L 'Hericium erinaceus is a magnificent specimen of medicinal mushroom, however, is also known in the culinary field, particularly in high-class cuisine.

L 'Hericium erinaceus grows in Asia but is also found in Europe and North America. Its flavor curiously makes one think of seafood, crustaceans and has a consistency on the palate defined as "rubbery", like that of squid. It is a really strange looking mushroom, fascinating, it has an aura of mystery and, for this reason, it has been given unusual names such as: Mane or Lion's Head "Lion's mane", Monkey's Head (as they say in China) , White Beard, or Old Man's Beard.

In Japan, Hericium is known mainly by the name "Yamabushitake", that is, "those who sleep on the mountains" - referring to the hermit monks of the Shugendo sect of ascetic Buddhism, who wear the suzugake, the jacket worn by the monks that commemorates it - .

L 'Hericium erinaceus is used as tea for thousands of years by Buddhist monks, to improve brain Energy and increase their ability to concentrate during meditation).

In traditional Chinese medicine, Hericium erinaceus comes prescribed for stomach disorders, ulcers and gastrointestinal problems while, in North America, Native Americans used it as an antihemorrhagic , and applied it dried in powder form on wounds as a healing agent. It is one of the most respected and used medicinal mushrooms in traditional oriental medicines for centuries for its concentration-stimulating, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties .

The therapeutic potential of Hericium Erinaceus is given by a very large pool of elements that it contains in its fruiting body: polysaccharides, fatty acids, phenols, ericenones of various types, diterpenes, vitamins of group B, from Germanium, provitamins D, and various minerals.

Its great therapeutic potential has recently entered the "magnifying glass" of an interested modern and western scientific research, in particular, for the treatment of neurological and cognitive disorders as well as having been attributed to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the nervous level.from the additional neuroprotective potential. Its applications at the gastrointestinal level are also worthy of further study. Those responsible for its cognitive and "neurotropic" effect refer mainly to two classes of compounds mentioned, namely, the erinacins and the ericenones, which are very powerful bioactives capable of crossing the blood brain barrier and capable of inducing the gene expression of the precious neuronal growth factor (NGF - Nerve Growth Factor) in the brain, favoring neuroplasticity and the repair of neuronal damage. NGF is a protein that plays a very important role in the maintenance, survival and regeneration of neurons. Thanks to these characteristics it has come to interest the "skeptic"

Hericium today is having a rapid spread of use and is already regarded as a truly potent natural nootropic that helps improve neurocognitive function . Per years I have personally learned to appreciate it and, as many experts already define it, I consider it a real panacea for neurocognitive communication, a true "antiaging" of our neuronsthanks precisely to the ericenones it contains, which help the brain to produce more nerve growth factor, and its erinacins easily cross the blood-brain barrier to keep neurons strong and healthy, stimulate their repair and the creation of new ones, enhancing the efficiency of various neurotransmitters and neurocognitive communication, improving mood, eliminating the "brain fog" in the phases of particular fatigue. Its "nootropic" effect may not be noticed immediately with its intake, but it can be seen over time. Those who take Hericium continuously notice an increase in mood in spite of states of anxiety and mental energy with greater initiative.Curious as there are reports of an improvement in the perception of smell. Others testify to improved decision making, problem solving, and learning . Probably all this because of the ability of this "mystical" medicinal mushroom to improve neuroplasticity and neuroimmunomodulation.

Like all medicinal mushrooms, they contain high amounts of the antioxidant beta-glucoxylan and four other polysaccharides and polypeptides that have a significant impact on strengthening the immune system. At the gastrointestinal level it has anti-inflammatory and prebiotic effects that make it extremely effective in all inflammatory diseases such as, for example, in gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux, Barrett's esophagitis but also towards chronic intestinal problems such as Chron's disease and ulcerative colitis. A "panacea" that provides its support to the mucous membranes of the digestive system, from the esophagus to the anus, helping the rebalancing of the intestinal flora, inhibiting the growth of E. coli and other intestinal pathogens, torching the mucous membranes (see stomach) and restoring them integrity and correcting situations of impaired permeability.

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