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Review

Lion’s Mane

No authors listed
In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012.
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Review

Lion’s Mane

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Excerpt

Lion’s mane, Hericium erinaceus, is an edible mushroom found most abundantly in East Asia that has been used widely as a food and as an herbal medication in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, lion’s mane has been purported to improve cognition and relieve anxiety and depression. Lion’s mane is generally recognized as safe and has not been linked to serum enzyme elevations during therapy nor to episodes of clinically apparent liver injury.

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References

    1. Zimmerman HJ. Unconventional drugs. Miscellaneous drugs and diagnostic chemicals. In, Zimmerman, HJ. Hepatotoxicity: the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals on the liver. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott,1999: pp. 731-4.(Expert review of hepatotoxicity published in 1999; several herbal medications are discussed, but not lion’s mane).
    1. Mori K, Inatomi S, Ouchi K, Azumi Y, Tuchida T. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2009;23:367-72.(Among 30 Japanese adults [ages 50 to 80 years] with mild cognitive impairment treated with powdered Yamabushitake [Hericium erinaceus: 3 grams daily] or placebo for 16 weeks, dementia symptom scales improved with the H. erinaceus preparation but not with placebo, and side effects were limited to mild abdominal discomfort and diarrhea, while serum ALT, AST, Alk P, and bilirubin levels remained in the normal range). - PubMed
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    1. Teschke R, Wolff A, Frenzel C, Schulze J, Eickhoff A. Herbal hepatotoxicity: a tabular compilation of reported cases. Liver Int 2012; 32: 1543-56.(A systematic compilation of all publications on the hepatotoxicity of specific herbal products identified 185 publications on 60 different herbs, herbal drugs and supplements but does not list or mention lion’s mane). - PubMed

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