In recent years, medicinal mushrooms have begun to occupy an increasingly relevant place in scientific literature. Mushrooms produce a diversity of bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, beta-glucans, terpenoids, and sterols, capable of interacting with cellular pathways involved in inflammation, immune response, and physiological stress.

The Mushrooms and Health Summit, whose results were published in The Journal of Nutrition, brought together international experts to critically review the evidence available on the effects of mushrooms on human health.

One of the most important conclusions of this meeting was that mushrooms cannot be considered simply as "vegetables" or generic "functional foods." Their biochemical profile is considered unique, as they contain complex polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, sterols, and terpenoids with demonstrable effects, for example, on the immune system, metabolism, and inflammation.

Furthermore, it was emphasized that many of these effects do not depend solely on nutritional intake, but on specific bioactive interactions with human cellular pathways.

The main conclusions of the Mushrooms and Health Summit were:

Within this group of medicinal mushrooms, lion's mane stands out for its specific affinity for the nervous system.

Hericium erinaceus, known as lion's mane or Yamabushitake, is an edible mushroom used historically in traditional Asian medicine. It develops and grows naturally on aged or decaying logs in different regions of the planet. It is common in mountainous areas of Asia, although it is also present in North America and many parts of Europe.

In recent decades, various studies have analyzed its neurotrophic, antioxidant, immunological, digestive, and anti-cancer properties, driving its use as a dietary supplement. Therefore, it has become one of the most studied mushrooms for its direct relationship with the nervous system, cognition, mood, and neuroprotection.

For centuries, lion's mane has been used in Asia for:

1. Digestive disorders
2. General weakness and fatigue
3. Improving memory and mental clarity
4. Supporting low emotional states

One of the most relevant findings of modern research on lion's mane has been the identification of its main neuroactive compounds: erinacines and hericenones.

• Hericenones (mainly in the fruiting body)
• Erinacines (mainly present in the mycelium)

The hericenones from the fruiting body, together with the erinacines from the mycelium, easily cross the blood-brain barrier through passive diffusion, allowing their direct action in the central nervous system.

A systematic review focused on preclinical models analyzed in detail the role of erinacines in the neuroprotective effects of Hericium erinaceus. These compounds stand out because they stimulate the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein essential for the survival, differentiation, and maintenance of neurons. Erinacines seem to directly influence the mechanisms that regulate neuronal plasticity.

In animal and cellular models, it has been observed that these compounds promote neuronal regeneration, reduce damage induced by oxidative stress, and modulate inflammatory processes in the central nervous system.

This set of effects positions lion's mane as a potential neurotrophic agent, being one of the few natural compounds with a direct mechanism on neuronal growth.

Regarding clinical evidence, one of the most relevant studies in humans was published in Phytotherapy Research.

It is a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted on people with mild cognitive impairment. This study evaluated the effects of continuous consumption of lion's mane in people with mild cognitive impairment, a condition often considered a precursor stage to more severe neurodegenerative disorders.

The researchers randomly assigned 30 adults between 50 and 80 years old diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment to receive either a placebo or lion's mane extract powder (four 250 mg tablets taken three times a day) for 16 weeks. The authors reported significant differences and notable improvements in cognitive function compared to those in the control group on the cognitive function scale at weeks 8, 12, and 16.

Main results:

This study is key because it translates laboratory findings into a real human context.

Systematic reviews and scientific articles have noted that Hericium erinaceus can:

• Stimulate beneficial gut bacteria and increase the production of metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which can modulate systemic inflammation and neural signaling.

• Reduce intestinal inflammation and improve intestinal barrier integrity, which is a key component of the gut-brain axis.

• Positively influence neuronal pathways of plasticity and expression of neurotrophic factors, mediated by the microbiota-brain interaction.

Recent reviews on bioactive substances with antidepressant potential show growing interest in medicinal mushrooms.

In a four-week randomized study with 30 menopausal women, those who took lion's mane (500 mg supplements) experienced a significant reduction in depression compared to the placebo.

Furthermore, researchers who conducted a randomized trial with 41 young adults between 18 and 45 years old observed subjective reductions in stress after 28 days of supplementation with a daily dose of 1.8 g of lion's mane. This pilot trial tentatively suggests that H. erinaceus may improve performance speed and exert a stress-reducing effect. However, it is crucial that more research be conducted with larger samples.

The review by Hetland et al. on medicinal mushrooms and COVID-19 broadens the perspective toward the role of these organisms in regulating the immune response and systemic inflammation. Although lion's mane is not the most studied mushroom in this context, its ability to modulate inflammatory processes and support immune homeostasis is recognized.

This is relevant given that chronic inflammation is not only involved in severe infections but also in neurodegenerative diseases, mood disorders, and cognitive impairment.

A review published in Nature-derived medicinal mushrooms highlights mushrooms as a promising source of new antitumor agents.

The review on medicinal mushrooms as a source of new anticancer compounds places Hericium erinaceus within an emerging field of oncological research. Although most of the evidence is still preclinical, antioxidant effects, cell cycle modulators, and support for the immune response against tumor cells have been identified.

The study titled “Anticancer potential of Hericium erinaceus extracts against human gastrointestinal cancers” evaluated the effect of two extracts derived from the cultivation of H. erinaceus (named HTJ5 and HTJ5A) on different types of gastrointestinal tract cancer, including liver, colon, and stomach cancer. These extracts showed concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity against human tumor cell lines in vitro, inhibiting their proliferation and reducing cell viability.

In animal model studies, H. erinaceus extracts demonstrated a significant ability to inhibit tumor growth without causing evident toxicity in the host. Furthermore, compared to 5-fluorouracil (a classic chemotherapeutic), the extracts showed greater antitumor efficacy and less overall toxicity in all cancer models evaluated.

However, the study also indicates that further research is needed to precisely identify the active constituents, understand their mechanisms of action, and confirm their efficacy and safety in humans in preclinical and clinical models.

Scientific evidence positions Hericium erinaceus as one of the most promising medicinal mushrooms in the field of human health, particularly due to its direct interaction with the nervous system.

Unlike other functional foods, lion's mane contains specific bioactive compounds such as erinacines and hericenones capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and modulating key processes such as nerve growth factor synthesis, neuroplasticity, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Preclinical and clinical studies suggest potential benefits for cognitive function, mood, immune regulation, and, preliminarily, in the prevention and support against oncological processes. However, although the results are encouraging, much of the clinical evidence is still based on small samples and relatively short intervention periods, which underscores the need for larger, standardized, and longer-duration trials.

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