericium erinaceus may improve the development and function of nerves. It might also protect nerves from becoming damaged. This might help prevent conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Hericium erinaceus also seems to help protect the mucous membrane layer of the stomach. This might help improve symptoms related to long-term swelling of the stomach lining (chronic atrophic gastritis) or stomach ulcers.
Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- Age-related mental decline. Taking four capsules containing a total of 1 gram of Hericium erinaceus powder three times per day for 16 weeks seems to improve mental function in elderly Japanese men and women with mild mental decline. However, within four weeks of stopping supplementation, mental function appears to decrease.
- Swelling of the stomach lining (chronic atrophic gastritis). Early research suggests that taking Hericium erinaceus (dose unknown) before meals for 3 months improves pain in the upper portion of the stomach in more people with long-term swelling of the stomach lining compared to placebo. It also seems to reduce the development of precancerous cells in the stomach of people with this condition.
- Anxiety.
- Cancer.
- Dementia.
- Depression.
- Diabetes.
- Gastric ulcers.
- H. pylori infections.
- High cholesterol.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Parkinson's disease.
- Weight loss.
- Wound healing.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
Hericium erinaceus is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a medicine, short-term. Hericium erinaceus has been used safely in people for up to 16 weeks. Side effects are mild and may include stomach discomfort.
QUESTION
Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See Answer Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of Hericium erinaceus in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid using.Bleeding conditions: Hericium erinaceus might slow blood clotting. This might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding in people with bleeding conditions. However, there are no reports of this occurring in humans.
Diabetes: Hericium erinaceus might lower blood sugar. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use Hericium erinaceus.
Surgery: Hericium erinaceus might slow blood clotting. This might cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. Stop using Hericium erinaceus at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Hericium erinaceus might lower blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking Hericium erinaceus along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Hericium erinaceus might slow blood clotting. Taking Hericium erinaceus along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel (Effient), dipyridamole (Persantine), ticlopidine (Ticlid), and others.
The appropriate dose of Hericium erinaceus depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Hericium erinaceus. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.