[#2017-01] Lion’s Mane Phan, Chi...

There is an exponential increase in dementia in old age at a global level because of increasing life expectancy. The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will continue to rise steadily, and is expected to reach 42 million cases worldwide in 2020. Despite the advancement of medication, the management of these diseases remains largely ineffective. Therefore, it is vital to explore novel nature-based nutraceuticals to mitigate AD and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Mushrooms and their extracts appear to...

[#2015-06] Lion’s Mane Okamura, Hi...

The pilot study evaluated the effects of a 4-week administration of H. erinaceus (Amyloban 3399) on female undergraduate students who were likely to have a high incidence of sleep problems.  We assessed the changes in asleep quality and subjective well-being with the GHQ-28 and PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).  Furthermore, we examined the level of salivary free-MHPG after awakening, which is generally regarded as an accurate index of chronic stress and depressive symptoms and reflects sympathetic nervous system activity.  Thus, we were able to conduct a...

[#2015-05] Lion’s Mane Yao, Wei et...

Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression and that anti-inflammatory substances have antidepressant effects. Amycenone is obtained from extracts of the Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceum). The purpose of this study is to examine whether amycenone shows anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects in an inflammation-induced mouse model of depression. First, we examined the effects of amycenone on the serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the anti-inflammatory cytokine,...

[#2014-10] Lion’s Mane Inanaga, Ka...

Hericium erinaceum (HE) is a unique mushroom for its cognitive function improving actions. HE is known as Yamabushitake in Japanese and Lion’s Mane in English.  Since the early 1990s, Kawagishi and his colleagues have been investigating the role of the compounds derived from HE in the treatment of dementia (Kawagishi et al., 1991; Kawagishi et al., 1992; Kawagishi et al., 2004; Kawagishi et al., 2008). Bioactive substances in HE have the potential to stimulate the production of NGF, repair neuronal damage and improve brain function if the substances in HE are...

[#2014-02] Lion’s Mane Inanaga, Ka...

Introduction Nerve growth factor (NGF) is considered as a very promising candidate in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease [1]. However, NGF is a protein that becomes inactive after oral administration. A breakthrough in treatment occurred with the discovery of a class of compounds derived from the Lion’s Mane mushroom (Yamabush­itake, Hericium erinaceum), which stimulate the production of NGF [2,3]. Bioactive substances in H. erinaceum including hericenones, have the potential to repair neurological damage, improve brain function, and possibly prevent and treat...

[#2014-01] Lion’s Mane Inanaga, Ka...

1.Introduction Hericium erinaceum (HE; “Yamabushitake” in Japanese) is an edible mushroom that was named after the pom-poms worn by traditional warrior monks or the Yamabushi. HE has numerous multifunctional biological activities such as suppressing endo­plasmic reticulum stress, antioxidant activities, and stimulating nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis. Several compounds extracted from HE exhibit neuro-protective activity in the brain [1234]. Our group previously reported 3 cases of mild neurocognitive disorders resulting from neuromedical treatments [5], which were...