Immunity Medicinal Mushroom Blend Breakdown: Spotlight on Lion’s Mane

Our Immunity Matrix is a carefully curated blend of some of the most powerful, immuno-protective mushrooms out there. One of the key players in this immunity medicinal mushroom blend is Lion’s Mane, or Hericium erinaceus, a tooth fungus that also goes by several other names, including Yamabushitake, Old Man’s Beard, and Bearded Tooth.

Interestingly, it is also a coveted culinary delight, but its role in our Immunity Matrix has more to do with purported health effects.

This short post will uncover some of the secrets of the immunoprotective properties of Lion’s Mane.

How Lion’s Mane Benefits Overall Immune Health

One of the interesting alleged benefits of Lion’s Mane is only secondarily related to immune support, but it is uniquely relative nonetheless.

Among the many purported benefits of Lion’s Mane is that it may be able to help alleviate feelings of depression and stress, while upholding a greater sense of wellness. Of course, more research is forthcoming, but the initial findings are promising.

Now, what has this to do with immune health? Well, it has also been demonstrated that chronic stress and depressive symptoms have a deleterious effect on immune health. It makes sense, stress wears you down physically and emotionally. You don’t need a study to corroborate that claim.

Even were that not the case, as it turns out, Lion’s Mane plays other roles in immune support. One has to do with nutrient absorption, or, more specifically, the absorption of things other than nutrients.

Leaky gut syndrome is a condition wherein suboptimal conditions surround the lining of the intestines; small “cracks” in the intestinal lining, if you will.

Normally, the intestines, which communicate directly with the bloodstream, should only allow an exchange of the desired nutrients across the intestinal lining; in leaky gut syndrome, undesired transfer of toxins, bacteria, and other pathogens can occur.

Inflammation is the result of leaky gut syndrome, and it makes the immune system work overtime to help keep the pathogens in check. This, in turn, wears it down.

Lion’s Mane is of peculiar interest here, as it helps to reduce inflammation and correct leaky gut syndrome. It may also be effective at directly regulating gut microbiota that contribute to optimal digestive function.

In other words, by regulating a healthy digestive system and helping to soothe the inflammation arising from conditions like leaky gut syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, it upholds optimal immune function.

Lion’s Mane mushroom also contains a protein labeled “HEP3,” which is noteworthy for a number of effects.

Namely, HEP3 has been demonstrated to decrease the production of tumor necrosis factor-ɑ in liposaccharide-activated macrophages and downregulate the expression of nitric oxide synthase (nitric oxide is a critical defense molecule against invasive pathogens).

Moreover, this protein may show promise at regulating the composition and metabolism of select gut microbiota - once again bolstering gut health, which in turn impacts overall immune function.

In fact, the same protein may even be responsible for helping to increase the proliferation and activation of T-cells, which protect the body against pathogens, further bolstering its role as an immunomodulatory agent.

Lion’s Mane mushroom is also rich in polysaccharides, or complex sugars. One such class of these is known as β-glucans (beta glucans) which are responsible for playing a pivotal role in immune function.

Beta glucans, collectively, can stimulate macrophage activity, while also potentially increasing CD4+ (T-helper cells) and NK cell counts. T-helper cells assist macrophages in eliminating foreign pathogens, and NK, or “natural killer” cells assist the innate immune system by removing irregular and dysfunctional cells. In both cases, these polysaccharides assist overall immune function.

Lion’s Mane is also a superstar in the world of antioxidants. It possesses bioactive compounds that increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the body such as CAT and SOD (superoxide dismutase) which neutralize free radicals, protecting the body from oxidative stress.

The benefits of this are, admittedly, self-evident, but with respect to immune function another word is merited. Antioxidants help protect the body’s tissues and systems at the cellular level, and so reducing oxidative stress helps take a strain off the immune system, The effect is so broad that it can be said that the “functions of the human immune system depend on the intake of micronutrients that can act as antioxidants.”

Of course, this is all telling enough. But it is also the case that Lion’s Mane mushroom may also support cognitive health, prevent ulcers in the digestive tract, protect against heart disease, help prevent diabetes, and possibly even fight against cancer.

What Else This Immunity Medicinal Mushroom Blend Contains

Lion’s Mane mushroom is only one of several powerhouse ingredients including in our immunity medicinal mushroom blend. In it, we have also selected turkey tail, reishi, shiitake, maitake, and cordyceps for their various immunoprotective properties.

To learn more about the multifarious benefits of this miraculous mushroom blend, as well as what else it offers in addition to immune support, please consult our product listing or reach out to our customer service directly at Hello@RawRevelations.com.